Insurance requirement: Annual professional cleaning?

[bholler]

Really all licensing does is add to accountability. Which is a good thing but really does nothing on its own to add to professionalism

 

[paredown]

We have a local, old-style building yard, family owned and operated who have sponsored those Katz 'traveling road shows' for the construction trades. They were co-sponsored by suppliers/manufacturers and seemed to be a good way for the diffusion of information , best practices and revised techniques. I was invited and attended (event though I consider myself a stubborn amateur)--and it was great to see good craftspeople at work, sharing information and techniques.

It did strike me at the time though that the folks who would make the time to attend were likely already doing good work (and wanted to do better), while the hacks were likely not in attendance at all. I think it is a certain cast of mind--I still remember the best carpenter I have worked with actually reading the install sheet for the large slider we were putting in--he hadn't done one from that manufacturer he said, and wanted to see what they required for a drain pan under the door. This is a guy who has put in hundreds of doors and windows, but he still was going to check. Impressive!

 

[stoveliker]

Really all licensing does is add to accountability. Which is a good thing but really does nothing on its own to add to professionalism

I'm not sure accountability is affected by licensing; if I do something I am liable for it, license or not.
If I do something for someone, I am supposed to follow code, licensed or not.

The only thing it does towards accountability is to provide a stick (as opposed to a carrot): if you do something wrong, *and get caught* the license (the ability to do something *legally*) can be taken away.

 

[bholler]

I'm not sure accountability is affected by licensing; if I do something I am liable for it, license or not.
If I do something for someone, I am supposed to follow code, licensed or not.

The only thing it does towards accountability is to provide a stick (as opposed to a carrot): if you do something wrong, *and get caught* the license (the ability to do something *legally*) can be taken away.

Yes but it's harder for a contractor to just dissappear if the state has all of their info. Whe have lots of guys here that close their business every 5 years or so and start up again under a different name.

 

[Prof]

Lets hope this doesn't become a requirement. My clean down is as good if not better than any in the business professional.

I was thinking the same thing!

 

[danham]

Similar insurance situation here. The new company insisted on an inspection prior to writing a policy. OK. Done. Also said we had to have annual cleaning/inspection. At the first annual cleaning, the sweep said we only needed every other year and complimented us on burning clean. I have not had to submit any receipts beyond the first inspection. I suppose I'm gambling a bit -- if a stove/chimney fire burned down the house, the insurance company might try to weasel out of paying, but it's not a big gamble given our burning habits.

-dan

 

[djlew]

Adding my take here too, just got a new policy after my previous company stopped insuring in NJ and the new company has this same requirement. I have a thread on the Jotul specific forum about a horrible company I dealt with hiring them to clean my flue and barely got a cleaning and of course that's good enough for them. I'd probably hire somebody anyway annually, but I definitely understand how folks who really know this stuff and like to do it themselves get screwed on this one.