Credentials — before anything else
01What's your license number, and under which entity name?
Listen for: A number you can look up yourself, matching the name on the contract. In NC, a GC license is only required at $40,000+ — 'no license' can be legal, but the entity name still has to match the insurance.
02Can your insurance agent send me the COI directly?
Listen for: "Yes." A certificate of insurance emailed by the agent is the strong version of proof; a PDF forwarded by the contractor is the weak one. Any hesitation here is information.
03Who exactly will be in my crawl space — employees or subs?
Listen for: A straight answer. Subcontracting isn't a problem; subcontracting that voids their insurance coverage is. Ask whether subs are covered by their policy.
04Do you hold IICRC WRT or ASD certification?
Listen for: In low-license-threshold states, certification is often the strongest professional signal available. 'What's IICRC?' from a moisture contractor is a real answer too — just not a good one.
Diagnosis — where good contractors separate
05What's the moisture source, and what readings support that?
Listen for: A named source — ground, air, or liquid water — with hygrometer or wood-moisture readings from your crawl space, not a national statistic about mold.
06Why this scope instead of the next cheaper one?
Listen for: A specific reason a vapor barrier + drainage wouldn't do the job. If the answer restates the symptoms instead of ruling out the cheaper fix, the scope is a default, not a diagnosis.
07Where does the water go when it rains?
Listen for: An answer about your gutters, grading and drainage before any talk of liners. Sealing over a drainage problem is the industry's most common sequencing error.
08How will the space be dried after sealing?
Listen for: A dehumidifier with a stated pint capacity and a drain plan, or a conditioned-air strategy. A sealed space with no drying mechanism isn't a finished design.
Contract — where problems become expensive
09What does the warranty cover, and who backs it?
Listen for: Scope, years, and whether it's the installer or a manufacturer standing behind it — in writing. 'Lifetime' with no entity attached is a decoration.
10Is a permit required for this scope here, and who pulls it?
Listen for: "I'll pull it" when one is required. A contractor who asks you to pull your own permit is often keeping their name off the record.
11What's the payment schedule?
Listen for: A modest deposit with the balance tied to completion. Large upfront payments transfer the project risk from their business to your savings.
12What exactly is excluded from this price?
Listen for: A list. Debris hauling, insulation replacement, electrical for the dehumidifier, sump discharge routing — exclusions are where identical-looking quotes stop being identical.
Or check the records before the meeting
Questions 1–4 can be answered from public records before anyone visits your house. Our guide to verifying a contractor yourself shows the exact lookup tools — or skip the 30 minutes and start from contractors we've already checked, with dates.
When the quotes arrive, compare them against a fair local range with the cost calculator, and run any quote through the free quote check to flag padding patterns and missing line items.