Is there any legal issue with a property management company employing a journeyman plumber to do plumbing jobs in house?
The management company only manages related party owned properties, specifically one spouse owns a management company which manages for properties owned by companies owned by one spouse or the other.
To play Devil's advocate, I'd argue that this makes the management company essentially a plumbing contractor, and as such it has to be owned by a master plumber in order to hire a journeyman. That said, we would not be offering plumbing services to the public.
On the other hand, I would argue that the journeyman is licensed to do the work he is doing as an independent contractor and it would be routine for a management company to hire an independent contractor and pass the bill along to the property owner, so the only real difference is paying as an employee vs paying as a contractor.
I'd appreciate any guidance to get me started, but I understand this is likely state specific. The state is Montana.
