Hiring help without getting scammed
Door knockers, licenses, cash deposits, liens, out-of-state crews, fraud reports.
Home / Hiring help without getting scammed
Status, maps, and claim portals change by the hour. Open the org site. Do not trust a screenshot from last night.
- TDLR license search Check a contractor before you sign. Storm chasers skip this on purpose.
- Texas AG consumer complaint Contractor and FEMA-impersonation patterns. Keep contracts, texts, and plates.
- Texas Department of Insurance storm resources Claim FAQs and complaints. Help line 800-252-3439 if you cannot find your carrier.
Checking licenses and references in Texas under pressure
TDLR is still the check, even when the hallway is wet. A logo on a truck is not a license.
Contracts that protect you when everyone is desperate
If it isn't on paper, you don't have a deal. Panic is not a substitute for scope, dates, and a name.
Deposits, draws, and never paying all cash up front
A deposit can be normal. Your entire job in cash before they unload a fan is not.
Door-to-door after Harvey-style events: patterns to refuse
If they appeared on the porch with a clipboard and a cash price, that's your first no.
Matching restoration scope to what insurance approved
The crew can tear more than the carrier approved. You pay the gap unless you get a written supplement.
Mechanics liens if a contractor does not get paid
In Texas, unpaid work can become a lien on your house, even if you already paid the general contractor.
Out-of-state crews: when they help and when they vanish
Some visiting crews work hard and leave a clean slab. Some cash a deposit and change the plate.
Photographing work in progress for disputes
Daily photos are how you win a later fight about what was dry, what was done, and what they broke.
Public adjusters: useful or not for your claim
A public adjuster works for you, for a cut. Useful on a messy claim. Not required, and not a porch impulse.
Where Houstonians report contractor fraud
TDLR, the Texas Attorney General, and the Harris County District Attorney are the real windows. Reviews are not a police report.