"Licensed and insured" is the most common claim in home services advertising. It's also the claim least often verified by customers. Most people assume it's true and move on. But some of the worst home services stories start with a vendor who turned out to not be what they claimed.
"Licensed" means a specific thing: the technician or company holds current state and/or local credentials in their specific trade. HVAC, plumbing, electrical, roofing, and many other trades require state licensing. The license number can be looked up on the state's licensing board website — usually takes 60 seconds.
"Insured" means the company carries liability insurance covering damage to your property during work. A real company can produce a certificate of insurance within 24 hours, addressed to you specifically. An illegitimate operator cannot — or they produce a certificate that expired two years ago.
"Bonded" is a third thing sometimes claimed but often misused. Bonding is a specific form of financial surety that compensates customers for contractor failure. It's less common than licensing and insurance in home services, and usually comes up in commercial work.
Why this matters: if an unlicensed HVAC technician damages your property during work, you have limited recourse. If an uninsured painter falls off a ladder on your job site, you may be liable. If a non-bonded contractor takes your deposit and disappears, the bond doesn't exist to compensate you.
Home Services Co is licensed in every state we operate in, with general liability and workers' compensation insurance covering all work. Certificates of insurance are available within 24 hours — not as a special request, but as standard practice. This is the basic professional bar, and it's what every home services vendor you hire should be able to clear.