Hiring qualified help

Verify the contractor. Then compare the complete plan.

A professional proposal should make the diagnosis, equipment, design assumptions, installation scope, responsibility, price, and warranty understandable before work begins.

Homeowner speaking with a service professional holding a clipboard in a home garage — Illustrative stock photography—not a Ra-Jac technician or endorsement.

Use the first conversation well

Clear questions protect both the homeowner and the contractor.

Describe the symptom and timeline without prescribing the repair. Ask the contractor to explain the diagnosis, show the measurements that support it, and put the proposed scope and exclusions in writing.

For replacement work, compare the complete plan—not just the outdoor-unit brand, efficiency number, or bottom-line price.

Step one

Verify Texas credentials.

Search the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation records. Confirm that the name, license number, status, and company relationship match the person or business offering the work.

Open the TDLR license search ↗Read Texas A/C contractor information ↗

1
Match the identity
Company, individual, license class, and advertised name.
2
Confirm current status
Do not rely on a truck decal, old invoice, website footer, or copied license number.
3
Ask about insurance
Request current documentation appropriate to the work and property.
4
Check local requirements
Confirm who will obtain permits and schedule inspections where required.

Before the estimate

Questions that reveal how the contractor works.

For a repair

What failed, and what measurements support the diagnosis?
What else was tested before reaching that conclusion?
Is the proposed repair complete, temporary, or diagnostic?
What parts and labor warranty applies?
What could change the quoted price after work begins?

For replacement

How will the heating and cooling loads be calculated?
How will humidity, room imbalance, return air, and duct leakage be evaluated?
Are the proposed components a published matched system?
What permits, electrical, drains, controls, ducts, and disposal are included?
What measurements will be recorded at startup?

For accountability

Who is the contracting party and who will be on site?
Who registers equipment and handles warranty claims?
What maintenance is required to keep coverage?
How are change orders authorized?
What documentation will I receive at completion?

Proposal checklist

A price is not a complete scope.

Use the same categories for each proposal so omissions do not look like savings.

01Contracting party

Legal company name, contact information, Texas license details, and the party responsible for permits and warranty service.

02Diagnosis

Failure cause, supporting measurements, repair scope, exclusions, and what else was inspected.

03Equipment

Complete indoor, outdoor, coil, furnace, heat-kit, thermostat, and accessory model numbers as applicable.

04Design

Load-calculation basis, selected capacity, matched-system/AHRI information, design temperatures, and airflow targets.

05Installation scope

Duct transitions, line set, drain, pad or stand, electrical, gas, venting, controls, filtration, access, disposal, and cleanup.

06Code and permit

Who obtains the permit, required inspections, and any code corrections included or excluded.

07Startup

Refrigerant commissioning, airflow and static-pressure checks, temperature measurements, drain and safety verification, and owner orientation.

08Warranty

Manufacturer parts, contractor labor, registration responsibility, maintenance requirements, exclusions, and the claim process.

09Price and schedule

Total price, allowances, change-order process, payment milestones, estimated timing, and cancellation terms.

Slow the decision down

Warning signs worth resolving.

A license number that cannot be matched to the company or person offering the work.
Pressure to sign before the diagnosis, model numbers, full scope, and warranty are written down.
Replacement sizing based only on the old unit or square footage without evaluating the home.
A large efficiency claim without an identified matched system or explanation of the assumptions.
Cash-only urgency, an unusually large upfront payment, or no clear contracting party.
A proposal that omits permits, electrical, drains, ducts, controls, disposal, startup, or responsibility for hidden conditions.
Promises that a new unit alone will solve humidity or room imbalance without investigating airflow, ducts, sizing, and the house.

Before final payment

Collect the permanent record.

Signed contract and approved changesPermit and inspection recordComplete model and serial numbersStartup and commissioning measurementsManufacturer and labor warrantiesRegistration confirmationOperating and maintenance instructionsPayment receipt and service contact

Still weighing a major repair?

Build questions for both paths.

Use the repair-or-replace advisor