However, I want to know if I can hire laborers by the hour to help me with things I am doing myself?
Thank you,
Joe
Hi Joe, your question comes up frequently.
Whether you pay labor by the hour or by the job is irrelevant to a greater issue.
The issue is, what is your liability if one of them gets injured.
I can only say to you and everyone else who is thinking of doing the same thing the following:
Whether you are building a new home, remodeling a home, building an addition, or just hiring someone to do some kind of general labor on your property on the weekend be absolutely sure that they are all insured. Anyone you hire to do anything needs to be insured BEFORE they set foot on your property.
They must provide you with a copy of their “Certificate of Insurance”. This Certificate provides proof that the person or company named on the Certificate has “General Liability” coverage, and carries “Workman’s comp” for his or their employees.
Hire absolutely no one who does not carry insurance. These commercial policies are paid in advance for a whole year, and can’t be canceled. So, check the dates on the certificate.
If a worker is injured on the job, on your property, and they are not insured, they can come “after you” for money. Yikes!
Read "Home Building - Subcontractor Insurance" for more detail.
Good luck and thanks for writing,
Carl Heldmann, byoh.com