[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":97},["ShallowReactive",2],{"guide-question-maryland-contractor-simulator-flipper-buyer-discovers":3},{"site":4,"simulation":15,"topic":23,"question":26,"siblings":51,"prev":95,"next":96},{"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},"complaints-guaranty-fund","Complaints, Warranties & the Guaranty Fund",{"slug":27,"title":28,"description":29,"takeaway":30,"situation":31,"speaker":34,"speakerDescription":35,"speakerAvatar":36,"audioUrl":37,"choices":38,"citations":49},"flipper-buyer-discovers","Who is liable when a flip buyer finds unpermitted work?","The contractor. Under COMAR 09.08.01.08 the duty to pull permits and work to code is yours, and \"the owner told me to\" is no defense.","The contractor. Under COMAR 09.08.01.08 the duty to pull permits and work to code is yours, and \"the owner told me to\" is no defense. Expect fines, remediation costs, and MHIC discipline.",[32,33],"Jordan sold the house for $175,000. Four months later, the buyer's home inspector during a refinance appraisal discovers: unpermitted bathroom plumbing, electrical work without GFCI in the kitchen, and laminate flooring installed over damaged subfloor without repair.","The buyer traces the renovation to your MHIC number from the county records. Your phone rings.","Commissioner Davis","MHIC investigator who reviews complaints and conducts hearings.","/media/characters/mhic_investigator.png","/media/voices/flipper_buyer_discovers.mp3",[39,44],{"text":40,"verdict":41,"label":42,"explanation":43},"Cooperate fully with the investigation. Acknowledge what happened, remediate the deficiencies, and accept the consequences. You made the wrong call taking this job on Jordan's terms","note","Consequences","The buyer has a legitimate complaint. Unpermitted work, code violations, and substandard materials — all tied to your license. Jordan is gone with his profit. You're facing: permit violation fines, mandatory remediation costs, MHIC disciplinary hearing, potential license conditions or suspension, and a permanent mark on your record. All for a $22,000 job that you probably lost money on anyway. This is why you don't let flippers drive your compliance decisions.",{"text":45,"verdict":46,"label":47,"explanation":48},"Blame Jordan — he directed the work and made the material decisions","wrong","Doesn't work","The MHIC doesn't care whose idea it was. YOUR license, YOUR responsibility. COMAR 09.08.01.08 places the duty on the prime contractor to secure permits and perform work to code. Blaming the property owner for directing you to skip permits actually makes it worse — it shows you knowingly violated the law at someone's request. That's not a defense, it's a confession.",[50],"COMAR 09.08.01.08",[52,55,58,61,64,67,70,73,76,79,82,85,88,91,94],{"slug":53,"title":54,"topic":24},"guaranty-fund","What is the MHIC Guaranty Fund?",{"slug":56,"title":57,"topic":24},"warranty-complaint","What happens if you ignore an MHIC complaint letter?",{"slug":59,"title":60,"topic":24},"complaint-timeline","Can a homeowner file an MHIC complaint after your warranty ends?",{"slug":62,"title":63,"topic":24},"consumer-protection-hotline","Is a two-day delay grounds for an MHIC complaint?",{"slug":65,"title":66,"topic":24},"mhic-hearing","How should you prepare for an MHIC disciplinary hearing?",{"slug":68,"title":69,"topic":24},"contractor-abandonment","What counts as project abandonment?",{"slug":71,"title":72,"topic":24},"abandonment-complaint","How do you respond to an MHIC abandonment complaint?",{"slug":74,"title":75,"topic":24},"documentation-saves-you","What documentation defends you against an MHIC complaint?",{"slug":77,"title":78,"topic":24},"warranty-callback","How should you handle a warranty callback?",{"slug":80,"title":81,"topic":24},"warranty-vs-normal-wear","Does your warranty cover damage the homeowner caused?",{"slug":83,"title":84,"topic":24},"after-hours-emergency","What do you owe a client in an after-hours warranty emergency?",{"slug":86,"title":87,"topic":24},"final-walkthrough","How do you run a final walkthrough and punch list?",{"slug":89,"title":90,"topic":24},"completion-certificate","What should a project completion package include?",{"slug":92,"title":93,"topic":24},"newlyweds-disappointment","How do you handle a client disappointed with finished work?",{"slug":27,"title":28,"topic":24},{"slug":92,"title":93,"topic":24},null,1792184485502]