When you’re looking for a contractor for a home renovation project, it’s important to do your due diligence. I say this from experience.

I have had too many experiences with bad and unreliable contractors even after checking references and previous work. You just can’t be careful enough.

In this story, one person shares why they decided not to consider one contractor for a backyard construction project. However, they seem to like the guy’s references and are wondering if they’re overreacting.

Let’s read the whole story to decide.

AIO for not hiring a contractor because he gave me a fraudulent insurance policy?

I’m getting quotes for a decent sized outdoor project that will require some heavy equipment.

As part of my quote gathering I’m asking for references, photos of prior work and liability insurance.

One guy, who seems very likable and knowledgeable sent me an insurance document that identified an HOA instead of me.

I let him know and within minutes I received a new PDF that had my name on it. But the font was different and how that section was formatted was not like the original.

OP called the insurance company.

I honestly didn’t think this guy could open an email let alone doctor up a PDF. So I called the insurance company and they told me he cancelled his insurance a couple of weeks ago and he did not request a policy with my name on it.

I was disappointed and decided if he’s willing to send me a fraudulent insurance document then he’s bad news in spite of my impression.

His references spoke highly of him and how hard working he is and I believe he likely is. But I’m moving onto other options now but wonder if I should give him a chance in spite of this?

It’s probably safer for OP to trust their gut and hire someone else.

Let’s see if Reddit agrees.

I completely agree with this comment!

Another person points out why he made the right decision.

If you enjoyed this post, check out this story about a landlord who is confused about how to return a despot since the tenant doesn’t ever want to contact them again.

Everyone seems to think he’s not overreacting.

This person was in the same situation but hired the guy and regrets it.

He did his due diligence, saw a huge red flag, and decided not to move forward. That’s the right thing to do.

Maybe the guy is a great contractor and everything would’ve been fine, but maybe not. It’s not worth the risk.

He definitely made the right decision.