10 questions to ask before hiring a pool repair company
The vetting questions HLP runs every pool pro through before listing them — adapted for homeowners. If a pro can't or won't answer these, find another one.
Most pool repair quotes go bad in the same way: the pro shows up, eyeballs the problem, gives a verbal estimate, takes a check, and either over-charges or under-delivers. The fix isn't shopping endlessly for a magic perfect pro — it's asking 10 questions that filter out the worst 80% of contractors in under 5 minutes.
The 10 questions below are adapted from the actual vetting process HiredLocalPros runs every pool pro through before listing them. We've simplified for homeowner use — feel free to ask all 10, or pick the 4-5 most relevant to your situation.
1-3: License, insurance, bond
If a pro hesitates on any of these three, end the conversation. License + insurance + comp is the bare minimum for a contractor working on your property — these aren't 'nice to haves,' they're what protects you legally if something goes wrong.
- What's your CSLB license number? (Then verify it at cslb.ca.gov — see our CSLB verification guide for details)
- What's your active liability insurance limit, and who's the carrier? (You want $1M+ general liability with a recognizable carrier; State Farm, Travelers, Zurich, Liberty Mutual, etc.)
- Do you carry workers' comp, or are you exempt? (If they have employees on the job, comp is required by California law; if exempt because they're solo, the CSLB record will say so)
4-5: Warranty + scope
- What's your written warranty on labor and parts? (Industry standard: 1 year on labor, manufacturer warranty on parts. If a pro offers shorter or 'no warranty' on labor, walk away.)
- Can you put the scope of work in writing before I sign? (California Business & Professions Code §7159 actually requires this for any home-improvement contract over $500. A pro who balks at written scope is signaling either inexperience or shadiness.)
6-7: Pricing transparency + payment
- How are you pricing this — fixed bid, time and materials, or per-job rate? (T&M is fine for diagnostic work but should convert to fixed bid before major work starts. Fixed bid is preferred when scope is known.)
- What's the down payment, and what's your refund policy if I change my mind? (California caps down payments at 10% or $1,000, whichever is less, for residential home-improvement contracts. Higher down payment requests are illegal and a red flag.)
Per California Business & Professions Code §7159.5, residential home-improvement contracts cannot require more than 10% of the contract price OR $1,000 — whichever is less — as a down payment before work begins. A pro asking for 30% upfront is breaking state law.
8-9: References + brands
- Can you provide 3 references from jobs in the last 6 months in my area? (Then actually call 1 of them. Most homeowners ask for references and never call — pros count on this.)
- What equipment brands do you typically install, and why? (You're looking for an answer that mentions Pentair / Hayward / Jandy as the main three with specific tradeoffs they articulate. A pro who says 'I install whatever's cheapest' is optimizing for their margin, not your warranty experience.)
10: After-sale support
Question 10 is the one most homeowners skip and most regret. A pro who can't tell you their callback rate or response time has either never thought about it (inexperienced) or is hiding it (high churn). A pro who says 'I'm here for life on this pool, $X/hour for non-warranty calls, 24-hour response within 50 miles' is one you can build a multi-year relationship with.
- If something goes wrong after the warranty period, what's your hourly rate for callbacks, and what's your typical response time? (You're trying to figure out if this is a pro who disappears after the check clears or one who's still there in 18 months when a hose pops.)
Bonus questions for specific situations
If the work involves specific equipment, add these:
- (Heater work) — Are you a manufacturer-certified installer for [brand]? Pentair, Hayward, and Raypak heaters have factory-certified installer programs that extend warranty coverage from 1 year to 2-3 years on labor.
- (Salt cell / SWG) — How do you diagnose cell health, and what's your replacement criteria? Good answer mentions cell voltage testing and chlorine output measurement; bad answer is 'I just look at it.'
- (Plumbing leak) — Will you do a pressure test before recommending repair? Without a pressure test, you're guessing where the leak is. Demand the test.
- (Plaster work) — Do you handle this in-house or subcontract to a plaster specialist? Most pool service pros subcontract plaster — that's fine, but you want to know who's doing the work and that they're licensed too.
What to do with the answers
Out of 5-7 questions, 6-7 strong answers means you've found a competent pro. 3-5 strong answers and the rest hedged means the pro is OK but hire with caution and small jobs first. Below 3 strong answers, walk away and try again.
The point of asking these isn't to 'gotcha' the pro — it's to filter for ones who've thought about how they run their business. The question quality of pros listed on HiredLocalPros directly correlates with their job quality. The bad ones either don't know the answers or don't want to give them in writing.
Frequently asked questions
Aren't these questions going to annoy the pro?
Good pros expect these questions and answer them clearly — they signal you're a serious customer who'll pay invoices and not no-show. Bad pros get defensive. The defensiveness is the signal.
Should I do this for routine weekly service or just big jobs?
Big jobs (over $1,000): all 10. Routine service: questions 1-3 (license + insurance + comp) at minimum. The license/insurance set is the floor for letting any contractor near your property.
What if the pro can't answer some question on the spot?
Acceptable — for warranty terms or specific brand certifications, a pro might need to look up specifics. They should follow up within 24 hours with the answer. If they say 'I'll get back to you' and never do, that itself is the answer.
How do I check if a reference is real?
Two easy filters. (1) Ask the reference for the address where the work was done — Google Street View shows the pool. (2) Ask the reference how they found the pro originally; bad pros sometimes use friends and family as 'references' and the answer to 'how'd you find them' is suspiciously fuzzy.
Can I just use online reviews instead of asking these questions?
Reviews are useful but not a substitute. Yelp/Google reviews tell you whether the pro showed up on time and was friendly. They rarely surface license issues, insurance lapses, or warranty disputes — those don't show up until something goes wrong, and by then your pool is half-fixed and your check is cashed. The 10 questions catch issues before you sign.