[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":90},["ShallowReactive",2],{"guide-question-maryland-contractor-simulator-competitor-badmouthing":3},{"site":4,"simulation":15,"topic":23,"question":26,"siblings":50,"prev":88,"next":89},{"name":5,"tagline":6,"title":7,"description":8,"guideTitle":9,"guideDescription":10,"ogImage":11,"disclaimer":12,"practicePitch":13,"citationsTitle":14},"Free MHIC Training","Maryland home improvement exam prep","Free MHIC Exam Prep: Maryland Home Improvement Contractor Practice","Free, narrated MHIC exam prep: 147 real Maryland contractor scenarios, every choice explained, with the law cited where it applies.","MHIC Exam Study Guide","Every scenario in the free Maryland Contractor Simulator, written out as a practice question: the situation, your options, how each choice plays out, and the Maryland law where it applies.","/og/free-mhic-training.png","Free MHIC Training is free study material for the Maryland home improvement contractor exam. It is not affiliated with the Maryland Home Improvement Commission and is not legal advice.","The free Maryland Contractor Simulator puts you in situations like these across a 40-day contracting career, narrated, with your license on the line. No account needed.","Law and codes cited",{"slug":16,"title":17,"subtitle":18,"description":19,"maxTurns":20,"characterCount":21,"scenarioCount":22},"maryland-contractor-simulator","Maryland Contractor Simulator","Learn the law by living it.","You just got your MHIC license application approved and you're starting your home improvement business in Maryland. Navigate real contractor scenarios — contracts, permits, clients, subcontractors, and inspectors. Every choice teaches you the law through consequence, not memorization. Master all five exam areas to pass.",40,20,147,{"slug":24,"title":25},"advertising-sales","Advertising & Salespeople",{"slug":27,"title":28,"description":29,"takeaway":30,"situation":31,"speaker":34,"speakerDescription":35,"speakerAvatar":36,"audioUrl":37,"choices":38,"citations":49},"competitor-badmouthing","How 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.","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.",[32,33],"A potential client tells you that Derek Sloan, a competitor, told them you got in trouble with the MHIC last year and your license was suspended.","This is completely false. Your license has been clean since day one.","Derek Sloan","A competitor who underbids everyone, uses unlicensed subs, skips permits, and badmouths other contractors to steal clients. He's been reported twice but keeps operating.","/media/characters/competitor_shady.png","/media/voices/competitor_badmouthing.mp3",[39,44],{"text":40,"verdict":41,"label":42,"explanation":43},"Stay professional. Invite the client to verify your license status on the MHIC website. Provide your license number and let the record speak. Don't badmouth Derek back","best","Correct","The MHIC license database is public. Inviting verification turns Derek's lie into your credibility win. When the client sees a clean record, Derek's false claim backfires. You can also file a complaint with the MHIC about Derek's defamatory statements — spreading false information about a competitor's license status may violate advertising regulations. Let your record and your professionalism do the talking.",{"text":45,"verdict":46,"label":47,"explanation":48},"Tell the client about Derek's own MHIC complaints and unlicensed subcontractors","partial","Tempting but counterproductive","Even if Derek's issues are public record, mutual badmouthing makes both of you look bad. The client came to you for a renovation, not a contractor soap opera. Verify your own record, let that speak, and move on to discussing their project. If Derek is truly operating with unlicensed subs, report him to the MHIC and let the system work.",[],[51,54,57,60,63,66,69,72,75,76,79,82,85],{"slug":52,"title":53,"topic":24},"first-client-call","Do you have to give homeowners your MHIC license number?",{"slug":55,"title":56,"topic":24},"advertising-mistake","What must Maryland home improvement advertising include?",{"slug":58,"title":59,"topic":24},"vehicle-display","Does your MHIC number have to be on your work truck?",{"slug":61,"title":62,"topic":24},"business-name-on-everything","Where must your MHIC license number appear?",{"slug":64,"title":65,"topic":24},"social-media-advertising","Does a contractor's Facebook page need the MHIC number?",{"slug":67,"title":68,"topic":24},"salesperson-license-check","Does a home improvement salesperson need an MHIC license?",{"slug":70,"title":71,"topic":24},"brenda-training","Are you responsible for your salesperson's violations?",{"slug":73,"title":74,"topic":24},"salesperson-representation","Are you bound by a warranty your salesperson promised?",{"slug":27,"title":28,"topic":24},{"slug":77,"title":78,"topic":24},"online-review-response","How should a contractor respond to a false online review?",{"slug":80,"title":81,"topic":24},"shady-competitor-steals-client","How do you compete with a far lower bid from a questionable contractor?",{"slug":83,"title":84,"topic":24},"multiple-bids-ethics","Should you use a competitor's bid to undercut them?",{"slug":86,"title":87,"topic":24},"green-building-upsell","When is suggesting upgrades good practice and not an upsell?",{"slug":73,"title":74,"topic":24},{"slug":77,"title":78,"topic":24},1792184484119]