Though the decision to hire painting and decorating services may be an easy one to arrive at, you should take time to select the right company. Without doing so, the risks include spiralling costs and poor quality workmanship. Whether you want to redecorate as part of a total renovation, or simply up the value when selling or leasing, house painting is an effective way to give a property a new lease of life. It’s also a difficult task to get right. Although painting your own home might seem simple enough in theory, if you don’t have the experience, there’s a lot which could go wrong. The same is true for hiring painters without proper consideration. Mess up the paintwork, and it will take far longer—and cost far more—to correct than if you simply hired a professional to begin with. Investing in the services of a professional contractor can ensure an immaculate and timely finish that will last for years. Read on for our top tips on how to find good house painters and avoid future regrets. Choose a painting service that comes with insurance and guarantees Just like with any other form of interior design or construction work, house painters should be insured, even if they are self-employed or work on a freelance basis. According to Compare The Market, public liability insurance is the most critical as this covers any costs related to accidental property damage while they are going about their job. As such, you should do thorough research into whether your house painters of choice have comprehensive insurance cover and offer guarantees on work, even if they’ve been highly recommended by a friend. While household names like Checkatrade can be used to find insured tradespeople, it’s advisable to have a guarantee of quality work as well. The property maintenance company Homyze offer insurance and a 12-month guarantee on all painting and decorating jobs. This means you won’t have to find an alternative decorator to redo the work in a few months time. Obtain a quote and check credentials Once you’ve settled on your house painter of choice, the next thing to do is get a quote from them. You may baulk at the initial outlay, but don’t let it put you off. Household Quotes puts the UK’s average cost of painting a 2-bed flat at between £1,500 and £2,000, and in London, you can expect the costs to be even higher. However, quotes that fall way below those costs should be treated with healthy scepticism. It would be far wiser to spend £1,500 on a professional service rather than £500 on a paint job that needs to be done again, more expensively, by a better decorator. You should also be sure to check the credentials of your prospective painter. Ask to see references, and if you decide to get in touch, contact their older clients so you can get a good idea of how durable the work has ended up being. If your painter has been hired from a decorating firm, look into that firm’s certification, as well as their insurance, as noted above. Check for references of past work There’s nothing wrong with taking a recommendation from a friend, as long as you’ve done your homework. However, thanks to the internet, there are far better ways to get the lowdown on a potential painter than simply asking around. Exploring sites like Yelp or TrustATrader should give you all the information you need to find the right house painter for your property. That said, there are a couple of things to bear in mind. Most crucially, you shouldn’t blindly click on the top-rated house painter without actually reading a few of the reviews. As with most customer review platforms, you can easily tell when overly positive profiles have been faked. In fact, in the face of numerous glowing write-ups, a couple of negative reviews can actually be proof that a business is more legitimate, so look out for any responses the business may have offered unhappy customers. For more peace of mind, you should also try and find reviews which have photographs attached, so you can judge the positive write-ups for yourself.