Choosing a reliable tradesperson while you live abroad: registration, insurance, quotes and references
From a distance, a tradesperson is chosen on paper, not on a handshake. Four checks remove most bad surprises: the company’s legal existence, current professional liability insurance, the ten-year guarantee where it applies, and references you can reach. This dossier details each check, what platforms are worth, and the file of evidence to keep afterwards.
By Jean Mascla, founder of Home SelectUpdated · 7 min read
How do you check the company’s existence and soundness?
First reflex: the SIRET number. Any serious tradesperson communicates it without hesitation, and it lets you verify the company’s registration in the public online registers, freely searchable. This check tells you the company’s age, its registered office and its declared activity. An untraceable number, an activity unrelated to the proposed works, a company registered the day before: all signals to take seriously, especially when you will not be able to visit the site yourself and judge the team’s organisation.
Age is not a value judgement: many talented tradespeople are starting out. But a site steered from abroad requires a partner whose structure absorbs setbacks, and whose legal existence is beyond dispute should a conflict arise. Prior verification is your only protection before committing.
Complete this first check with a few simple cross-checks: the business address should exist and match a catchment area coherent with your property; the name signing the quote should be that of the registered company; a reachable landline is worth more than a single saturated mobile line. These details look ordinary: that is precisely why their absence, or their inconsistency, is meaningful.
What insurance and guarantees should you require?
Two documents, not one fewer:
The professional liability insurance certificate, valid, covering the activity being carried out.
The decennial guarantee certificate where it applies: this compulsory insurance for the relevant works covers, for ten years, damage that compromises the structure of the work or renders it unfit for its purpose.
For each, three control points: the validity date, which must cover the works period; the declared activity, which must match your works; and the name of the insured party, which must be the company signing the quote, not another entity of the group or a subcontractor. A generic certificate with no activity listed is not a check.
Keep these documents in your file: they will be requested, by you or for you, in the event of a claim or a resale of the property. Works carried out by an uninsured tradesperson can put you in difficulty long after the site is finished.
One point deserves particular attention: subcontracting. The company signing your quote is not always the one carrying out the work. There is nothing abnormal about this, provided the quote states it or you are informed, and every intervener is covered by their own insurance. Ask the question in writing before signing: who works on the site, under whose responsibility, with which certificates. A remote site is hard to steer against three unknowns.
How do you read a quote and check references?
A serious quote is broken down item by item: quantities, materials, equipment, phases, and what is excluded. An all-in quote, "full renovation" with no breakdown, prevents any control: neither over what will be done, nor over what will not. Exclusions deserve as much attention as the rest, because that is where disappointments usually hide.
References complete the picture: ask for projects comparable to yours, with contacts you can reach from abroad, by telephone or email. Three questions are enough in a conversation: was the work delivered as quoted? Were unexpected issues dealt with fairly? Did the tradesperson remain reachable after the final payment?
Compare the quotes you receive on the same basis: same scope, same breakdown, same exclusions. A quote that is much leaner than the others on an identical scope usually omits something, and the omission resurfaces later as a variation, or as work left undone.
Check
How
Red flag
Registration
Ask for the SIRET, check it in public registers
Untraceable number or unrelated activity
Professional liability
Require the up-to-date certificate
Certificate missing or expired
Decennial guarantee
Check validity and activities covered
Works outside the guaranteed activities
Quote
Require a breakdown by item, quantities and materials
All-in, vague quote, or pressure to sign
References
Contact former clients with comparable works
Unreachable or refused references
Deposit
Keep the amount reasonable
High upfront payment demanded from the start
Uzès, Occitanie
Why a local intermediary makes the difference
From abroad, these checks take time: calls in French during French business hours, follow-ups, reading technical documents. This is precisely the role of the trusted provider search of the Home Select concierge service: pre-selecting tradespeople matching the works, checking their documents, taking references by telephone, and presenting you with a documented shortlist to decide on. The concierge service then remains your point of passage during the works.
The benefit is not only the time saved: it is knowledge of the local fabric. An intermediary established on the ground knows which trades are credible in your area, which are fully booked, which to avoid, and weighs this information at the pre-selection stage.
Are matching platforms enough?
Online directories and platforms open up an abundant supply of tradespeople, with reviews and sometimes indicators of reliability. They make a good starting point, but they do not replace your checks: a flattering profile proves neither the registration, nor the insurance, nor the actual availability in your area. Customer reviews tell you about the relationship, not about the paperwork.
