Monitoring subs through surveillance

[Jake Engle]

My partner and I are currently building our fix and flip business plan and are hoping to get our first rehab in the next month or two. He will be responsible for the rehab and working with the contractors. I will be able to be at the rehab one or two times per day, and he will be able to stop in at the end of the day or during his lunch. We were considering utilizing surveillance inside of our project to monitor the work being done and ensure the contractors are actually at the property. I am not talking hidden cameras everywhere, just a single camera at the front door to monitor who is at the property working. There is a product called drop cam where you can monitor the camera through the internet. Would just have to plug it in and connect to the wifi.

Obviously the extra expense of having an internet connection is a downfall. But could this work to keep the contractors on their toes and ensure they know they can't lie about being at the property? Any thoughts would be appreciated.

[Nate Miersma]

Regardless of what your contractors may think, the effectiveness of this depends on whether you're paying your subs by the hour or by the job.

I won't pay anyone by the hour unless it's required due to extreme circumstances. The very first electrician that I hired by the hour taught me that valuable lesson. (I have some extremely high quality electrical in one of my houses though...!)

My humble recommendation: include your ability to "observe comings and goings" via your DropCam in whatever contracts and/or Statement of Work documentation that you review with them and have them sign.