Methodology

How We Vet Contractors

The exact 3-step process every contractor passes before they appear on Provetly. We publish this so homeowners can hold us accountable — and so contractors know what to expect.

Last updated: 2026-04-28 · Q1 2026: 2,547 licenses verified with state boards

Why We Built This Process

Most home services platforms accept any contractor who pays a lead fee. The result is well documented: Angi has an F rating with the Better Business Bureau; HomeAdvisor settled a $7.2M FTC case for misleading practices; Thumbtack and Yelp lead-share platforms collectively earn 1.4–2.1 stars on consumer review sites. Homeowners told us the same story over and over — they hired someone who looked legitimate, then discovered an expired license, no insurance, or a history of complaints only after a bad job.

We vet before we list. That is the entire product.

Step 1

State License Verification

We require the contractor's license number for every trade and state they operate in. We then look up that license number directly with the issuing state board to confirm:

·License is currently active (not expired, suspended, or revoked)
·Trade classification matches the services the contractor offers
·Business name on the license matches the listing on Provetly
·No open complaints or disciplinary action in the past 24 months

Verification sources we use:

Texas: Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation
Arizona: Arizona Registrar of Contractors
Colorado: Colorado DORA Professional Licensing

Each state board is linked above. You can verify any contractor's license yourself — we encourage it.

Step 2

Insurance Confirmation

Contractors must provide a current Certificate of Insurance (COI) that names Provetly as a verifying party. We confirm:

·General liability coverage of at least $1M per occurrence
·Workers' compensation coverage if the contractor has employees
·Policy is current — not lapsed, cancelled, or pending renewal
·Carrier is rated A or better by AM Best

Coverage is re-verified at policy renewal. Contractors whose insurance lapses are paused immediately and removed from search results until coverage is restored.

Step 3

Background Screening

We run a background check on the business owner — not a generic database search, but a multi-source review covering:

·National criminal record search (county, state, federal — past 7 years)
·Better Business Bureau profile cross-check (open complaints, alerts)
·State-level civil suit search related to construction or service work
·Identity verification — owner name on license matches owner name on background check

Contractors with construction-related felonies, recent fraud convictions, or unresolved BBB complaints don't make it onto Provetly.

Ongoing Monitoring

Vetting once isn't enough. We re-check every contractor on a rolling 12-month cycle and trigger an immediate re-verification when any of these signals fire:

·License renewal date passes without confirmation
·Insurance carrier reports policy lapse or cancellation
·BBB complaint filed against the contractor
·3+ negative homeowner reviews within 30 days
·Homeowner dispute report submitted via our contact form

Contractors who fail re-verification are paused from search results immediately. We notify the contractor and give them 14 days to resolve before permanent removal.

Public Audit Log

Quarter	Vetted	Rejected	Removed
Q1 2026	2,547	418 (14%)	23

Rejection reasons: expired license (38%), insufficient insurance (29%), open BBB complaints (18%), failed background check (15%).

Ready to Hire a Vetted Contractor?

Browse vetted plumbers, electricians, HVAC techs, roofers, and more — all verified through this exact process.

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