The approach therefore stays the same whatever the channel: require the SIRET, the certificates, a detailed quote, reachable references. The difference between a platform contact and a recommended tradesperson comes down to one point: the latter arrives with a reputation you can query with the person recommending them. That is a valuable shortcut when choosing from abroad, provided you check that the recommendation genuinely covers works comparable to yours, and not an unrelated one-off job.
What Home Select organises for choosing your tradespeople
Works are costed before the purchase offer, not after: your Home Select property finder brings a contractor or a project manager to the second viewing, so that the price offered accounts for what remains to be done.
After the signing, we introduce the project manager or architect who runs the project in your place, and the concierge service that opens the door and photographs progress. Running the works, the quotes and the handover are theirs, under their responsibility: our role is that there is a single point of entry.
Frequently asked questions
How do you vet a tradesperson from abroad?
On paper, in writing: a SIRET number checked in public registers, up-to-date insurance certificates, a detailed quote and references you call or email. Everything can be done remotely, before any commitment.
What if the tradesperson refuses to provide their certificates?
Do not entrust them with the works. Providing these documents is standard practice, and refusal is in itself a major warning sign, whatever the explanation offered.
Is a detailed quote enough to secure the works?
No, it is necessary but not sufficient. You also need a verified registration, up-to-date insurance and checked references: the whole file protects you, not a single document.
How do you check the company’s existence and soundness?
First reflex: the SIRET number. Any serious tradesperson communicates it without hesitation, and it lets you verify the company’s registration in the public online registers, freely searchable. This check tells you the company’s age, its registered office and its declared activity. An untraceable number, an activity unrelated to the proposed works, a company registered the day before: all signals to take seriously, especially when you will not be able to visit the site yourself and judge the team’s organisation.
How do you read a quote and check references?
A serious quote is broken down item by item: quantities, materials, equipment, phases, and what is excluded. An all-in quote, "full renovation" with no breakdown, prevents any control: neither over what will be done, nor over what will not. Exclusions deserve as much attention as the rest, because that is where disappointments usually hide.
Are matching platforms enough?
Online directories and platforms open up an abundant supply of tradespeople, with reviews and sometimes indicators of reliability. They make a good starting point, but they do not replace your checks: a flattering profile proves neither the registration, nor the insurance, nor the actual availability in your area. Customer reviews tell you about the relationship, not about the paperwork.
Which insurance should you require from a tradesperson?
Two certificates: professional liability insurance, valid and covering the activity carried out, and the ten-year guarantee where the works fall under it, covering for ten years damage that compromises the soundness of the work. For each, check the validity date, the declared activity and the name of the insured, which must be the company signing the quote.
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60 rue François 1er, 75008 Paris · FCI member
FeesOne month’s rent excluding charges, plus VAT, with a minimum of €2,000 including VAT. Payable only when the lease is signed. No application fee.
Step 1 of 2 · Your search
What are you looking for?
Furnished, unfurnished or both?
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One or more cities or areas.
€ / month
Charges included, as in the listings.
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Two minutes, no documents needed at this stage.
FeesOne month’s rent excluding charges, plus VAT, with a minimum of €2,000 including VAT. Payable only when the lease is signed. No application fee.
Step 2 of 2 · Your situation
Your situation
These answers let Home Select tell you quickly, and frankly, whether your search can succeed on the market in your city.
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€ / month
Before tax, regular bonuses included, for everyone applying.
Main applicant’s employment
Your company is based in France
Number of annual accounts filed
To strengthen your file
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Home Select processes your data (name, email, phone, project, employment, income, guarantee) to review your rental request and contact you. Your answers are compared with the criteria landlords apply, then read by Home Select’s rental hunter. A request that cannot succeed receives a written reply within 24 business hours, and you can ask for it to be reviewed again at contact@home-select.fr. Our technical providers access it for hosting, email and checking that your email and number are real, some of them from the United States under the safeguards set by the GDPR. A request that does not lead to an assignment is erased after three months; otherwise, we keep your data for three years after our last exchange, or five years after the end of our assignment if you entrust it to us, as French anti-money-laundering law requires. To access, correct or erase it, or to object to its use: contact@home-select.fr. Details in our privacy policy.
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