Short answer
1. Check the registration
No contractor business may offer or do home improvements in New Jersey without registering with the Division of Consumer Affairs, and the registration is renewed every year (N.J.S.A. 56:8-138). The number has to appear on the contractor's advertising, contracts and commercial vehicles (N.J.S.A. 56:8-144), so you should never have to ask for it.
Look it up in the state's License Verification System at newjersey.mylicense.com: switch to the business search and choose the home improvement business profession. Check that the name matches the one on your quote. Step by step: how to check a contractor's registration.
2. Get the insurance certificate
A registered contractor must carry commercial general liability insurance of at least $500,000 per occurrence, plus workers' compensation unless exempted by law (N.J.S.A. 56:8-142). The contract must include a copy of the liability certificate and the insurer's phone number (N.J.S.A. 56:8-151). Call the insurer and confirm the policy is current before work starts.
3. Ask who does the electrical and plumbing
Electrical and plumbing contracting are licensed trades in New Jersey: nobody may work in business as an electrical contractor without a business permit and a licensed electrical contractor (N.J.S.A. 45:5A-9), or as a plumbing contractor without authorization under the master plumbers act (N.J.S.A. 45:14C-12.3). Ask each remodeler who will do that work on your job and under whose license, and check those numbers in the same state lookup.
4. See finished work like yours
Photos show finishes. Homeowners tell you how the job ran. Ask for projects like yours, ideally in houses of the same age, and call two or three of those homeowners:
- Did the job start and finish when the contract said?
- What went wrong, and how was it handled?
- How were changes priced and approved?
- Who did you talk to day to day, and how quickly did they answer?
- Would you hire them again?
Recent Google reviews help too: read the long ones and the owner's replies, not the star average. Ours are on the reviews page.
5. Compare quotes line by line
Quotes for the same project differ mostly in what they include. New Jersey requires every home improvement contract over $500 to be in writing and signed (N.J.S.A. 56:8-151), and to describe the work and the principal products, with make, model and size where they apply, plus the total price, the start and completion dates and any warranty (N.J.A.C. 13:45A-16.2). Put the quotes side by side and check:
- Is the same work in each? Demolition, disposal, permits, electrical and plumbing, patching and painting.
- Are products named, or covered by allowances? A low allowance keeps a quote low and moves the real cost into change orders.
- Are permit fees included? Hiding that they are not is a deceptive practice under N.J.A.C. 13:45A-16.2.
- Are payments tied to finished stages of work?
- How will changes be priced and approved? Every change to the contract has to be in writing (N.J.S.A. 56:8-151).
The full list, with sections: what a New Jersey contract must include. For what projects cost, see South Jersey remodeling costs.
Red flags
- No registration number on the ads or the quote. The law requires it (N.J.S.A. 56:8-144).
- No written contract. Required over $500, along with every change (N.J.S.A. 56:8-151).
- Pressure to sign now. Delivering materials or starting work to push you into a contract is prohibited (N.J.A.C. 13:45A-16.2).
- "We can skip the permit." A contractor may not start until the required permits are issued (N.J.A.C. 13:45A-16.2).
- Final payment before the job is done. A contractor may not ask for final payment or a signed completion certificate before the work is complete (N.J.A.C. 13:45A-16.2).
- A price far below the others. Usually something is missing from the scope. Find out what before you sign.
After you sign
You can cancel for any reason before midnight of the third business day after you receive your copy of the contract (N.J.S.A. 56:8-151). Here is how to cancel.
Checking us
Kubat Construction LLC is a registered New Jersey home improvement contractor, HIC #13VH12323700, at 247 S Broadway in Pitman. Look us up, read our reviews, and ask us for everything on this page. Estimates are free: request one or call (856) 214-9156.
Sources
- New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs, License Verification System (search home improvement contractor registrations). Checked September 2026.
- New Jersey Revised Statutes (Contractors' Registration Act), N.J.S.A. 56:8-138 and 56:8-144, Contractor registration and display of the registration number. Checked September 2026.
- New Jersey Revised Statutes, N.J.S.A. 56:8-142, Liability and workers' compensation insurance for registered contractors. Checked September 2026.
- New Jersey Revised Statutes (Contractors' Registration Act), N.J.S.A. 56:8-151, Home improvement contracts: writing, contents and three-day cancellation. Checked September 2026.
- New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs, N.J.A.C. 13:45A-16.2, Home Improvement Practices (contract terms, permits, warranties). Checked September 2026.
- New Jersey Revised Statutes, N.J.S.A. 45:5A-9, Electrical contractors: business permit and license required. Checked September 2026.
- New Jersey Revised Statutes, N.J.S.A. 45:14C-12.3, Plumbing contractors must be authorized under the master plumbers act. Checked September 2026.
- New Jersey Uniform Construction Code, N.J.A.C. 5:23-2.14, Construction permits: when required. Checked September 2026.
