Can I get in trouble for hiring a non license contractor?

Question

I'm doing some work on a house I bought and I hired some people to do some clean up work worth about a $1000.00 and my neighbor said that anything over $500.00 in the state of California needs to be a license contractor.

Can I get in troble for this?

Answer 1

Yes.  First of all, Liability.  If they are not licensed, they probably don't have any insurance.  That means you are liable as a home owner for any injuries.  Also the State of Calif. is very strict about this.

Answer 2

If someone tells on you yeah. Plus its not a good idea. With the amount $$$, if something goes wrong you could be out a lot of money.  

Answer 3

They probably are not insured.  This could be trouble.

An unlicensed contractor cannot sue you for payment.