Pause before you pay: How to verify a contractor is licensed

RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) -- Picture this -- a contractor knocks on your door offering to use asphalt left over from a job down the street to repave your driveway.

He offers a great deal, perhaps a price that seems too good to be true.

Many people now know to tell a solicitor like this to get lost. But when a contractor is well-reviewed online and comes recommended by friends, many homeowners don't take the extra step of checking their license status.

If everything goes according to plan, that can work out. But if the job is done poorly, an unlicensed contractor fails to complete or even show up for the job, or you realize you were overcharged, your options to at least get your money back become limited.

If a contractor is licensed, the homeowner left holding the bag can file a claim with the Department of Occupational Regulations (DPOR) to get their money back. Utilizing contractor licensing fees, DPOR is able to pay out for any claims where they find a licensed contractor failed to live up to the promise of their license.

While DPOR's investigators may find probable cause to charge an unlicensed contractor for practicing without a license, a claimant isn't eligible to receive money from DPOR's claims fund.

To best ensure your job is done the way it should be and that you have recourse if it doesn't, DPOR recommends you use its license lookup tool to check on anyone you're hiring to do work in and around your home, before ever signing a contract or paying any money.

Using this tool, you should search for both the purported contractor and their business.

Using either DPOR'S basic license search page or the advanced license search, you'll type in the person's name in the appropriate field. You can then select "Board for Contractors" in the Board type drop-down menu. While this selection isn't necessary, it can make searching easier if the person has a common name.

If a red notification bar stating, "Your previous search returned no records, try broadening it" pops up, that's your first red flag.

If you then try the name of the company instead of the person and also get the red notification bar, that's your sign to walk away. If the company shows up with a valid license, like the example above, you'll want to call the company according to the phone number listed on their own website or with reputable organizations, like the Better Business Bureau. This is best practice just in case someone offering to do the work is pretending to be a worker with the company.

A reputable business will populate a result showing the company's full name, license number, license description, address, specialties, initial certification date and expiration date.

If complaints have been filed, you'll see a "Complaints" tab next to the "License Details" tab. That will allow you to see the nature of any complaints, how recent they were filed and more.

Law enforcement that 8News has spoken with while investigating unlicensed contractors always say the same.

Any credible contractor will always wait for you to look them up and make sure they're certified to do the job.

If someone is pressuring you to make a decision, shut the door and keep your money.