How to Find Trusted, Reliable Handymen in St. Louis (Without Getting Burned)
Finding good, trustworthy contractors is one of the hardest parts of real estate. Everyone wants the reliable, affordable handyman who shows up on time, does great work, and doesn’t disappear mid-job — but that’s easier said than done. After managing tons of rentals and renovation projects, I’ve learned a few rules that will save you money, stress, and major headaches.
1. Start With Referrals — Real Ones
The best place to start is always a referral from someone who actually used the contractor. Not “a friend of a friend.” Not “I heard he’s good.” Someone who paid them for work and would hire them again.
But if you don’t know anyone? No problem — just dig deeper.
2. Look Them Up (Casenet Is Your Best Friend)
A handyman won’t always have a website or tons of reviews. Big companies will — but they’re usually the most expensive.
For small contractors, I always check Casenet (Missouri’s court records). We use it for tenants AND contractors. You would be amazed how many disasters we avoided with this one step.
Quick story:
A guy quoted me $25K for a basement repair. Something felt off. I looked him up — drugs, prison history, red flags everywhere. When I told him I wanted a few more bids, he got irritated. Weeks later, the investor who referred him told me the guy destroyed part of his rehab, threatened him, and the cops had to get involved. That could’ve been me — or you.
Always. Check. Casenet.
3. Test Them With Small Jobs First
Never hand a new contractor a big job with a big deposit. That’s how people lose money.
Start small:
Replace one vanity
Paint a room
Install a light fixture
Patch some drywall
Do the job → pay them.
Next job → pay them.
Repeat.
This lets you test:
Are they on time?
Do they communicate?
Do they clean up?
Do they do quality work?
Are they fast or painfully slow?
Every contractor has strengths and weaknesses. Better to learn them on a $150 job than a $15,000 job.
4. Buy the Materials Yourself
One of my favorite filters:
“I’ll buy the materials. You charge me for labor.”
I swipe my card, get the points, and they don’t have to front any money. Good contractors never have a problem with this. The ones who resist are usually the ones who want to pad the material costs or float cash flow on your deposit.
5. Build Trust Slowly
Not every handyman will work out. You’ll try some, drop some, and eventually build a small roster of solid people you trust.
But you only get to that point by:
Doing small test jobs
Watching how they work
Paying quickly
Setting expectations early
6. Ask If They’re Insured or Bonded
Not every handyman will be insured or bonded — especially smaller operations — but it’s still an important question to ask.
A contractor with liability insurance protects you if:
They get hurt on your property
They damage something
Something goes wrong during the job
A bonded contractor provides an extra layer of protection if they take your money and fail to complete the work.
This isn’t a dealbreaker if they’re not (many small handymen aren’t), but responsible contractors will at least be open and honest about what coverage they do have.
This is one of the biggest challenges in real estate — but if you follow these steps, you’ll avoid 90% of the nightmare contractor stories out there.
