We perform a background check before allowing a business into our Angi Certified network and any time concerns are brought to our attention.

Some Angi Certified companies are national platform partners (“NPPs”), rather than typical service providers. These NPPs will be identified as such on their Angi profiles. Our background check criteria are not applicable to NPPs, and Angi does not perform a background check on NPPs. NPPs may, however, have their own background check policies, which can be found on their Angi profiles.

When a business has passed an Angi background check and screening, they will display a special designation next to their listing (e.g., an “Angi Certified” or “Approved Business” badge, or something similar). Any business that doesn’t display one of these badges hasn’t passed a background check. Some Angi Certified businesses are national platform partners (“NPPs”), rather than typical service providers. These NPPs will be identified as such on their Angi profiles. Our background check criteria are not applicable to NPPs, and Angi does not background check the NPPs. NPPs may, however, have their own background check policies, which can be found on their Angi profiles

The owner, principal, or relevant manager of every Angi Certified business (with the exception of Corporate Accounts, see below*) must pass a criminal background check. And the same is true for every business displaying the Super Service badge. Unfortunately, we are unable to perform a background check on every employee of a business — the background checks are performed only on the owner or principal. As always, we recommend that you perform your own research on the businesses you hire, including making inquiries directly with the businesses regarding their own employee background check policies. *Some businesses are employees, franchisees, dealers or independent contractors (“Corporate SP’s”) of larger national or “Corporate Accounts”. When this is the case, you may be matched with the Corporate Account or with one of their Corporate businesses. The above screening process is not applicable to Corporate Accounts, as Angi does not screen Corporate Accounts or Corporate businesses.

Any business that fails a background check is barred from advertising anywhere on the Angi site. They will not appear in general search results, and they will also have a “Background Check Failure” notification on their listing if located by a direct company name search in the Angi Directory. Some Angi Certified businesses are national platform partners (“NPPs”), rather than typical service providers. These NPPs will be identified as such on their Angi profiles. Our background check criteria are not applicable to NPPs, and Angi does not background check the NPPs. NPPs may, however, have their own background check policies, which can be found on their Angi profiles.

When a company is added to Angi, we ask them whether they’re appropriately licensed, registered, bonded and/or insured. Since this information is self-reported, we strongly encourage you to check with the provider and regulatory agencies in your area for their most up-to-date information. Visit our License Check tool to see which regulatory agencies you can contact to verify licensing.

Our Trade Licensing Department routinely checks licensure for accuracy and contacts providers who have missing or outdated information. This is an ongoing effort that may never be perfectly complete due to ever-changing licensing laws. Please help us make it better by letting us know when you spot a bad link — or if you know of an agency we haven’t cited. Contact us at tradelicensing@angi.com.

We’ve put together a thorough guide to provide more information about choosing licensed, bonded and insured contractors.

Here is a brief summary:

Licensing indicates that the contractor has been granted a state trade license as mandated by law. Generally, providers must pass competency tests for business practices and trade skills, pay a fee, and prove insurance and/or bonding. Please be sure to check local licensing requirements for your pros. Registering usually requires contractors to prove insurance and pay a fee, but only sometimes requires bonding and rarely tests competency.

Registering is typically less stringent than licensing — and, in a few areas of the country, licensing and registering are terms used interchangeably.

Bonds are arrangements between the contractor and a third-party, private bond issuer or a recovery fund held by the licensing municipality. Homeowners may petition for reimbursement through the third party if contractors harm them financially because of shoddy work or failure to pay subcontractors as promised.

You should always verify that the contractor has insurance before working with them. Ask to see a Certificate of Insurance and call to make sure the policy is current and has enough coverage for your project. The two most common types of insurance are liability insurance and worker’s compensations. Liability insurance covers property damage and injuries caused by the contractor’s work. It won’t normally pay for repairing or replacing bad work; that’s the purpose of a bond. Workers’ compensation provides payments to injured workers (regardless of who was at fault in the accident) for lost wages and medical services. It also provides benefits to the contractor’s family in the event of death. In most cases, if the owner is the only employee, workers’ comp is not required.

Please see Angi’s Terms and Conditions for more detailed information on our pro requirements, screening processes, and disclaimers.

We ask anyone with knowledge of legal, ethical or financial concerns regarding a company to contact us by logging in and selecting Send A Message using our contact form. We are committed to keeping a network of qualified, reliable professionals, and we will investigate any information we receive regarding a company’s background.

We also recommend that you perform your own research on the companies you hire — including asking businesses directly about their own employee background check policies. Please see Angi’s Terms and Conditions for more detailed information on our pro requirements, screening processes, and disclaimers.

When you hire a pro on Angi, we ask you to detail your experience to let your neighbors know about their work. You can also submit feedback about pros you’ve hired outside of Angi. When you review a pro outside of the Angi network, we set up a profile for the business to accompany the review.

If you’re interested in showcasing your business and reviews on Angi, set up a free Angi business profile to get started.

Porch professionals are independent contractors and each sets their own pricing, schedule, and other business policies. Each professional is responsible for maintaining their licensing, bonding, and insurance and we ask each homeowner to verify this information prior to hiring a professional.

Porch actively manages the quality of our network and encourage you to leave a review of all of your experiences with professionals.