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The twelve questions

Ask all twelve before anyone cuts drywall. Any red-flag answer is a stop sign, not a negotiation.

1. Are you licensed with TDLR, and what is the exact license name and number I can search?
   Stop if: Cannot name a license, or says licenses do not matter after a storm.
2. For mold work: is the assessor a different company from the remediator?
   Stop if: Same shop assesses and remediates with no explanation.
3. What is the full scope in writing: demo depth, drying days, equipment count, rebuild excluded or included?
   Stop if: One-line price with no scope. Verbal only.
4. How is the estimate priced: Xactimate line items I can keep a copy of?
   Stop if: Refuses an itemized copy, or prices only as a lump demand.
5. What is the payment schedule: deposit amount, draw triggers, final payment tied to what?
   Stop if: All cash up front, or full payment before the adjuster sees the work.
6. Who pulls any required permits, and whose name is on them?
   Stop if: Asks you to pull permits in your name for their crew.
7. What happens if insurance approves less than your number: do I owe the gap?
   Stop if: Cannot explain the gap, or says sign now and it always works out.
8. Do you bill my carrier directly, and what authorization exactly am I signing?
   Stop if: Assignment-of-benefits pressure with no time to read it.
9. Who is on site daily, and what is the supervisor's direct number?
   Stop if: No supervisor, no number, crew changes with no notice.
10. What is the start date, daily schedule, and what counts as done?
    Stop if: Starts tomorrow, ends someday. No completion definition.
11. What warranty do you put in writing on the work itself?
    Stop if: No written warranty, or warranty that voids if you call anyone else.
12. Can I have three recent Houston-area references with addresses I can drive past?
    Stop if: Out-of-state plates, no local references, pressure to decide tonight.

Bid comparator

Paste Bid A and Bid B. This page only checks which standard lines each bid mentions. It never prices your job and never picks a winner. Your numbers stay in this browser.

Compare coverage

Verify, then decide

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.
• TDLR mold assessors and remediators Texas license search. Assessor and remediator are often supposed to be separate.
• 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.

Do this next 1. Search the license on TDLR before any deposit.
2. Use a written scope and payment form. Verbal is how money disappears.
3. Read door-knocker red flags.