Choosing a restoration company

Start with L&I

In Washington, anyone doing construction work has to register with the Department of Labor and Industries and carry a bond ($30,000 for a general contractor, $15,000 for a specialty contractor) plus liability insurance. Search by business name or registration number on L&I's Verify a Contractor page. The result also lists the bond and insurance on file and whether the registration is active today.

Questions that separate them

• Will I get the moisture readings from day one and every day after?
• When you decide to cut out drywall instead of drying it, what is that based on?
• Who does the rebuild, you or someone you hand off to?
• After a fire, how do you decide which rooms and belongings get cleaned?
• Does anything you want me to sign assign my insurance benefits or send the payment to you?
• If the insurer denies part of the invoice, who owes it?

• The scope and price on paper before any work. It should list what comes out, what stays to be dried or cleaned, and the expected number of days.
• Meter readings and photos on day one and the last day. That record is what shows an adjuster the house actually got dry.
• Time to read before signing. Any form, and especially one that mentions your insurance, can wait while you read it.
• An active Washington L&I contractor registration. L&I's lookup page lets you confirm it from your phone.

Franchise or independent

Not automatically. A franchise is a local owner operating under a national name, and the work depends on that owner. An independent shop can have the same equipment and training. Look instead for a written scope, readings you are shown, and an active L&I contractor registration. One practical difference shows up after a big Nooksack flood: franchises can pull in crews and drying equipment from Seattle or farther, while a small local shop may be booked solid for weeks. That says nothing about the quality of either. Ask both the same questions.

Warning signs

• Someone knocks on your door after a storm with a contract already filled out. Under the FTC's Cooling-Off Rule you generally have three days to cancel an at-home sale of $25 or more.
• You're pushed to sign insurance paperwork before you've read it.
• They want a big cash deposit before doing any work.
• No L&I registration turns up, or the registered name doesn't match the truck.
• Readings are skipped, or kept from you.

Where we come in

Whatcom Restoration Desk doesn't do restoration. We send your request to one independent local company that covers your ZIP and expect it to meet the four commitments listed above. That doesn't replace your own checking, and you should still run the L&I lookup and ask anything on this page.