Home Repair Agent · California
Check a contractor's quote before you sign or pay.
Many home repair losses start at the moment of paying: a deposit far above the legal limit, cash up front, a license number that belongs to someone else. Paste the quote, or upload it, and get a plain answer in under a minute.
What we check
- The deposit: California allows $1,000 or 10% of the price, whichever is less. We do the math for your quote.
- How you are asked to pay: cash, a "cash discount", Zelle, Venmo, a wire, or checks made out to a person instead of the licensed business.
- Payment ahead of the work: after the down payment, payments may only follow finished work.
- Whose license it is: we read the license number's live record at the Contractors State License Board and compare the name with the business on your quote. A borrowed license number is a known scam.
- The license itself: active or suspended, the right class for your job, bond, workers' compensation, and any public complaint or legal action CSLB discloses.
- What the contract must say: the work and materials, a payment schedule, start and finish dates, who pulls the permits, the Mechanics Lien Warning, the right to cancel, insurance notices, and change orders.
- Several bids at once: paste them together and we check each one, compare the totals, and tell you which ones break a payment rule.
Already paying a contractor?
Ask about the next payment, a demand for cash, or a Preliminary Notice from a supplier. We explain CSLB's steps: pay only for finished work, get a conditional lien release before each payment and an unconditional one after, and use joint checks when a supplier or subcontractor has sent you a notice.
What it is not
We do not rate quality or tell you whether a price is fair, and we do not contact contractors for you. We take no money from contractors, and no one pays for placement. Facts about contractors come from CSLB records, with the date we read them. This is not legal advice.