Fully vetting each Five Star Rated company is something we take a lot of pride in. We know you trust our recommendations, and we work hard to ensure that the companies we recommend truly are the best of the best. Only companies that meet our qualification criteria are invited to be part of Five Star Rated.
Here’s what we check during our due diligence and qualification process:
Customer reviews
Every Five Star Rated company must maintain extremely high satisfaction rates. Each company must have at least 25 Google reviews as well as a 4.0 or greater rating from the past 3 years of reviews.
If a company doesn’t meet our Google review threshold, they must send us a list of customer names and contact information. We use this information to survey the company’s customers, and at least 85 percent of customers must state that they were satisfied with their experience with the company. We require companies to maintain the same satisfaction rates each year after qualifying.
Local service area
Companies new to Five Star Rated must have a minimum of one year of service in their book area. This ensures that the company has a local presence. All Five Star Rated companies must have an active website. For each category they appear in with Five Star Rated, the company must advertise that type of work.
Financial stability
We verify each company’s financial standing. Companies new to Five Star Rated must meet our minimum credit limit of $1,000. All companies must be active and in good standing with their Secretary of State. A company cannot have more than two tax liens in a 12-month period.
Licenses and insurance
All Five Star Rated companies must have active general liability insurance and, when required by the state, workers’ compensation insurance. We verify these policies annually with the insurance carriers. We also verify directly with the state all state-required trade licenses.