When it comes to hiring an electrician for your home, business, or industrial building, it’s important to ask the right questions to ensure that you hire the right electrician for the job.

In this article, Suburban Enterprises shares 10 questions to ask your electrician to ensure you’ve hired a qualified team for your project!

1. Are You a Licensed and Insured Electrician?

To start, make sure that you’ve checked their website to confirm that they are a licensed electrician. If you’re not seeing anything on their website or online business profiles, you should directly ask them.

Hiring a licensed and insured electrician means you won’t have to worry about your safety being put at risk, or that you’ll experience damage to your property, which could end up with wasted time and costly repairs.

2. Do You Have Any References from Previous Customers?

Asking for references from previous customers can give you an idea of the electrician’s professionalism, how they handled the project from start to finish, their communication, timeliness, attention to detail, and more.

We also recommend you read their Google, Facebook, or Yelp reviews and their website testimonials to get an idea of the quality of work they do.

3. Will This Project Require a Permit?

Next, we recommend that you check with your electrician(s) about whether your job will require a permit or not. Often, certain electrical jobs will require permits from local government agencies. It’s essential that you check with your electrician about the how the permit process will be handled.

Any professional electrician will inform you of whether a permit is need and when applicable, will take care of the process for you.

Related: Reasons Why You Shouldn’t DIY Electrical Work

4. Who Will Be Responsible for Any Associated Repairs?

Next, we recommend you ask your electrician who will be responsible for any additional, associated repairs that may come up on the job. Examples of this include repairing drywall or replacing fixtures.

Make sure you know who will be responsible for these additional repairs so that you are prepared for any unexpected or additional costs.

5. Do You Perform This Type of Electrical Work Often?

A professional electrical company should have lots of experience performing the type of electrical work that you need.

Ask this question before hiring a company to make sure that you have selected an experienced electrician(s) who will be familiar with the ins and outs of your project. This will ensure that your job is done right the first time and will save any possible headache.

Any reputable company should be honest if the complexity of your project is outside the scope of their usual work.

6. Will There Be Any Disruption in My Electrical Service?

Next, make sure you check with your electricians to see if there will be any downtime during the job. Often, the power will need to be turned off while they perform work on your electrical systems for everyone’s safety.

Asking this question now will help you to know if you need to prep for any interruptions and can help you, your family, or your employees to plan accordingly!

Related: When Should I Hire a Commercial Electrician to Inspect My Business? 4 Factors to Consider

7. Is This Service Going to be a Long-Term Fix for My Problem?

Ask your electrical company if the solution they are proposing is a long-term fix for your electrical problem. You always want to make sure that you are not just fixing a symptom, or settling for a temporary solution, especially since addressing the root cause will provide a better long-term result and save you more money overall.

A reputable electrical contractor will explain to you all your options and will help point you in the direction of a better, long-term fix.

8. Will You Provide an Electrical Safety Inspection?

Next, you should ask your electrical contractor if they will perform an electrical safety inspection during the job. During an inspection, contractors essentially make sure that your systems are up to code and safe to use, that everything is installed correctly, that your building is winterized, and that safety devices such as smoke, fire, and carbon monoxide detectors are all working correctly.

You should also schedule routine safety inspections with your electrical company for the safety of you and everyone who enters your building. Read more here about 4 electrical yearly maintenance resolutions for manufacturers.

9. What Is Your Warranty or Service Guarantee?

Warranty and service guarantees help to back the quality of an electrical contractor. As a result, we recommend asking your electrician what type of warranty or service guarantee they offer.

A warranty can give you peace of mind knowing that if something goes wrong in your electrical system, that you are covered. Additionally, a service guarantee can ensure that you receive the best possible service. If not, a trustworthy electrical company will be willing to make things right.

10. I Would Like to Get a Second Opinion. Can I Get Back to You?

Lastly, if you aren’t sure which company you want to hire, ask them if you can get back to them. Any professional electrician will understand and will encourage you to make the best decision for your specific needs.

Related: Frequently Asked Electrical Wiring Questions