Reeling from his own home being crushed by a 150 foot oak tree (pictured right) during Hurricane Isabel, Thomas Shaner, executive director of Maryland’s largest non-profit association of home remodelers, the Maryland Improvement Contractors Association (MICA), is reminding other Marylanders who also suffered storm damage to be sure that their home improvement contractor is licensed by the Maryland Home Improvement Commission before beginning work in the home.

“If you do business with a licensed contractor, you are protected by the Home Improvement Guaranty Fund for losses up to $10,000 that result from poor workmanship and other violations of the home improvement law,” stressed Shaner. “You are not protected if you do business with an unlicensed contractor!”

Shaner reminds homeowners to never do business with a contractor that comes to your door without checking them out very carefully and verifying that they have a MHIC license.

You can breath easier by hiring a MICA-member contractor. As a membership requirement, all of our members are licensed and in good standing with the MHIC. Click here to find a MICA contractor by specialty or location.

If you are not hiring a MICA-member contractor, make sure they are licensed. You may verify whether a contractor is an active licensee in the State of Maryland by clicking here.