Listen, we’re in New York City, and everything is expensive here. You pay a ton of rent, parking is outrageous, and feeding the family – especially if you’ve got growing kids – costs more every single day. So it’s not surprising that you might want to save some money on plumbing repair jobs – things like dealing with a clogged toilet, replacing a faucet, or figuring out why you don’t have any hot water.
But you also probably know that when you work with a plumber, you need a licensed professional. That’s the only way to stay in compliance with DOB regulations, not to mention any rules your builder owner or homeowner’s insurance company may have.
Here’s where things get complicated. Let’s say you know a plumber but you don’t want to pay full price, so you ask them if they’re open to a side job or if they do any moonlighting. They may say yes to your offer.
If everything goes perfectly from this point forward, good for you. But in the real world, things don’t always go perfectly. Your plumbing buddy who’s doing the job on the side may make a mistake, damage your plumbing, or even get hurt while they’re working on your home – and because you’re dealing with all of this ‘on the side’, you have no recourse or protection.
Be aware that many plumbers are licensed only when they’re working under their employer’s master license – when they’re moonlighting, they’re not technically licensed. If you’re having any major work done, such as a kitchen or bathroom remodel, and a City DOB inspector visits your site, the discovery that your plumber isn’t licensed is enough cause for them to issue a stop work order. This will shut your entire project down and can result in expensive fines – also, this pertains to both commercial plumbing and residential plumbing projects.
Eliminate the stress and expense by making sure you work with licensed New York City plumbers!
