13 practice questions

Advertising & Salespeople

Your MHIC number has to appear on your vehicles, contracts and every form of advertising, online included. These scenarios also cover salespeople: they need their own license, and what they promise, you owe.

1. 01Do you have to give homeowners your MHIC license number?Yes. Under COMAR 09.08.01.06 and .09 your MHIC license number must appear on your contracts, advertising, and vehicles (at least 3 inches high), so give it to any homeowner who asks.
2. 02What must Maryland home improvement advertising include?Your MHIC license number, on every ad, every time, under COMAR 09.08.01.09. Claims must also be truthful: unsubstantiated superlatives like "best" or "lowest prices guaranteed" can be misleading under COMAR 09.08.01.10.
3. 03Does your MHIC number have to be on your work truck?Yes. COMAR 09.08.01.06 requires your MHIC license number on every vehicle used in your home improvement business, in characters at least 3 inches high, with no grace period.
4. 04Where must your MHIC license number appear?On all advertising, print and digital, under COMAR 09.08.01.09; on every vehicle, at least 3 inches high, under COMAR 09.08.01.06; and on every contract under §8-501. If a customer can see it, include the number.
5. 05Does a contractor's Facebook page need the MHIC number?Yes. A business page is advertising, and COMAR 09.08.01.09 requires your MHIC license number on all advertising, including Facebook, Instagram, Google Business Profile, Yelp, and other online listings.

6. 06Does a home improvement salesperson need an MHIC license?Yes. Under COMAR 09.08.01.05 a home improvement salesperson must hold their own MHIC salesperson license. If yours does not, stop their sales, have them apply, and review every contract they handled.
7. 07Are you responsible for your salesperson's violations?Yes. Under COMAR 09.08.01.07 a salesperson operates under your license, so their violations are yours. Make sure they are licensed, display your MHIC number, and use contracts with every required element and cancellation notice.
8. 08Are you bound by a warranty your salesperson promised?Yes. Under COMAR 09.08.01.07 your salesperson represents you, so their promises are yours. Correct the misrepresentation at once, then either amend the contract or give the homeowner a fair way out.
9. 09How do you answer a competitor's false claims about your license?Invite the client to check your record in the public MHIC license database rather than attacking back. A clean record turns the false claim into credibility, and you can report false statements to the MHIC.
10. 10How should a contractor respond to a false online review?With a brief, factual, professional reply: offer to resolve the concern and do not share private project details. Other customers read your response, and calm professionalism builds more trust than a public argument.
11. 11How do you compete with a far lower bid from a questionable contractor?Give the homeowner the means to check for themselves: verify the MHIC license, call references, ask for proof of $50,000 liability insurance, demand a complete written contract, and avoid large upfront payments.
12. 12Should you use a competitor's bid to undercut them?No. Price from your own costs, methods, and standards. Using a competitor's bid to undercut them is ethically questionable and can lead you to underbid the job into a loss.
13. 13When is suggesting upgrades good practice and not an upsell?When it fits the client's own priorities. Suggesting options that match what they clearly value, with transparent pricing, and letting them decide is consultative selling rather than an upsell.