Frequently Asked Questions

We've helped make millions of matches between consumers and service professionals and we give you the advantage of 70+ years of accumulated knowledge in the home services industry. From our proprietary matching service, to the more than 1,200 home related articles on our Web site, we offer the most comprehensive Internet tool available to consumers looking for home services, plus a growing portfolio of local services.

HomeAdvisor was founded in December 1998. We've grown by teaming with other local companies like ours to give us a base of experience stretching back as far as 1980, and a proven track record you can count on.

Our member service professionals cover all major metropolitan areas in the U.S. and parts of Canada. Our Web site also covers the entire United States with a directory of screened and approved service professionals.

Our network includes service professionals skilled in more than 500 home-related services, from house cleaning to remodeling, plus a growing directory of local services.

To find the right service professional, you first submit a brief description of your service need by answering a series of questions in a HomeAdvisor interview. This interview not only helps us understand your expectations, but it lets you carefully consider all the aspects of your project.HomeAdvisor then matches your specific need with the defined skills of a select group of service professionals. The result is a match between the right consumer and the right service professional.

No. We provide professionals matched to your need and interested in your job, but the final choice is up to you.

HomeAdvisor's service professionals are thoroughly screened before being included in our network, so you can be confident in your selection. You can also use profile information and Ratings & Reviews from past customers to help decide who's best for you. Our mission is to create a better connection between the right consumer and the right service professional. We want you to get your job done right!

Ratings & Reviews are perhaps the most important service we offer to our users. They help us keep track of the quality of service provided by our member service professionals. For all requests you place with HomeAdvisor, you'll be asked to submit Ratings & Reviews for the service professionals you are presented. When you do, you not only help other consumers make the right choice, you also contribute to the overall quality of service we offer. Also, once you complete Ratings & Reviews you are qualified for the Service Guarantee. Click here for a Ratings & Reviews sample

When you're ready. Because it's hard for us to know exactly when your job is done, we may ask you to submit your Ratings & Reviews before you're ready. Once your job is complete, you can always visit the HomeAdvisor website to close your job and complete your Ratings & Reviews at that time.

"My HomeAdvisor" is your personal space on our Web site where HomeAdvisor keeps your profile information secure for you. This is the place for you to:

• Review your Service Requests
• Review your previously matched Pros
• Add your new address, phone number or e-mail address to your personal profile.
• Change your password or property profile information.

The Resource Center is a vault of articles, pictures, videos and project tools providing insights and advice across a wide variety of topics. You can read articles, get advice from your neighbors and industry experts and discover tips to help connect with local services.

The decision to stop a project will have to be worked out between you and the service professional. Expect to pay for work and materials performed up to that point. We ask that you remember to come back to our website to complete your Ratings & Reviews survey.

Your feedback is vital to the quality of service our member professionals provide. As with any credible grievance process, we first evaluate both sides of the story before making a final decision. Often, an unpleasant experience is the result of a simple misunderstanding between the two parties. However, if there is a negative trend against the service professional, we reserve the right to remove a service professional from our network.

We've got it down to a science. Having screened our entire network of over 69,000 professionals, here's what we look for:

STATE-LEVEL TRADE LICENSE VERIFICATION

We make sure that our service professionals carry required state-level trade licensing for the services they provide.

CRIMINAL & SEX OFFENDER BACKGROUND CHECK

HomeAdvisor uses third-party data sources to conduct a criminal search for relevant criminal activity associated with the owner/principal of the business.

INSURANCE COVERAGE

We encourage professionals to carry insurance. We require coverage for providers of health care and moving services.

VERIFICATION OF STATE BUSINESS FILINGS

For service professionals that are corporations or limited liability companies, we confirm that the business is properly registered in the state in which it is located.

BANKRUPTCY, JUDGMENTS & LIENS RECORDS CHECK

We use third-party data sources to check the principal/owner of each business for bankruptcy filings, liens and significant state-level legal judgments during the three years prior to their enrollment in the HomeAdvisor network.

IDENTITY VERIFICATION

We verify the social security number(s) of the owner/principal for identity check purposes. This check applies primarily to smaller business entities. HomeAdvisor does not screen Canadian Service Professionals. Note: Member service professional information, as described above, is confirmed at the time of the service professional's enrollment in the HomeAdvisor Network, and may change or expire over time. While HomeAdvisor attempts to maintain accurate and up-to-date information, and confirms changes when notified, we cannot guarantee that profile and screening information is accurate or up-to-date. Therefore, we recommend that before working with a service professional, you verify that information presented is still current and/or acceptable to you. Click here for our terms and conditions. Last updated: 02/20/2015.

To be HomeAdvisor Certified, a member service professional must meet all the requirements for basic membership. In addition, they must have a minimum of three satisfied customer ratings from current HomeAdvisor customers.

You are not charged for this service because service professionals pay advertising fees to participate in HomeAdvisor's network. Service professionals specify the type of work they do and the geography they serve. HomeAdvisor provides new customer leads that match these requests and service professionals pay a fee for each lead they receive. These fees do not affect your estimate.

Pay close attention to bids and contracts. It is your responsibility as a customer to get bids, and all prices should be clearly stated on contracts. If something is unclear to you, ask questions.