Licensed Builders

In the US, you would be crazy to do business with an unlicensed contractor.  The same is true for Costa Rica.  While it is little known, Builders are required to register with Colegio Federado de Ingenieros y Arquitectos de Costa Rica (CFIA) the same agency that regulates the Architects, Engineers and Topographers.

To become a licensed contractor, the corporation has to be properly registered, have professional recommendations from an Architect, Electrical Engineer and a Topographer.  While that may not sound like much, you would be amazed how many builders never choose to become registered with the CFIA. Why are they not licensed?  Maybe they don’t want the added expense of the annual dues.  Possibly they want to avoid the liability that comes with being a registered builder or maybe they want to avoid taxes and are not reporting their earnings.  No matter what their reason, they are choosing to break the law that helps protect consumers.

What happens if your builder is not registered? If your company is licensed, there is a dispute resolution process that the builder must abide by or run the risk of loosing their license.  If the builder is not licensed, CFIA cannot step in to help you with as much force as they can against registered companies.  In fact, their attitude is that if you choose to do business with an unlicensed company, you get what you deserve.

How do you find out id your Builder is licensed? Supposedly you can go to the CFIA web site and can find out if your Architect, Engineer or Builder is licensed. Sounds good on the surface but there is a catch.  Their WEB site database is not linked to their actual records database. In fact, the last time the WEB site was updated was August, 2005 and then it was updated with even older data - June, 2005. It is best to ask to see the builder’s current certification or call CFIA directly.

Are we licensed? You bet we are!  Here is a copy of our certification!