Red flags before anyone bids

By the time a bad contractor is mid-project, your options are expensive. The cheap moment to act is before they bid — when walking away costs you nothing. These signs don’t all prove bad faith, but each one has earned its place on the list.

The classic warning signs

They found you — door-to-door, “we’re doing work in the neighborhood,” or right after a storm. Legitimate builders in demand don’t canvass. Pressure is its own flag: “this price is good today only” exists to stop you from getting other bids. And if you already signed at your kitchen table under that pressure, you likely have three days to cancel.

Cash only, or a large deposit demanded up front, tells you about their finances — a solvent contractor doesn’t need your money to start your job (our deposits guide covers what a fair payment schedule looks like). No physical address, no license number in their ads (Utah requires it), a license under someone else’s name, or “we can start tomorrow” in a busy season each deserve a hard look. So does any suggestion to skip permits — the permit protects you, and a builder who’ll cut that corner will cut others you can’t see.

Finally, vagueness as a style: no written scope, “we’ll figure it out as we go,” estimates that are one number on a text message. You can’t compare, enforce, or grade what was never written down.