15 Questions to Ask a Home Improvement Contractor Before Signing Anything (Maryland Edition)

The contract meeting is the last moment you have leverage. After you sign, every question becomes a change order or a complaint. Here are the 15 questions we would want a family member in Anne Arundel or Howard County to ask any remodeling contractor, including us, along with what a good answer sounds like and which answers should end the meeting.

What Questions Should You Ask a Contractor Before Signing a Remodeling Contract?

Before signing a remodeling contract in Maryland, ask about the MHIC license number, insurance certificate, who pulls the permit, who is on site daily, the payment schedule, allowances, the change-order process, the schedule and its risks, the warranty, references from the last 12 months, and how problems get resolved. A contractor who answers all fifteen in writing without hesitation is the one to hire.

Licensing and Insurance

1. What is your MHIC license number, and is it in this business's name?

Good answer: the number on the spot, matching the name on the contract. Maryland requires an MHIC license for any home improvement over $500, and you can check it yourself at the state lookup. PRG's is MHIC #113057, licensed since 2017. Ends the meeting: "I work under a friend's license."

2. Can I see your certificate of insurance before we sign?

Good answer: a current certificate of general liability insurance, and workers' compensation if they have employees, sent to you directly or by the insurer. Ends the meeting: "I'm covered, don't worry about it."

3. Have you ever had an MHIC complaint or claim against the Guaranty Fund?

Good answer: a direct yes or no; the state lookup shows it anyway. One resolved complaint in a decade is not disqualifying. A pattern is.

Permits and the Work Itself

4. Will you pull the permit in your name, and who meets the inspector?

Good answer: "We pull it, it is in our license number, and I meet the inspector." In Anne Arundel County plan review takes about 1–2 weeks for a simple permit; in Howard County 2–4 weeks through DILP. Ends the meeting: "We can skip the permit and save you some money," or asking you to pull a homeowner permit for their work.

5. Who will physically be in my house each day, and who supervises them?

Good answer: names. At PRG it is Anton Sergeev and a small crew, with licensed subcontractors for electrical, plumbing, HVAC and concrete. Vague answer to worry about: "one of our teams."

6. Which parts of this job are subcontracted, and are those subs licensed?

Good answer: a list. Electrical and plumbing should be done by Maryland-licensed trades, and a good contractor will tell you which ones and can produce their license numbers.

7. What in this house could change the price once you open the walls?

Good answer: specifics for your house. Subfloor rot under an old tub, an undersized electrical panel, galvanized supply lines, polybutylene plumbing in 1980s Howard County homes. A contractor who says "nothing, we've seen it all" has not looked hard enough.

Money

8. What is the payment schedule, and what does each payment correspond to?

Good answer: a deposit within Maryland's one-third cap, then payments tied to milestones you can see. PRG's schedule is a 10–15% deposit, 30–40% when demolition is complete, 30–40% when rough-in passes inspection, and the balance at the final walkthrough. Ends the meeting: 50% up front, or cash only.

9. Which items are allowances, and what happens if I go over or under?

Good answer: every allowance as a dollar figure on the contract, with overages billed at cost and underages credited. Ends the meeting: allowances that are "about" a number, or none stated at all on a job with tile, cabinets or fixtures.

10. How do change orders work, and what is your markup on them?

Good answer: written, priced and signed by both of you before the extra work starts, with a stated markup. Ends the meeting: "We'll figure it out as we go."

Schedule and Warranty

11. When will you start, how long will it take, and what would push that?

Good answer: dates on the contract and an honest list of what moves them: permit review, cabinet lead times of 6–10 weeks, tile back-orders, inspection scheduling. A bathroom in the same footprint runs 3–6 weeks of active work; a full kitchen 8–14 weeks. Be suspicious of a contractor who can start Monday on a big job. Good ones are booked.

12. Will you be running other projects at the same time as mine?

Good answer: yes, and here is how many and how it is sequenced. Every contractor runs more than one job. The question is whether yours gets the days it was promised.

13. What is your warranty, and is it written into the contract?

Good answer: a stated period on workmanship, in writing, plus manufacturer warranties passed to you. PRG provides a 1-year workmanship warranty on labor. Ends the meeting: "We stand behind our work" with nothing on paper.

Track Record

14. Can I have three references from the last 12 months for similar projects in my county?

Good answer: names and numbers of recent customers, ideally one whose project had a problem, so you can hear how it was handled. Reviews on Google and the BBB are useful; a phone call is better.

15. If something goes wrong after you are paid, how do I reach you and what happens?

Good answer: a direct phone number for the person responsible, not a call center, and a described process. PRG's is Anton at 443-856-5379 and a scheduled visit. This is the question most homeowners forget to ask and most regret skipping.

Which Answers Should End the Meeting?

Walk away from a Maryland contractor who cannot produce an MHIC number in the business's name, will not send a certificate of insurance, offers to skip the permit, asks for more than one-third down or cash only, will not state allowances as dollar figures, or has no written warranty. Any one of those on a kitchen, bathroom or deck contract is enough. Pressure to sign today is the seventh.

What Must the Contract Itself Include in Maryland?

Maryland law requires an MHIC contractor's written contract to state the contractor's name, address and license number, a description of the work, the total price and payment schedule, approximate start and completion dates, and the materials by type and grade, and to notify you of your right to cancel within 3 business days when the contract is signed in your home. Read the whole thing; if a verbal promise is not on the page, it does not exist.

How Does PRG Answer These Questions?

In writing, before you sign. PRG Home Improvement LLC was founded in 2016 and has held MHIC license #113057 since 2017. Anton Sergeev estimates and builds or directly supervises every project; licensed subcontractors handle electrical, plumbing, HVAC and concrete. Permits are pulled in PRG's name, allowances are stated as dollar figures, payments follow the milestone schedule above, and the 1-year workmanship warranty is in the contract. We serve Anne Arundel County and Howard County from Gambrills. For how to verify any contractor's license, see how to hire a licensed contractor in Maryland; for lining up the bids you receive, see how to compare remodeling quotes. Free estimates: 443-856-5379.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long do I have to cancel a home improvement contract in Maryland?

Three business days when the contract was signed at your home or anywhere other than the contractor's place of business. The contract must state that right. After three business days you are bound by the contract's own cancellation terms, so read them before signing.

Should I have a lawyer review a remodeling contract?

For a kitchen, bathroom or deck in the $15,000–$100,000 range, most Maryland homeowners do not, provided the contract carries the MHIC-required items and the 15 answers above are on the page. For a whole-house renovation above $150,000 or anything involving an addition, an hour of a real estate attorney's time is cheap insurance.

Is it rude to ask a contractor for proof of insurance?

No. Every licensed contractor in Maryland is asked for it regularly and has the certificate ready. A contractor who treats the request as an insult is telling you how the rest of the project will go.