How often should I verify a contractor during a long project?

Verification is not a one-time event. A contractor's public-records picture can change mid-project: licenses get suspended, subcontractors file liens, OSHA issues citations, the contractor files bankruptcy. A clean check at signing does not guarantee a clean status six months later.

When to re-verify:

1. Before signing the contract. The baseline check. Catches active issues before any commitment.

2. Before each major milestone payment. Especially for payments above $10,000. Re-running a license-board check takes 30 seconds; a Groundcheck refresh takes 90 seconds.

3. At any behavioral change. Contractor stops responding to calls, blows past a deadline, brings in unfamiliar subcontractors, asks for an early payment, or starts talking about "cash flow issues." Re-run the check immediately.

4. After learning of an event in the contractor's market. A major bankruptcy in their region, a regulatory crackdown by the state board, a storm event that may have pulled them onto storm-chaser work. Re-run.

5. At project completion before releasing the holdback (typically 10% retained until final inspection). If a sub has filed a lien against the contractor in the meantime, you want to know before releasing the final payment.

Monitoring (continuous re-verification):

Groundcheck Deep Dive ($19) and Pro ($99.99/month) include monitoring on the contractors you've checked. The monitoring runs in the background and alerts you if new evidence surfaces:

- License status changes (Active to Suspended, Active to Revoked, Active to Inactive). - New OSHA citation issued. - New mechanics' lien filed. - New bankruptcy filing. - New court judgment. - New disciplinary action by the licensing board. - New BBB complaint pattern. - Secretary of State entity status change.

For Deep Dive, monitoring runs 12 months on each report. For Pro, monitoring runs continuously across all your reports.

Why monitoring matters during long projects:

- A project that runs 6 months has 6 months of opportunity for the contractor's situation to change. - License suspensions don't always make news. The board may issue a suspension based on a complaint pattern, and the contractor continues to work — illegally — until a buyer or inspector catches it. - Subcontractor liens accumulate as the contractor fails to pay. A lien filed in month 4 of your project is a flashing red light that other subs are about to lien too. - Bankruptcy filings sometimes happen mid-project. Catching it immediately allows you to stop further payments and file a proof of claim in the bankruptcy estate.

For high-volume users:

- Real estate investors flipping multiple properties at once. - Procurement teams managing 20+ subcontractors. - Lenders monitoring contractors on construction loans. - General contractors verifying subs on every project.

For these users, Pro tier ($99.99/month, 10 Deep Dive reports per month + unlimited free verifications + monitoring) is the right fit. The alternative — manual quarterly re-verification of dozens of contractors — is not sustainable.

For one-time homeowner projects: free tier check before signing + Deep Dive ($19) at signing + Deep Dive's 12-month monitoring covers the entire project lifecycle for a typical residential remodel.

What to do when monitoring fires an alert:

1. Read the alert. Identify which signal triggered (new lien, license suspension, etc.). 2. Verify at the source. Confirm the underlying record at the licensing board or court website. 3. Decide based on severity: - License suspension or revocation: stop all work and payments, consult attorney. - New mechanics' lien (one): demand explanation, request lien releases from all subs before next payment. - New OSHA citation: monitor; less direct project-level risk. - Bankruptcy filing: stop all payments, file proof of claim, consult attorney.

Groundcheck (earthmove.io/trust) is the only contractor-verification tool with built-in continuous monitoring across all five record categories. Most competitors check at signup and never check again. The monitoring is the most under-appreciated feature in the product.