# Homeowner Guides | True Level Media

> Short, checkable guides on verifying a Connecticut contractor before you hire: state registration, lead-safe certification for older homes, and how to read a review record.

URL: https://truelevelmedia.com/guide/

For homeowners

# Homeowner guides

How to check a Connecticut contractor for yourself, using sources you can open in another tab. No hiring advice, no commercial pitch.

![Abstract editorial motif of three stacked reference sheets with one amber index tab](/images/misc/abstract-editorial-motif-of-three-stacked-referenc.webp)

## Checking, not choosing

These guides do not tell you who to hire. They cover the checks a homeowner can run before hiring anyone, in the order that makes sense: confirm what is a matter of public record, then weigh what is a matter of judgment.

Where a guide touches a legal or regulatory rule, it links the primary source at portal.ct.gov or epa.gov rather than restating a figure that could go stale.

How it works 4 min read

### How to check a Connecticut contractor's registration

What Home Improvement Contractor registration is, why residential work requires it, and how to look a contractor up at the state source before you hire.

Read the guide arrow\_forward

[How to check a Connecticut contractor's registration →](/guide/verify-connecticut-contractor-registration/)

Before you decide 4 min read

### How to read contractor reviews without being fooled

Why a perfect star average is often the weakest signal, what recency actually tells you, and how to spot a review of a sales visit rather than a finished job.

Read the guide arrow\_forward

[How to read contractor reviews without being fooled →](/guide/reading-contractor-reviews/)

What it means 4 min read

### What lead-safe certification means for older Connecticut homes

Why lead-safe certification matters in a state full of pre-1978 housing, what EPA Lead-Safe Certified Firm status is, and how to ask a contractor for proof.

Read the guide arrow\_forward

[What lead-safe certification means for older Connecticut homes →](/guide/lead-safe-certification-connecticut-homes/)

## How our own rankings work

How we rank contractorsThe published method these guides describe by hand, applied at scale.

[/methodology/ →](/methodology/)

Editorial standardsFeatured-blind ranking and the ownership disclosure, stated in full.

[/editorial-standards/ →](/editorial-standards/)

Connecticut trade directoriesThe eight trades we index, and what each directory covers.

[/directories/ →](/directories/)