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Pro Referral (Home Depot) Review
Home Depot's contractor-referral service: points-based leads with no cash lead fee or commission, for background-checked, insured pros
Quick verdict
Pro Referral (Home Depot). Best for: Background-checked, insured pros who already buy materials at The Home Depot and want a supplemental, points-based lead channel with no cash lead fee. Pricing: No cash lead fee and 0% commission: Pro Referral says it rewards your everyday and business shopping with cost-free, zero-commission leads, and its app tracks points. Joining requires a background check that Pro Referral runs for a $41.99 fee, plus proof of General Liability insurance. Lead model: Not published: Pro Referral's pro pages do not say how many pros can see or respond to the same customer request. Points rules, lead sharing and lead screening are not explained on its public pro pages, joining costs a $41.99 background check, and the model favors pros who already shop at The Home Depot.
About Pro Referral (Home Depot)
Pro Referral is a contractor-referral service powered by The Home Depot that connects pros with Home Depot customers in their area who need work done. Its app is published by Red Beacon, Inc., and the Pro Referral business listed on the BBB (same support phone number) has an address in Dublin, California. Trades listed on its sign-up page include appliance pros, carpenters, concrete and masonry, electricians, general contractors, handymen, house cleaners, HVAC, landscapers, lawn and garden care, painters and plumbers.
The pricing model is unusual. Pro Referral says it rewards your everyday and business shopping with cost-free, zero-commission leads, and its app lets you track points, manage jobs and message or call customers. Its sign-up page promises cost-free leads and 0% commission job fees and says you choose your customers and set your own schedule.
There is a real screening step for pros. Pro Referral requires ID verification (driver's license or passport), proof of General Liability insurance and a background check, which it runs for a $41.99 fee; depending on your trade and where you work, you may also need to provide your contractor license.
The trade-off: if you already spend at The Home Depot, Pro Referral can add leads without a cash lead fee or commission, and the background check and insurance requirements screen pros. But the exact points rules, how many pros see each request and how leads are screened are not spelled out on its public pro pages, so treat it as a supplemental channel and track which leads turn into paid jobs.
How it works
You apply as a pro, verify your ID, provide proof of General Liability insurance, pass a background check (run by Pro Referral for $41.99) and, where your trade and state require it, provide your contractor license. Home Depot customers in your area submit requests for services such as plumbing, electrical, HVAC, painting or handyman work. Pro Referral says leads are cost-free with 0% commission, rewarding your everyday and business shopping, and its app tracks points. You choose which customers to work with, then message or call them and arrange the job directly.
Pros & cons
What works
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No cash lead fee or commission
Pro Referral says leads are cost-free and job fees carry 0% commission, with leads rewarded through your everyday and business shopping.
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Home Depot customer reach
The service connects pros with Home Depot customers in their area who need work done, under the Home Depot name.
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Screened pro network
Pros must pass ID verification and a background check and show General Liability insurance, and may need to provide a contractor license, which gives customers some assurance.
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You choose the work
Pro Referral says you choose your customers and set your own schedule, and the app lets you manage jobs and message or call customers.
What doesn't
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Points rules are not spelled out
The public pro pages say leads are rewarded through shopping and tracked as points, but do not explain how many points a lead needs or how points are earned.
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Upfront background check fee
Joining requires a background check that Pro Referral runs for $41.99, on top of carrying General Liability insurance.
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Lead sharing not disclosed
Pro Referral's pro pages do not say how many pros can see or respond to the same customer request.
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Tied to Home Depot spending
Because leads are rewarded through shopping, the channel works best for pros who already buy materials at The Home Depot.
Pricing
- Cost and billing
- No cash lead fee and 0% commission: Pro Referral says it rewards your everyday and business shopping with cost-free, zero-commission leads, and its app tracks points. Joining requires a background check that Pro Referral runs for a $41.99 fee, plus proof of General Liability insurance.
- Pricing model
- loyalty points
- Lead model
- directory listing
- Exclusivity
- Not published: Pro Referral's pro pages do not say how many pros can see or respond to the same customer request
Reviews and complaints at the source
We do not copy third-party review scores onto this page: they change often and we could not verify them. Read Pro Referral (Home Depot)'s current reviews at the source.
Best for
- Ideal contractor profile
- Background-checked, insured pros who already buy materials at The Home Depot and want a supplemental, points-based lead channel with no cash lead fee
- Team size
- Any size (no per-user fee)
- Trade coverage
- HVACPlumbingElectricalGeneral ContractorsLandscaping & Lawn CareCleaning ServicesAppliance RepairHandyman ServicesPainting
- Affiliate disclosure
- Affiliate program: None. No publisher affiliate program; the contractor cost is loyalty points rather than cash. We rate it on merit only. Affiliate status is not an input to WrenchStack's tiers.
Frequently asked
How much does Pro Referral cost?
Pro Referral says its leads are cost-free with 0% commission job fees, rewarded through your everyday and business shopping and tracked as points in its app. Joining requires a background check that Pro Referral runs for $41.99, and you must carry General Liability insurance.
What do I need to join Pro Referral?
ID verification (driver's license or passport), proof of General Liability insurance, a background check ($41.99 through Pro Referral), and, depending on your trade and where you work, your contractor license.
What trades can join Pro Referral?
Its sign-up page lists appliance pros, carpenters, concrete and masonry pros, electricians, general contractors, handymen, house cleaners, HVAC pros, landscapers, lawn and garden care, painters and plumbers.
Who runs Pro Referral?
Pro Referral is powered by The Home Depot. Its app is published by Red Beacon, Inc., and the Pro Referral business on the BBB lists an address in Dublin, California.
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