Does AskBaily cost me anything as a homeowner?

No. AskBaily is free to homeowners. We're paid by partner contractors on a tiered 8-15% take-rate of closed-job revenue only — not per-lead, not per-contact. If you don't sign a contract, AskBaily earns nothing. This contrasts with Angi and Thumbtack, whose per-lead fees ultimately get passed through in contractor quotes.

How is AskBaily different from Angi or Thumbtack?

Angi broadcasts your inquiry to 3-8 contractors as a paid lead. Thumbtack charges contractors per-contact to reach you, shared across 3-15 pros. Both rely on contractor self-reported profiles updated at signup — which may be months or years stale. AskBaily matches you 1-to-1 with one verified contractor whose license we query at the regulator in real time. See /vs/angi and /vs/thumbtack for the side-by-side.

What exactly does 'live license verification' mean?

At the moment AskBaily matches you with a contractor, we make a live API call to the state/provincial/national licensing regulator (CSLB in California, AZ ROC in Arizona, NY DOB in NYC, NSW Fair Trading in Sydney, UK Gas Safe / NICEIC / NHBC, etc.) to confirm the license status. We check: Active status, current expiration date, no disciplinary actions pending, no suspension history. If any fails, the match doesn't happen. 17 jurisdictions covered live today.

What cities does AskBaily cover?

80 metros across 5 continents. Los Angeles is live with a founding partner GC; 79 additional metros (Phoenix, NYC, SF, Miami, Chicago, Austin, Seattle, Toronto, London, Sydney, Dubai, Singapore, Paris, Berlin, Tokyo, Mumbai, São Paulo, etc.) are ramping partner-GC recruitment. If your city isn't live yet, Baily scopes your project and joins you to the waitlist with a one-matched-contractor SLA when the metro activates.

Can I verify a contractor myself?

Yes. AskBaily publishes a free multi-jurisdiction license-lookup tool at /tools/license-lookup. Enter the license number and your jurisdiction — we validate the format and deep-link you to the official regulator. We also publish city-specific verification guides at /safety/{city} for the top 81 metros. Spanish mirror at /es/seguridad/{city} for 10 Hispanic-heavy US metros.

What data does AskBaily collect about me?

Your project scope (to match you correctly), your address city (to route to a local contractor), optional phone/email (only if you explicitly save your scope or opt in to be matched). No location tracking. No cookies for ads. No data resale. Full details at /privacy and our Subject Access Request process at /sar. GDPR, CCPA, DPDP compliant.

What if the contractor you match me with doesn't work out?

Tell Baily. We re-match. Because AskBaily partners are verified and specialty-aligned before match, the fit rate is materially higher than shared-lead platforms where you might talk to 5 contractors with very different specialties. If an active dispute emerges mid-project, AskBaily's mediation layer steps in — see /transparency for our dispute + escrow framework.

How do I know AskBaily isn't just another marketing marketplace?

Three things make AskBaily structurally different from Angi/Thumbtack: (1) live regulator verification at match time — we publish the list of 17 integrations; (2) 1-to-1 matching — our economics only work if you close, so we route scarce leads to our best-fit partner, not the highest bidder; (3) publicly subscribable regulatory intelligence feed at /feed — we're the only platform with this. See /methodology for the full workflow.

For homeowners

How AskBaily actually protects you

You describe the project. Baily scopes it. We match you with one verified contractor — not five bidders, not eight phone calls. Live state-regulator license verification at the moment of match. Zero cost to you. Zero shared-lead spam. If you don't sign a contract, AskBaily earns nothing.

Ask Baily about your project →Matching methodology

The 5 steps, end to end

1
Chat with Baily
Describe the project in your own words. Baily runs a structured scope interview — rooms, finish level, budget, timeline, regulatory constraints for your address. 80+ languages supported natively.
2
Review the scope before any contractor sees it
You confirm, edit, or delete the scope Baily built. No contractor receives your name or phone until you explicitly consent to be matched.
3
Live regulator verification
At match time, we query the state/provincial/national licensing regulator in real time. 17 jurisdictions integrated: CSLB, AZ ROC, TX TDLR, FL CILB, NY DOB + DOS, WA L&I, NV NSCB, GA GSBLC, IL IDFPR, Ontario HCRA, UK composite, NSW, VIC, NZ LBP, Singapore BCA, Dubai DM. If any check fails, no match.
4
One verified contractor contacts you
One. Not five. You discuss schedule + preferences, not basic scoping — Baily already did that.
5
Contract + build
You review their proposal + sign directly with the contractor. AskBaily earns a tiered 8-15% take-rate paid by the contractor on closed-job revenue only. If you don't sign, AskBaily earns nothing.