[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":93},["ShallowReactive",2],{"guide-question-maryland-contractor-simulator-warranty-vs-normal-wear":3},{"site":4,"simulation":15,"topic":23,"question":26,"siblings":47,"prev":91,"next":92},{"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":33,"speakerDescription":33,"speakerAvatar":33,"audioUrl":34,"choices":35,"citations":46},"warranty-vs-normal-wear","Does your warranty cover damage the homeowner caused?","No. A warranty covers defects in your workmanship, not damage from later changes the homeowner made.","No. A warranty covers defects in your workmanship, not damage from later changes the homeowner made. Document the cause with photos and consider offering a paid repair at cost as goodwill.",[32],"A client calls 10 months into your 1-year warranty. The grout in their shower is cracking. You inspect and find the cracks are in areas where the homeowner installed a heavy glass shower door (not part of your scope) that's putting stress on the tile.",null,"/media/voices/warranty_vs_normal_wear.mp3",[36,41],{"text":37,"verdict":38,"label":39,"explanation":40},"Explain that the cracking was caused by the aftermarket shower door installation, not your tile work. Show them where the stress points are. Offer to repair the grout at a fair price, but this isn't a warranty claim since the damage resulted from work done by others","best","Correct","Warranty covers defects in your workmanship, not damage caused by subsequent modifications. The heavy glass door applied stress the tile substrate wasn't designed for. Document the cause with photos showing the stress pattern correlating to the door hinges. A fair offer to repair at cost builds goodwill while protecting you from covering damage you didn't cause. If they dispute it, your photographic evidence shows the causal relationship.",{"text":42,"verdict":43,"label":44,"explanation":45},"Fix it under warranty to avoid the argument — grout is cheap","partial","Generous but misleading","Fixing it free implies your original work was defective, which it wasn't. If the glass door continues to stress the tile, you'll be doing this repair every 6 months. Better to identify the root cause (the door), explain it, and offer a paid repair along with advice on properly supporting the door to prevent recurrence. Solving the problem is better than masking it.",[],[48,51,54,57,60,63,66,69,72,75,76,79,82,85,88],{"slug":49,"title":50,"topic":24},"guaranty-fund","What is the MHIC Guaranty Fund?",{"slug":52,"title":53,"topic":24},"warranty-complaint","What happens if you ignore an MHIC complaint letter?",{"slug":55,"title":56,"topic":24},"complaint-timeline","Can a homeowner file an MHIC complaint after your warranty ends?",{"slug":58,"title":59,"topic":24},"consumer-protection-hotline","Is a two-day delay grounds for an MHIC complaint?",{"slug":61,"title":62,"topic":24},"mhic-hearing","How should you prepare for an MHIC disciplinary hearing?",{"slug":64,"title":65,"topic":24},"contractor-abandonment","What counts as project abandonment?",{"slug":67,"title":68,"topic":24},"abandonment-complaint","How do you respond to an MHIC abandonment complaint?",{"slug":70,"title":71,"topic":24},"documentation-saves-you","What documentation defends you against an MHIC complaint?",{"slug":73,"title":74,"topic":24},"warranty-callback","How should you handle a warranty callback?",{"slug":27,"title":28,"topic":24},{"slug":77,"title":78,"topic":24},"after-hours-emergency","What do you owe a client in an after-hours warranty emergency?",{"slug":80,"title":81,"topic":24},"final-walkthrough","How do you run a final walkthrough and punch list?",{"slug":83,"title":84,"topic":24},"completion-certificate","What should a project completion package include?",{"slug":86,"title":87,"topic":24},"newlyweds-disappointment","How do you handle a client disappointed with finished work?",{"slug":89,"title":90,"topic":24},"flipper-buyer-discovers","Who is liable when a flip buyer finds unpermitted work?",{"slug":73,"title":74,"topic":24},{"slug":77,"title":78,"topic":24},1792184485482]