Hiring handyfolks off Craigslist risky? Protection?

[Philip Johnson]

I regularly hire handymen off Craigslist and work with them on rehabs. I keep their total pay under $500 and have done an occasional i9. I would like to know how to protect myself as lot of these people are unlicensed handymen. I understand that I do not need a general contracting license to hire them as long as I don't allow them to sub out. Is there anything I can do to protect myself from liability ? I do have umbrella. I cannot LLC my homes because they are bank financed.

I am not looking for answers like "check all licenses and insurance" or "hire a general contractor" (expensive and they could have lapsed or fake info) because I do 80% of work myself and hire people when I need a second hand and am usually on the job with them ... Looking for creative ways to protect myself.