Your contractor says they're licensed. But licensed for what?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Verifying a contractor's license in Miami-Dade takes less than 5 minutes and is completely free. We show you exactly how to do it, what each result means and why the question you should ask isn't \u201care you licensed?\u201d. It includes the Homeowner's Research Kit<\/strong>: 6 missions to verify your contractor before you sign.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Key points<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n At La Tribu Life Remodelaciones we verify contractor licenses every day. The most common mistake we see isn't hiring someone without a license: it's hiring someone with the wrong license for the job.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Every time we get a call for a quote, the conversation follows almost the same pattern. The homeowner describes the project, the space and the budget, and just before hanging up, lowers their voice a little and asks: \u201cBut\u2026 you work with a license, right?\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOf course,\u201d we answer. \u201cBut tell me, which license will your project need?\u201d. Dead silence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Many homeowners come to that first call after weeks of research: they asked the neighbor, checked Facebook groups, read articles and watched videos. And out of all that noise, the only thing that stuck was the most repeated phrase in Miami: \u201cBefore you hire, check that your contractor is licensed.\u201d<\/strong> It's not bad advice. The problem is that nobody explains what it really means.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When a contractor says \u201cI'm licensed and insured,\u201d most homeowners assume that covers everything: that if they have a license, they can do any remodeling work in their home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Wrong.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In Florida there are multiple types of construction licenses, and each one authorizes a different scope of work. A contractor can have a current, active license with no complaints and still not be authorized for the job they're quoting you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Remember:<\/strong> in Miami-Dade, any remodeling project valued at more than $1,000 requires a contractor with a current license.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n These are the most common types of construction licenses in Florida:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Miami-Dade tip:<\/strong> in addition to the DBPR, some contractors hold a local license issued by the county, valid only in Miami-Dade. If they don't appear in the DBPR, also check miamidade.gov\/building\/contractor-search.asp.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n If you remodel your entire kitchen (plumbing, electrical, carpentry and finishes), a contractor licensed only for plumbing can't legally do all the work. And if they do, you take on the risk. That's why you need two questions: what type of license do you have?<\/strong> and does that license authorize you to do exactly what you're quoting me?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The DBPR (Department of Business and Professional Regulation) is the official Florida agency that issues, regulates and oversees contractor licenses. It's the only authorized source to verify whether a contractor is licensed. Official portal: www.myfloridalicense.com<\/strong> \u00b7 Verification phone: (850) 487-1395.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Although working without a license is a third-degree felony on projects over $5,000, complaints spike after every hurricane, when so-called storm chasers<\/em> flood the market. The DBPR also records the disciplinary history of each license:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Note:<\/strong> if you live within the City of Miami (not the county), permits are handled at cityofmiami.gov\/building. Check which jurisdiction covers your address.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n A prepared homeowner does their research before signing. Here is your verification file. You have 5 minutes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Borrowed license:<\/strong> this happens when someone without a license uses another contractor's number to operate (Florida Statute 489.129). It's one of the most common frauds in Miami-Dade. Licenses are renewed every 2 years; the status Delinquent<\/em> means it wasn't renewed on time.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n And a fact few people know: if a licensed contractor commits fraud or abandons the job, you have access to the Florida Homeowners’ Construction Recovery Fund<\/strong>, a state fund of up to $100,000. It only applies to contractors with a current license.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Learning to verify a license is useful. But in Miami, between work and family, when will you have time to do it with every contractor who quotes you?<\/p>\n\n\n\n La Tribu Life Remodelaciones is the Active Owner's Representation service in Miami-Dade: it verifies, selects and presents licensed contractors, at no cost to you for this service. Every contractor in our network goes through DBPR verification, license type, disciplinary history, insurance and a contract under our standards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n +100<\/strong> verification points before we introduce you to a contractor. If one fails to comply, they leave the network.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n Go to www.myfloridalicense.com, click \u201cVerify a License\u201d and search by name or number. Confirm that the status is \u201cCurrent, Active\u201d before you sign.<\/p>\n<\/details>\n\n\n\n It means the license is valid and the contractor is authorized to work in Florida.<\/p>\n<\/details>\n\n\n\n The contract is invalid (Florida Statute 489.128), you lose access to the Recovery Fund and you take on full responsibility for accidents or damage.<\/p>\n<\/details>\n\n\n\n It's free at www.myfloridalicense.com and takes less than 5 minutes.<\/p>\n<\/details>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Your contractor says they're licensed. But licensed for what? We show you how to verify it in 5 minutes, for free.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":287,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[12,11,13,10,14],"class_list":["post-101","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-como-elegir-contratista","tag-dbpr-miami","tag-licencia-de-contratista","tag-permisos-miami-dade","tag-remodelacion-en-miami","tag-representante-del-propietario"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/latribulife.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/101","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/latribulife.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/latribulife.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/latribulife.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/latribulife.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=101"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/latribulife.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/101\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":288,"href":"https:\/\/latribulife.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/101\/revisions\/288"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/latribulife.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/287"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/latribulife.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=101"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/latribulife.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=101"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/latribulife.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=101"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}\n
Are they licensed? The question everyone asks and no one knows how to answer well<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The right question before you hire<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
License type<\/th> Code<\/th> What it authorizes<\/th><\/tr><\/thead> Certified General Contractor<\/td> CGC<\/td> General construction with no value limit<\/td><\/tr> Certified Building Contractor<\/td> CBC<\/td> Construction within defined limits<\/td><\/tr> Certified Residential Contractor<\/td> CRC<\/td> Residential up to 3 stories<\/td><\/tr> Certified Roofing Contractor<\/td> CCC<\/td> Roofing only<\/td><\/tr> Certified Air Conditioning Contractor<\/td> CAC<\/td> HVAC systems only<\/td><\/tr> Certified Plumbing Contractor<\/td> CFC<\/td> Plumbing only<\/td><\/tr> Certified Electrical Contractor<\/td> EC<\/td> Electrical only<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n What the DBPR is and why it's the only reliable source<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Homeowner's Research Kit: Operation Verified License<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Beyond the license: what else you should verify<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Red flags even when the license is active<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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How La Tribu Life Remodelaciones does this verification for you<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Frequently asked questions<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
How do I verify a contractor's license in Florida?<\/summary>\n
What does \u201cCurrent, Active\u201d mean in the DBPR?<\/summary>\n
What happens if I hire someone without a license?<\/summary>\n
How much does it cost to verify a license?<\/summary>\n