If you’re filing under Solution 2, you’re the one picking the contractor. The program verifies a couple of things — license and insurance — with the Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors, and after that the evaluation is on you.

Here’s the checklist we tell homeowners to run through before signing anything.

1. Confirm the Louisiana license directly

Don’t take a screenshot from a contractor’s website as proof. Go to lslbc.louisiana.gov and search the company name. Confirm:

  • The license is active, not expired or suspended.
  • The classification matches the scope of your work (residential, commercial, etc.).
  • There are no pending complaints or disciplinary actions.

Five minutes of searching eliminates the biggest category of bad hires.

2. Ask for a current certificate of insurance

You want two pieces of paper:

  • General liability. Covers damage to your property while work is underway.
  • Workers’ compensation. Covers the crew if they get hurt on your site. Without it, and with Louisiana’s workers’ comp rules, you can end up personally on the hook for a crew injury.

Ask for certificates dated within the past 30 days. Legitimate contractors keep these handy — it’s not an imposition.

3. Check BBB and online reviews with a grain of salt

BBB rating is useful, but supplement it: search the company name plus “complaint” or “lawsuit” and see what comes up. Look for patterns, not one-off grievances — every contractor in Louisiana who’s done enough jobs has at least one frustrated review floating around.

4. Ask for three recent references on similar scope

“Similar scope” is the key phrase. A contractor who built a new subdivision ten years ago isn’t necessarily the right fit for a hurricane rebuild. Ask for three recent references on projects with similar scope to yours. Call them.

The questions to ask the reference:

  • Did the project finish on budget? If not, why?
  • Did it finish on schedule?
  • Was the contractor communicative when problems came up?
  • Would you hire them again?

5. Verify the estimate matches your ECR

In Solution 2, the program’s Estimated Cost of Repairs is the ceiling. A contractor whose estimate doesn’t line up with the ECR — or who says “don’t worry about the ECR, we’ll just handle it” — doesn’t understand the program.

Legitimate Solution 2 contractors will walk through the ECR with you line by line.

6. Get everything in writing

  • Written, line-itemed estimate
  • Written project plan (which the program requires anyway)
  • Written draw schedule tied to specific milestones
  • Written change-order process — specifying that nothing outside the ECR gets done without pre-approval

Red flags that should end the conversation

  • “I need cash up front.” Solution 2 does not allow advance payments. A contractor asking for cash on signing is not working the program correctly.
  • Out-of-state plates, no local address. Storm-chaser contractors move in after events and disappear afterward. The Louisiana license should be attached to a Louisiana business with a local track record.
  • No email, no written anything. Handshake deals are worth exactly as much as the handshake when the job goes sideways.
  • “I can skip the permit — save you time.” Skipping the permit on a storm rebuild is how you end up with an un-closable inspection and a home you can’t insure.
  • Pressure to sign today. Every good Louisiana contractor has a backlog. If somebody’s telling you they need to sign a contract this afternoon or the opportunity goes away, walk.

A note on our own vetting

We publish our credentials at /credentials/ and will send current certificates of insurance and references on request, before you sign anything. That’s the standard — not the ceiling. Ask every contractor you’re evaluating for the same.