The reliable way to hire a pro

Hi, we just got the front of our house done with sand and cement render. It's January, so it's pretty chilly, and it was applied about a week ago. A painter mentioned it's okay to go ahead and paint now as long as we use a stabiliser or solvent-based primer first which is convenient since we still have the scaffolding set up. However, we've also been told by people that external render can take anywhere from 6 weeks to 3 months to fully dry. So, its a bit confusing to know what to do. How long should we actually wait before painting the new external render? And how do I check if it's completely dry? Keeping in mind that it's the middle of the cold season. Thanks a lot for the help!

My bathroom fan usually turns on automatically with the light switch but now it won't turn off after a while like it used to. There's a separate switch for the fan but that doesn't work to turn it off either. To stop it, I've had to cut the main power, and it took about 2 hours to kick in. This issue just started yesterday. Could there be an electrical problem? I haven't noticed any other electrical issues in the house. Or could something like a blockage be the cause? The fan seems pretty clogged with dust and fluff. I'd like to get some advice before I try opening it up or cleaning it. What can I try doing on my own? Thanks.

What permits if any are required do dig a separate entrance into a basement. What are the costs of any permits.