A licensed contractor makes all the difference. There is a reason municipalities like Mecklenburg and Cabarrus Counties require all HVAC replacements be permitted and inspected – safety.
Permitted work assures quality for homeowners and any future homeowners if the property is sold. Permits can only be obtained by licensed contractors like the expert technicians at MTB Mechanical.
Doesn’t unpermitted work save you money?
On the front end, it may seem like avoiding permits is a money saver but, when you stop to consider the impact on your homeowners insurance and home value, it’s an expensive proposition.
Often, unpermitted work is not covered by homeowners insurance policies and, if discovered by the insurance company, can give cause for your policy to be dropped.
Unpermitted work also has a variety of consequences when it’s time to sell your home. You may be forced to discount the value of your home, disclose the unpermitted work to potential buyers or go through the costly process of getting a permit retroactively.
Sellers can be spooked by unpermitted work as they’d take on the burden and risk themselves in the long run. Short term, they may even have difficulty obtaining a loan. Either way, any buyer would have leverage over you, the seller, to make demands or ask for a price reduction.
How do you know if someone is a licensed contractor?
Unfortunately, you cannot take every potential contractor at face value. You may be motivated by an incredibly low price, a “today only” special offer or someone who claims to be licensed under another contractor. It’s worth doing your homework.
Licensed contractors like MTB Mechanical go through the North Carolina Board of Examiners of Plumbing, Heating and Fire Sprinkler Contractors. The Board’s purpose is to protect public safety by holding licensed contractors to the highest standards of work. On their website, you can search to see if a contractor is licensed. They also offer consumer protection information to arm homeowners against those who seek to take advantage of them.
What if my contractor says they’re insured – isn’t that enough?
No. Insurance alone doesn’t go far enough. When a contractor is insured, you as the homeowner are protected from liability if a worker is injured on the job. However, insurance doesn’t cover the quality of the work being performed.
In order to obtain a license, a contractor needs education on standards of work and is held to those standards. Insurance may cover damage to your property that happens during work, but it’s not likely to cover shoddy workmanship.
If your air conditioning system or any other component of your home’s HVAC needs service, repair or replacement, count on the professionals who will do it right, and always have. MTB brings nearly 45 years of experience to every job. Request an appointment online or give us a call at (704) 459-4066 .
