Rules
Part of Accessibility contractors: which type of company to hire
Hiring questions for accessibility contractors in an occupied home
Accessibility contractors: ask about credentials, licensing, insurance, permits, references, payment, warranties, and occupied-home planning.
Choosing accessibility contractors for an occupied home means checking both whether they can deliver the planned accessible or adaptable work and how the household will live during construction. These questions matter more in an adapted home than in an ordinary remodel, because the resident may not be able to leave for the day and the disrupted routine may be essential to daily care.
What to take away
- Agree working hours, quiet periods and notice for anything loud, in writing, before signing.
- Settle keys and access early, including who may be in the house when nobody is home.
- Get the dust control method named, not described as we will be careful.
- Give the contractor the calendar of care visits and appointments and ask them to work around it.
Qualifications, scope and contract terms
- What license is required for this work here, what is your license number, and where can we verify it? Check the state contractor licensing board's online license lookup; where licensing is handled locally, check the local licensing office. Requirements vary by location.
- Do you hold the National Association of Home Builders' Certified Aging-in-Place Specialist (CAPS) credential or the Living in Place Institute's Certified Living in Place Professional (CLIPP) credential? If not, will an occupational therapist (OT) or assistive technology professional (ATP) help assess or review the proposed features? What similar accessible or adaptable projects can you describe?
- How does your written scope address the resident's access needs, and who will verify that each planned feature is completed as specified?
- Which permits are required, who obtains them, and who schedules inspections with the local building department?
- Can you provide current proof of general liability and workers' compensation coverage? If you use subcontractors, whose coverage applies to them? Is the business bonded, and what does the bond cover?
- May we contact recent clients whose accessible or adaptable work was done in an occupied home?
- What is the payment schedule, and how will you price and get written approval for change orders before extra work begins?
- What written warranties cover the accessibility equipment and its installation, who handles claims, and what exclusions apply?
Access, keys and people
- Who exactly will be in the house, and will it be the same people each day?
- Are subcontractors used, and are they insured through you or separately?
- How is access managed, and who holds a key?
- What are the arrival and departure times, and what notice do we get for changes?
- Is anybody run through a background check, and are you willing to say so in writing?
Living conditions during the work
- What dust barrier system will you use, and is it sealed or sheeted?
- Which utilities will be interrupted, when, and with how much notice?
- How is the resident's main route protected and cleared at the end of each day?
- Where will materials be stored, and what happens if the delivery blocks the entry?
- Which room will be kept clean and off limits to the work?
- What happens to pets, and who is responsible for the door being left open?
The clean room question is the one households forget and miss most.
Pick a spot free of dust and noise, with a chair, a charger and a door that closes. Name it on day one. Do not improvise it in week two when everybody is already tired.
Working around care and appointments
A household receiving regular support has a fixed timetable that the build has to respect. Home health visits, therapy and personal care are scheduled around the person, and the VA's description of skilled home health care gives a sense of how much clinical work happens in the house on a set pattern. Hand the contractor that calendar at the start.
Remote appointments deserve their own mention. Telehealth is now routine, and the federal material on telehealth and the ADA covers the accessibility side of it. From a build perspective the requirement is mundane and non-negotiable: a quiet room with power and a stable connection at known times each week, agreed before the crew arrives.
Putting it in writing
The written agreement should record working hours, quiet periods, access and key rules, the dust-control method, protected route, clean room, care and appointment calendar, approved scope, permit and inspection responsibilities, payment schedule, change-order process, and warranty terms. Ask for changes in writing and approve them before extra work begins. Putting these arrangements on paper can surface conflicts before work starts.
Before signing, compare the written scope with the household's access needs and identify who will check each feature before completion. That can help prevent universal design mistakes from being built in. Ask which person or trade is responsible for each feature and who coordinates the accessible home work.
