Verification
How we vet restoration companies
Two things are checked today: licence status against state licensing boards, and company identity and operating history from public records. Certification, insurance certificates and homeowner reviews are not verified yet. We rate no company and recommend none, and being listed somewhere is not verification.
Last updated .
How we’re building our restoration framework
We publish no company profiles or ratings, because in this trade an unearned recommendation reaches people at their most vulnerable. The framework below is what we are building instead, starting from licensing records and certification bodies rather than from marketing.
What is verified today
- Licence status checked against state licensing boards
- Company identity and operating history from public records
That is the whole list. A licence check means we looked up the company in the relevant state register and recorded the status we found on the day we looked. An identity check means the operating entity, its registration and how long it has been trading under that name came from public records rather than from the company’s own website.
What is not verified yet
- IICRC certifications verified with the certifying body — not done.
- Insurance certificates confirmed with the carrier — not done.
- Homeowner reviews collected under a published policy — not done.
Ticked rows are what our research covers today. Being listed somewhere is not verification, and we will not present it as any.
Those three are the ones homeowners most often assume a site like this has already handled, which is precisely why they are stated as gaps. Until they are built, treat any certification claim, any insurance claim and any review you read anywhere as unverified — including on a company’s own materials.
| Check | Status | What it would prove if done |
|---|---|---|
| Licence status against state boards | Done | That a licence existed in that status on the day we looked. |
| Identity and operating history | Done | Who the legal entity is and how long it has traded under the name. |
| IICRC certification with the certifying body | Not done | That named technicians hold current certification, not that the company once did. |
| Insurance certificates with the carrier | Not done | That liability, workers’ compensation and pollution cover were in force on the date checked. |
| Homeowner reviews under a published policy | Not done | That the reviews came from real customers under rules anyone can read. |
| Quality of workmanship | Not possible | Nothing. No desk check of any kind can establish it. |
The limits of verification itself
Even a fully built version of the framework above would prove less than people expect, and saying so is part of the job.
- A licence is a snapshot, not a guarantee of workmanship. It records that a regulator issued a credential and has not withdrawn it. It says nothing about whether a drying goal will be set, whether a moisture log will be kept, or whether anybody will return your call in week three.
- Records go stale between checks. Licences lapse, get suspended and get reinstated. The only check that is current is the one you run on the day you sign, which is why we tell people to do it themselves.
- Certification attaches to people, not to logos. Ask which technicians on your job hold the certification, not whether the company is "IICRC certified" — those are different statements.
- Insurance is date-bound. A certificate proves cover on the date of issue. Confirm it with the carrier named on the document, not with the company that handed it to you.
- Reviews measure the experience, not the drying. A crew can be polite, punctual and wrong about moisture, and the review will be five stars either way.
- Being listed somewhere is not verification. Directories, badges, membership logos and "approved" seals are, in most cases, purchased or self-declared. Treat them as marketing until you have checked the underlying record.
We do not rate, rank or recommend
There is no scoring system on this site, no shortlist, and no "best restoration company" page. If we ever introduce you to a company, that is a starting point for your own checks, not a substitute for them, and it is never an endorsement. Where we have a commercial relationship with anybody, it is disclosed — our about page sets out how the site is paid for and lists the things we publish that work against that model.
What to check yourself, before you sign
The checks below hold up even at midnight with two vans outside. Choosing a restoration company has the full version, and the warning-signs page covers the pattern when it goes wrong.
- Industry certification
- IICRC certification for water damage restoration and, where relevant, applied structural drying and mould remediation. Ask which technicians hold it, not just the company.
- State licensing where it applies
- Several states licence mould assessment and remediation separately, and some prohibit one firm from doing both. Know your state’s rule.
- Insurance and bonding
- General liability, workers’ compensation and pollution liability where contamination is involved. Certificates from the carrier.
- Written scope before work
- What is being removed, what is being dried, what the drying goal is and how long it is expected to take.
- Moisture documentation
- Meter readings on day one and every day after, in a log you receive. This is the single best indicator of a professional operation.
- Clear billing arrangement
- Whether they bill your insurer directly, and on what document. Distinguish a work authorisation from an assignment of benefits.
- No pressure to sign on the spot
- Emergency mitigation can start under a limited authorisation. The full contract can wait until you have read it.
- Local presence
- A local address and a local reputation. Out-of-area crews follow storms and are gone before problems surface.
- Reconstruction handled or referred
- Whether they rebuild as well as dry, and if so whether you are required to use them. You are generally not.
- Communication
- A named point of contact who explains what is happening. In a process this disruptive, that is not a soft benefit.
Two of those do more work than the rest. Moisture documentation is the single best indicator of a professional operation, because it is the one thing that cannot be faked in a sales conversation — see structural drying. And what you are asked to sign decides who controls the claim: read assignment of benefits before anyone hands you a clipboard. If mould is involved, the assessor-or-remediator check explains why several states will not let one firm do both.
Tell us when we are wrong
If a licence status here is out of date, or an entity detail is wrong, we want to know — email hello@hyrerestore.com and we will correct or remove it. A restoration company that wants to be considered when introductions open should start at the partner page; applying is not a shortcut past any check on this page.
Related
How HyreRestore works covers what happens to your enquiry. Our lead quality standard is the same commitment in the other direction, and the editorial policy governs everything published here.