How to Vet a Foundation Repair Contractor
Comparing estimates assumes the companies providing them are already legitimate. That's a separate question, and it's worth answering first — before scope, price, or warranty terms are even on the table.
Licensing
Most states require a specific contractor's license for structural or foundation work, separate from a general handyman or home-improvement license. Requirements vary by state and sometimes by the type of work being proposed. A license number should be verifiable through the state's licensing board directly — not just printed on a business card or website, but checked against the state's own database, where the license's status, scope, and any disciplinary history are shown.
Insurance
General liability insurance and, if the company has employees, workers' compensation coverage protect the homeowner if something goes wrong during the work. A legitimate contractor can produce a current certificate of insurance on request. A company unwilling or slow to provide one is worth treating as a red flag rather than an oversight.
Who is actually doing the evaluation
In much of the industry, the person who diagnoses the problem is the same person selling the repair — see how the industry has changed for more on that structural conflict. A separate, independent evaluation — a geotechnical engineer or a second opinion not tied to a repair sale — removes that conflict, even if it costs something up front.
Reputation, with context
Reviews and complaint history are useful but incomplete. A pattern across many independent sources matters more than any single review, positive or negative. State licensing boards, the Better Business Bureau, and local building departments can show complaint history that a company's own website will not.
Questions worth asking directly
- What is your license number, and in what state is it issued?
- Can I see a current certificate of insurance?
- Who performed the evaluation, and do they have a financial interest in the repair being sold?
- How long has this company operated under this name, in this state?
- Can you provide references for work similar in scope to mine, not just general references?
- What happens if something is found during the work that wasn't in the original scope?
None of this guarantees a good outcome, and a contractor who checks every box can still be the wrong fit for a specific house. But a contractor who can't produce a verifiable license and current insurance on request is not a company worth continuing the conversation with, regardless of how the estimate looks.