Selecting a contractor

Selecting a good and competent contractor is always the key to getting the project outcome that you want. When it comes to specialist modifications like those in the mobility and disability sector this requirement becomes even greater. A good contractor usually equals a good job.

As with any project your first priority is to decide exactly what you want. If you are not certain of your requirements from the onset you will have no targets or end goals to set for your contractor. Decide what you want and the standards that you will accept, then spell them out or write them down for your contractor. Better still draw up a contract for the work.

When it comes to sourcing contractors you will probably have a number of options. Some products like stairlifts are often sold as a supply and fit sale, so the installation is included with the product. With other items like showers, disability access baths and room modifications you will need to appoint your own contractor, or even a project manager. In other cases a warranty or guarantee may be dependant upon using a manufacturer approved fitter. When this is the case make sure that you comply.

If you are having some kind of work, installation or re-modelling done that requires a builder, it is important to get someone with a specialism in the health and mobility sector. You can find this out by asking for references or contacts of previous clients and you may, in some situations, be able to obtain a list from a local council or a health organisation.

Failing that, look for advertisements, or rely on word of mouth and then interview possible companies and get fixed quotes and details of what they will do and how they will do it. If a company is not forthcoming about their work, or if they are not happy to talk to you about the project in detail in advance, then give them a wide birth.

Things that you need to cover include cost, project duration, tidiness and the effect on the house while they work, and any requirement that they may have to bring in a subcontractor.

Once you appoint a company to do the work make sure that you get a firm start date and an estimated completion date. You also want confirmation that the work will be continuous. Builders have a habit of starting a job and then disappearing part way through to work on other projects. Get written confirmation that this will not happen.

If you are looking at a supply and fit installation, follow the same procedure. Get references, find out about guarantees and consider the product and the fitting as one.

Pay when the job is completed to your satisfaction. If you are not happy you should either withhold payment or part of the payment.

If the project is a long one or requires the buying (buy the contractor) of expensive components in advance, you may be asked to make some kind of interim payment before the project is completed. When this is the case these arrangements should be agreed prior to your appointment of the contractor and there should be some mutually agreeable way of establishing when any interim payment target has been met.

If at any stage you have a problem with the contractor or their work you should bring it to their attention immediately. In the vast majority of cases they will rectify or correct the problem. If they do not, or if you are unhappy with the way that they deal with things you need to assert you position as the client and the person responsible for paying them.

In the vast majority of cases the work will be completed to your satisfaction and by the completion dates supplied by the manufacturer or contractor.