Vetting a Restoration Contractor: The License, Bond, and Insurance Checklist Every Condo Board Should Run Before Signing

When a condo board or property manager finally gets bids back for a restoration project, the lowest number on the page is rarely the safest one to sign. Florida's coastal building stock is under more regulatory scrutiny than ever — Milestone Inspections, SIRS reserve studies, and the structural repairs they trigger are big-dollar, high-liability work. Before any board puts a signature on a restoration contract, there's a short list of documents that should be checked, verified, and kept on file. Skipping that step is how boards end up in litigation, mid-project, with a contractor who disappears.

At McLeod's Construction, Paint & Restoration, we've spent more than 30 years as the licensed, bonded, and insured contractor on the other side of this conversation — so we know exactly what a thorough board asks to see, and why. Here's the checklist we'd run if we were sitting on your side of the table.

1. Confirm the License — and What It Actually Covers

In Florida, concrete and stucco restoration work on a commercial or multi-family building requires a Certified General Contractor (CGC) license, not a handyman registration or a specialty license that doesn't cover structural repair. Ask for the license number directly and verify it yourself through the Florida DBPR license search — don't take a business card's word for it. Check that the license is active, in good standing, and has no open disciplinary actions. A contractor who hesitates to hand over a license number, or whose number doesn't match the company name on the proposal, is disqualifying on its own.

It's also worth asking how long that license has been active under the current company name. Restoration work on occupied, 30- and 40-year-old coastal buildings rewards experience with concrete spalling, chloride intrusion, and stucco assemblies specifically — not just general construction experience.

2. Verify the Bond Covers the Project Size

A contractor's license bond protects against licensing violations, but it's often a small dollar figure — nowhere near enough to cover a six- or seven-figure restoration project if something goes wrong. For larger milestone-inspection-driven work, ask whether the contractor can provide a performance and payment bond specific to your project. That bond guarantees the job gets finished, and protects the association from subcontractor liens if the contractor's own finances fail mid-project. If a contractor can't qualify for a project-specific bond, that's a signal worth taking seriously about their financial standing, not just their workmanship.

3. Pull the Certificate of Insurance — and Read It

Every reputable restoration contractor carries general liability insurance and workers' compensation coverage, but boards should request the actual Certificate of Insurance (COI) and confirm three things:

• Coverage limits are adequate for the scope of work — a $300,000 policy doesn't meaningfully protect a $2 million restoration project.
• The association is named as an additional insured, not just a general policyholder, which matters if a claim is ever filed.
• Workers' comp is current for every crew on site, including subcontractors — an uninsured injury on your property can become the association's liability, not just the contractor's.

Ask your agent or attorney to review the COI alongside your association's own master policy so there are no coverage gaps between the two.

4. Ask for References From Similar Buildings — Not Just Any Job

A contractor with 20 years of residential remodel experience isn't automatically qualified to manage phased concrete restoration on an occupied 15-story tower with swing stages, resident communication plans, and permitting for structural repairs. Ask specifically for references from condo or HOA board clients, ideally buildings of similar age, height, and coastal exposure. A contractor confident in their work will connect you directly with a board president or property manager who lived through the project, not just a polished case study.

5. Understand Who's Actually on Site

Many restoration bids are built around subcontracted labor. That's common and not automatically a red flag, but the board should know upfront who the subs are, whether they carry their own insurance, and whether the general contractor is managing quality control directly or simply passing along a markup. Ask how the project will be supervised day to day, and by whom.

6. Get the Permit and Scope Details in Writing

Structural restoration work tied to a Milestone Inspection report should be permitted, not handled as informal repair work. Confirm the contractor is pulling the correct permits for the scope — concrete repair, waterproofing, stucco, or structural work each carry different permitting requirements — and that the proposal matches the engineer's report item for item. A vague scope of work is where change orders and budget overruns start.

Why This Matters More in SWFL Right Now

With Milestone Inspection and SIRS deadlines pushing more Lee, Charlotte, and Collier County buildings into restoration cycles at the same time, demand for qualified restoration contractors has climbed — and so has the number of under-licensed or under-insured operators chasing that work. A board that takes thirty minutes to verify a license, request a COI, and call two references is spending far less time than the litigation that follows a bad hire.

McLeod's Construction, Paint & Restoration is a family-owned, fully licensed (CGC1535021), bonded, and insured restoration contractor with more than 30 years serving SWFL condo boards, property managers, and commercial building owners — backed by 500+ clients and 3,000+ completed projects. We're glad to walk your board through our credentials, our insurance, and our completed project history before you ever sign anything.

Ready to vet your next restoration partner? Contact our team or browse our completed projects to see the work firsthand. Your Project. Our Passion.