Criminal Background Checks – A wise man once said, “Prevention is the best medicine.” It’s too bad that most homeowners only take that adage as far as checking out who they are hiring to work on the interior/exterior of their home. Your home is your castle, and “prevention” should also mean knowing exactly who you allow inside your home and what their past history is.
You may be asking, “Why should I care about the person’s past? It’s not like he/she is going to steal from me.” That may be true, but what about their background of drug use or other crimes that could put your family in danger? You wouldn’t let a stranger into your home to clean, paint, or do repairs without checking them out first. So why would you allow someone in who has a criminal record? If you don’t know, it could be because they told you that they were “clean,” and didn’t lie about their past.
The only way to ensure that you are hiring a professional who is trustworthy and will do an honest job is to run a background and criminal record check.
Can an employer ask for a criminal record check in Canada? Yes, you can.
A criminal background check is mandatory for any job you apply for, it should be no different when you are hiring someone to do work in your personal space. Take heed of the advice listed down below before you hire a contractor who may have deceived you from the very start.
Why is it Important to Check Criminal Backgrounds?
Like any profession, painting contractors cover the whole grade spectrum. The best ones are hard to find, and the bad ones make up these startling statistics:
- In Ontario, 1 in 10 contractors or tradespersons has a criminal record.
- That’s a total of approximately 25,000 trade persons in Ontario who have a criminal background. Quite staggering!
- These next statistics come as no surprise. According to the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) crime report:
- 178 theft charges were laid against contractors. Most of these crimes occurred “at home.”
- 30 fraud charges were brought against Ontario-based contractors.
Now, these statistics beg the next question. Would you knowingly let a criminal work inside your house, sometimes even unsupervised? Chances are the answer is a definite NO! Well if you don’t get a criminal background check on whoever you have worked with inside your house, there is a 10% chance of that actually happening.
If you’ve ever watched TV shows about bad contractors, you’ll likely also know that many incidents between painting contractors and homeowners go unreported.
That’s why it’s even more important to:
Make “Prevention” a Top Priority in Finding the Most Reliable Painting Contractors
So now that you understand the importance of doing your research, let’s talk about how to do it. What is the process for an employment background check in Canada?
As a homeowner, you can protect yourself by purchasing background checks online from sites such as Back Check. But the reality is that a painting or renovation contractor comes with many employees, making this extremely difficult.
At Home Painters Toronto, we believe this responsibility should NOT fall on the homeowner. That’s why every employee we hire must pass an extensive criminal background check, – a check that is performed on a yearly basis. With Home Painters Toronto, the only worry you’ll have is choosing the perfect shade of paint—and even that, we will help you with it if you want us to!
But that’s just the beginning of what you can expect from us. At Home Painters Toronto, you can expect:
- 100% satisfaction guaranteed!
- All of our employees have full compensation coverage in case of a job site injury, saving you from having to pay for the worker’s wages/injuries if there is an accident
- 5 million in General Liability Insurance in case of any property damage
- A full and comprehensive two-year guarantee of quality
- And much more! Please see our page “Why Use Home Painters?”
Things to Look For After Criminal Background Check is Confirmed
Looking for a company to hire can be a tedious thing. One friend may suggest a certain company, and a family member may say to avoid it at all costs. Once you have confirmed a valid criminal background check, here are a few other factors you should also consider.
- They are reasonable and don’t leave you hanging with your questions, 24-48 hours is a reasonable time frame for painters to contact you, anything higher, tread carefully
- Getting a quote on sight is ideal, if they cannot, give them the time frame of 24-48 hours
- Confirm insurance and liability claims with the company before they start to work
- WSIB certificate is a must-have for contractors
- Look at online reviews, the good and the bad to get an objective answer, no one is perfect
- Follow your gut, Humans are good at reading a room, use this to your advantage when negotiating your project to see if the potential company means well.
Did this help make your decision as to who it should be when you hire a painting company? There is so much to think about in terms of finding the right painting contractors for the work you need to be completed. Let our professional house painters handle everything! Call 416.494.9095 or email brian@HomePaintersToronto.com for a FREE quote. And don’t forget to visit us on social media (below) as well!
