Although experts say you have more legal leeway checking subcontractors’ backgrounds than prospective employees’, you still should obtain waivers and shouldn’t exceed legal parameters with regard to questions about age, race, sexual orientation, and the like.
Experts recommend a civil records search in the county where the subcontractor is licensed, to see if he’s suing or has sued others. Bruce Berg of Berg Consulting Group, West Palm Beach, Fla., says if no record surfaces, check on the individual and company name for criminal records. Also, check credit reports. If the sub has 15 accounts and 13 are delinquent, that’s a red flag. On the other hand, he might have been hospitalized, be paying bills out of savings, and have an honest explanation, backed by references’ reports. So always check back once you collect data.
Other places to verify subcontractors’ records include state licensing boards, the Better Business Bureau, and state tax assessors. Dun & Bradstreet provides business credit checks from $25. The most basic of these provides creditworthiness and public filings records. (See www.smallbusiness.dnb.com.)
Rick Kurland of Employment Background Investigations, of Owings Mills, Md., suggests one final check — with sex offender registry services. It’s $15 well spent, he says, for someone who will work in your clients’ homes.