Maryland requires a license for all home improvement work, regardless of cost. Here is what the license means, how to verify it, and what to ask before anyone starts work in your home.
Most homeowners in Maryland have heard the phrase "licensed and insured" so many times that it stopped registering. It sounds like marketing language. It is not. The MHIC license is a state requirement, and hiring without it leaves you without legal recourse when something goes wrong.
This page explains what the MHIC license covers, what it means for the work in your home, and what questions to ask any contractor before they start.
MHIC stands for Maryland Home Improvement Contractor. The Maryland Home Improvement Commission issues this license and requires it for any contractor performing home improvement work. That includes handymen, remodelers, and trades doing work inside or outside a residential property.
To hold an MHIC license, a contractor must pass a licensing exam, maintain active registration with the state, and carry the required insurance. The license number is on file with the state and required to be current to work legally.
Property Renovators Home Services is licensed and insured in Maryland.
The MHIC license does three things for you as a homeowner:
If you hire an unlicensed contractor and the work is defective or the contractor takes your deposit and vanishes, none of those protections apply. You are pursuing a civil claim at your own expense. Licensed contractors are held to a state-regulated standard. Unlicensed ones are not.
Licensing and insurance are two separate things. A contractor can hold a valid MHIC license and carry no insurance. They can also claim to be insured without being able to produce a current certificate.
General liability insurance covers property damage caused by the contractor during the job. If a handyman breaks a fixture, cracks a tile, or causes water damage, general liability is how that gets paid for. Workers compensation covers injuries to the crew on your property. If someone on the job is hurt, workers comp keeps that liability off your homeowners insurance.
Ask for a certificate of insurance before work starts. A legitimate contractor can produce one in minutes. If there is any hesitation, that is the answer you need.
Some patterns signal a problem before work even starts. These are worth taking seriously:
A legitimate contractor gives you a written quote before any work begins.
Property Renovators Home Services has been operating in Gaithersburg since 2016. The business has completed over 5,700 jobs across Montgomery County. Fully insured and bonded. Every job is held to our standard.
If you have a job and want to know what it will cost, call (301) 395-3831. You get a clear number before any work starts.
You get a clear quote before any work starts. Licensed and insured in Maryland.
Call (301) 395-3831Mon-Fri 8am-7pm · Sun 8am-7pm
Tell us about the job in your own words. A real person from our team reads every request, the same people who show up and do the work. No bots, no call centers, no runaround.
Real people. Real work.
No call centers, no middlemen.