Our Contractor Vetting Process

In the world of home renovations, trust is paramount. Block’s thorough vetting process ensures that only the most reputable and skilled contractors join the network. Every contractor goes through a rigorous multi-week vetting process, which includes evaluating both business standing and build quality, followed by a robust onboarding experience. We get that homeowners often don’t have the time or resources to effectively research and vet contractors—much less dozens, or hundreds of contractors—so we do it for them. Our meticulous screening provides homeowners with the peace of mind that their renovation will be handled by professionals who meet the highest standards. With only 7% of applicants making the cut, Block sets the bar high for the quality of contractors in our network. Let's dive into the steps we take:

How do you find contractors?

We find contractors in three main ways: inbound applicants, outbound prospecting, and referrals. There’s no single best way to connect with our contractors, so we stay open to discovering great contractors wherever they may be. Often, contractors come to us— using the Contractor page on the Block website, contractors can submit an application to join the Block network. Other times, we seek out contractors by searching industry resources or checking permit databases to identify which contractors are keeping busy. Lastly, we get referrals from other contractors, homeowners, and even Block employees.

What is the process for vetting contractors?

We spend multiple weeks doing due diligence on each contractor to ensure they are the right fit for Block and our homeowners. Here’s an overview of our multistep vetting process:

• Application: All prospects first submit our contractor application that allows us to gather high level information about their businesses.
• Phone Call: Once we receive an application, we perform an initial screening conversation to tell them about what it means to be a Block contractor, to learn about their business, to align on Block processes, and to answer additional logistical questions about the partnership.
• Site Visits: We do a minimum of one site visit per contractor, but we often visit multiple job sites to ensure quality. During the site visits, a Block team member meets a contractor at a recently completed project. During the tour, we confirm that their workmanship and detailing lives up to Block’s standards. We use these tours to evaluate how contractors interact with their crew and the homeowner, as well as how effectively they can manage a job site. 
• Documents: The last step is collecting required documentation to ensure contractors meet our standards for both business criteria and build quality. In the section below, we’ll dive deeper into the requirements contractors must meet.

What requirements do contractors have to meet to join the Block network?

Impeccable Business Standing

• Licensed and Insured: We require contractors to hold necessary licenses and insurance, ensuring that they operate legally and can provide adequate protection for both homeowners and their property.

• Background Check: A comprehensive background check is conducted to verify the contractor's criminal history and professional reputation, further ensuring the safety and trustworthiness of the contractor.
• Zero Department of Buildings (DOB) Violations: Contractors applying to Block’s network must have a clean record with zero DOB violations within the past five years, demonstrating their commitment to adhering to building codes and regulations.
• No Civil Lawsuits: Contractors must also demonstrate a history free of civil lawsuits since the founding date of their business, further ensuring homeowners that they are dealing with a reputable professional.

Industry-Leading Build Quality

• Site Visits: As mentioned above, Block conducts site visits to validate the quality of a contractor's work. During these visits, we assess the construction quality and adherence to our standards, as well as the contractor’s construction knowledge, such as proper waterproofing standards, handling electrical needs for appliances to prevent overloading circuits, tiling details, and handling potential obstacles behind a wall or underneath a floor. Few homeowners know how to assess their contractor’s technical knowledge—especially in plumbing, electrical, carpentry, and tiling work—but Block takes this critical step to ensure the construction is done right.
• Homeowner References: Contractors must provide multiple positive references from homeowners who have been satisfied with their work. This requirement validates the contractor's ability to meet homeowner expectations and deliver quality results.
• Online Reviews: A minimum of ten reviews with an average rating of 4.0 or higher is required across various online platforms. This stringent criterion assures that the contractor consistently delivers satisfactory results.
• Evidence of Completed Projects: We require contractors to provide evidence of recent successfully completed projects. This proof ensures that the contractor has the necessary experience and expertise to handle renovation projects effectively.

In the end, only 7% of the hundreds of contractors that go through the rigorous vetting process gain access to the Block network.

How do we support contractors to make sure they are successful?

To set contractors up for success from day 1, we provide a robust onboarding experience. The first step is providing contractor teams with access to our Builder App. From there, we hold 1-on-1 meetings to walk new contractors through the Block process: how to coordinate projects in our platform, the ins-and-outs of their digital tools, as well as our quality expectations. The suite of digital tools we provide our contractors help them manage their projects more effectively and give them a consistent process for working with homeowners. After the onboarding session, Block contractors are given access to a resource bank of helpful tools, FAQs and tutorials that they can refer to at any time. On average, the process takes about 5 weeks for contractors to be onboarded after our first communication with them.

Once onboarded, contractors have access to Block’s Support team for all stages of the renovation journey, and we provide active coaching and construction or design expertise, as needed. While we encourage contractors and homeowners to work together to resolve any issues, Block Support is there to help should the need arise.

Finally, we provide a constant feedback loop for contractors, including quantitative performance data and qualitative assessments to help them constantly improve. Homeowners are asked to rate and review contractors at the end of every project. We also love getting feedback from our contractor network and regularly conduct interviews with contractors to learn what’s working well and what we can be doing better to set them up for success. Collectively our contractor network has thousands (literally) of years of industry experience, so they’re an invaluable resource to hear from.

Why do contractors want to join the Block network and what are the incentives?

Block treats contractors as true partners. We work to foster long term relationships with contractors who want to grow their businesses alongside us— this means, for example, that we don’t charge them to join our network, which is unique among similar services. We also streamline payments and provide a steady pipeline of projects. 

Contractors are uniquely incentivized to work with Block because we’re intentionally highly selective about the contractors that we bring into the network. By building with the best, we’re able to work towards a long term partnership that benefits all parties.

If you’re ready to renovate with a top quality contractor, get started today.