Guide
Before you hire a restoration contractor
A few questions up front make the job go smoother. Texas also licenses some of the trades involved, and those licenses are easy to check.
Texas licensing
Which work needs a state license
Water drying itself
Texas has no state restoration license. The agency's list of regulated programs includes mold assessors and remediators but no water damage or general contractor program.
Mold assessment and removal
Licensed by TDLR under Occupations Code chapter 1958. The same license holder may not assess and remediate one project (chapter 1958).
Plumbing
Licensed by the Texas State Board of Plumbing Examiners. The Responsible Master Plumber's license number should appear in ads and paperwork (TSBPE).
City registration
San Antonio lets registered home improvement and residential building contractors and registered trade contractors pull permits for homeowners (Development Services).
Questions
Ask on the first visit
- Can I see your insurance certificate?
- Is this one contract for drying and rebuilding, or two?
- What gets removed and why?
- How do you measure dryness, and will I get the log?
- What will the permit situation be for the repairs?
- How are changes to the scope priced and approved?
- What deposit is required, and when are payments due?
- Who do I call with questions during the job?
Signs to slow down
Pressure to sign on the spot, a refusal to put the price and scope in writing, or a request to pay everything up front are all reasons to pause. So is a contractor offering to take over your insurance claim. TDI notes that public adjusters, who work for the policyholder, must hold a TDI license.
For mold, ask for the license numbers of both the assessment consultant and the remediation contractor and look them up on TDLR license search before work begins.
Leak, flood, smoke or mold
Talk it through with a San Antonio restoration contractor
Say where the water came from, which rooms it reached and roughly when it started. The contractor on the line can tell you what an inspection would look at and what they charge for it.
Water where it shouldn't be? Make one call.
The call goes to an independent restoration contractor that takes work in your part of Bexar County or the nearby suburbs.
Call (210) 750-1322Calls may be recorded for quality. How the line is paid: referral disclosure. What is kept: privacy.