How we screen contractors
Matching only works if the contractors on the other end are worth matching with. Before an independent contractor can receive requests through HVACandRoof, they go through the checks below — and staying in the network depends on staying current and treating homeowners well.
A note on words: we say screened, not “certified”, “approved” or “best”. Screening means the specific checks listed here — it is not a guarantee of workmanship, which belongs to the independent contractor you hire, backed by their own contract and warranty.
What screening includes
Active licenses where required
Trade licensing varies by state and municipality. Where a license is required for the work a contractor wants to be matched for, we verify it's active before they receive requests.
Liability insurance
We require proof of general liability insurance appropriate to the trade, so a jobsite accident doesn't become the homeowner's problem.
Workers' compensation where applicable
Where a contractor has employees and state law requires workers' compensation coverage, we ask for proof of it as part of onboarding.
Business registration
Contractors must be real, registered businesses — not unregistered side operations. We confirm the business entity and how long it has operated.
Genuine service area
We match requests only inside the area a contractor actually covers. No virtual offices, no fake locations, no pretending a two-hour drive is 'local'.
Specialty and experience
A great furnace tech isn't automatically a great ductless installer. We record each contractor's actual specialties so requests are matched to relevant experience.
Complaint history and responsiveness
We review available complaint history at onboarding, and we track how contractors respond to matched requests over time. Contractors who go quiet or generate complaints stop receiving matches.
Periodic reverification
Licenses lapse and insurance expires. Credentials are rechecked periodically — staying in the network requires staying current, not just passing once.
One contractor in the network is us
HVAC and Roof Corp operates this marketplace and also holds EPA Section 608 Universal certification and general liability insurance. While contractor coverage is being built, it performs some work directly — so the contractor matched to you is occasionally the same company that runs the site.
We would rather say that here than have you discover it. An affiliated contractor is not an independent one, and the checks on this page are checks we would be applying to ourselves. Two things follow, and we hold to both: when the contractor matched to you is HVAC and Roof Corp, your job page says so plainly rather than presenting our own crew as an independent match; and the success fee described in the partner terms does not apply to work we perform ourselves, because a company cannot charge itself a commission.
What screening does not mean
Screening reduces risk; it doesn't eliminate it, and it doesn't replace your own judgment. Always review the contractor's written estimate and contract, confirm the license yourself if you want to (state lookup sites make this easy), and never pay in full before work is done. If a contractor we matched falls short, tell us — response performance and complaints directly affect whether they keep receiving matches.
Curious about the rest of the process? Read how matching works — including how we're paid.
Ready to be matched with a screened local pro?
Describe your project once and we match it with a screened local contractor who contacts you directly. Free for homeowners, no obligation, and no one else calling you all week.
HVACandRoof is a contractor-matching marketplace. The contractors who quote and perform your work are independent businesses — except where the contractor matched to you is HVAC and Roof Corp itself, which we tell you — and we may earn a fee when a request is matched or a job is completed.