How to check a contractor's past work and references

A contractor's willingness to let you ring their past clients and see their finished kitchens or bathrooms is one of the strongest signals you'll get. But asking "Do you have references?" isn't enough—you need to know what proof to ask for, which registers to check, and exactly what questions will separate a genuinely skilled operator from someone coasting on charm.

What to request before you make the call

When a contractor offers references, ask for at least three completed projects from the past two years, ideally ones similar in scope and style to what you're planning. Don't accept a list of names alone; ask for their contact details *and* the address of the finished work if the client is happy to share it. This matters because you can then drive past or ask to view the space yourself—you're not just hearing "it went well," you're seeing the tiling, the finishes, how the joinery sits.

Request photos of the project at different stages: during demolition, mid-installation, and final completion. These show how the contractor manages site conditions and whether they document their own work carefully. A contractor who has before-and-after shots organized by room is someone who takes process seriously.

Before you dial, ask the contractor for their business registration number and check it with CIPC. A registered business is a basic legal baseline. Also ask whether they're registered with any trade associations or hold relevant qualifications—plumbers and electricians should be able to provide evidence of competency, not just a promise of "experience."

How to talk to past clients and what matters

When you call a reference, start by confirming they did have work done and roughly when. Then ask about the three things that predict your own experience: Did the contractor finish on time or explain delays upfront? Did costs stay close to the quote, and if not, were changes requested in writing before work continued? How responsive were they to questions or problems mid-project?

Ask specifically about their communication style. Did they send updates? Were they easy to reach via phone, WhatsApp or email? Renovation work is messy and decisions come up constantly—a contractor who disappears or dodges calls during a job is a red flag, no matter how finished the tiling looks.

Find out whether the contractor left the site clean at the end of each working day and whether they removed their own waste or left that to the client. It sounds minor, but it tells you whether they respect your home and time. Ask if they carried liability insurance and can they provide proof—damage happens, and you want to know there's a policy protecting you if it does.

Get their honest take on the contractor's weak spots too. Nobody's perfect. Did they take shortcuts anywhere? Were there snags or defects that had to be rectified? How quickly did the contractor come back to fix them? A contractor who corrects their own errors without fuss is vastly different from one who argues or vanishes.

Don't ask leading questions ("He was amazing, wasn't he?"), and don't settle for vague praise. You want specific examples: "The sink installation took longer than expected because the wall was out of plumb—he sorted it by X" or "They quoted for a new lintel but when they opened the wall it turned out the existing one was fine, so they explained that and we didn't pay for work we didn't need."

Once you've spoken to references and verified their registration, ask the contractor in writing for proof of any insurance and whether they've ever had disputes with clients or been subject to complaints. Most won't volunteer this, which is why asking directly matters.

Past work and references are your clearest window into how someone will treat *your* project. Spending an hour on calls and a drive past finished sites now saves you weeks of stress and risk later. When you're ready to move forward, Strove lets you compare vetted contractors' verified past work and read client feedback all in one place, so you can make the call with real confidence.