There is no such thing as being over protective when it comes to your home and your finances. There are several roofing contractors out there which are willing to bend the rules to simplify things for themselves, resulting in problems for you and your roof. Even honest contractors make mistakes every occasionally. That’s why it’s important to know these 4 simple ways to protect yourself whenever choosing a roofing contractor.
Workers Compensation
Problem: You hire a roofing contractor to fix a leak on your own roof. One of their employees decides not to use proper safety procedures and falls, breaking his leg. The employee holds you responsible to pay his medical expenses, because he was hurt on your own property.
Solution: Roofers Compensation is a kind of insurance covering roofing injuries. In case a roofing contractor has workers compensation, any injured employees have entitlement to recover expenses for hospital bills and being unemployed. Make sure that your roofing contractor has workers compensation so that you are saved the difficulty and expenses of paying those bills yourself.
Liability Insurance
Problem: Your roofing contractor leaves your roof uncovered after removing your shingles. That night there is an unexpected storm. Water seeps into your home and damages your sheet rock, carpet plus some nice furniture. Your roofing contractor has liability insurance, but there are exclusions preventing coverage of the interior of your building. You end up paying to fix the damages yourself.
Solution: If damage occurs to your home or building that is the fault of a roofing contractor, you want to be sure they will have good liability insurance. This will cover anything from broken windows to damaged interiors as mentioned in the situation above. Some contractors have liability insurance, but their insurance company offers so many exclusions that it is almost like there is absolutely no coverage at all. Look for coverage that doesn’t exclude water damage and mold resulting from leaving a roof open.
Business License
Problem: You hire a fresh roofing company to work on your roof. A few months later you notice a leak. You try to contact the company, but can’t find their information. You make an effort to look them up by their business license and you also find that there is never a business license issued for that company. You are forced to pay for the repairs yourself.
Solution: Check in advance that your roofing contractor has a business license. If they don’t possess a license, it may be a sign that they have no idea what they are doing. Illinois weather challenges could easily disappear or go out of business.
In hawaii of Utah, your roofing company must have a shingle license and an over-all roofing license to set up a pitched roof. A flat roof installation only requires a general roofing license.
An over-all contractor is legally able to install a roof with out a roofing license if they have an over-all contractor license. However, there have been plenty of cases of general contractors branching out and installing roofs themselves when they lack the proper training. This causes problems for building owners in addition to home owners. It is ideal for a general contractor to get a roofing license besides their general contractors license.
In Utah, the quantity for an over-all roofing licence is S280. The general contractors license is B100.
If your roofing contractor is in the center of working on your roof and you find that they have given fraudulent business license information, (in Utah) you have the choice to terminate their service right away. You are not required to pay anything to the contractor because they were operating illegally. You can then find a qualified contractor to repair your roof and finish the work.
Lien Waiver
Problem: Your roof has been completed and you also pay the contractor. However, a few weeks later, the contractor’s supplier contacts you requesting a fee for the materials installed on your roof. You discover that your contractor did not pay his supplier and that you are now responsible for that payment. It has happened and can happen to you.
Solution: Be sure you request a lien waiver when the job is completed and before you pay. A lien waiver simply states that when the contractor fails to make his payments to a supplier or employees, you aren’t responsible to cover them. It is ultimately in place to safeguard the house or building owner from paying twice. In the event that you receive the lien waiver before you pay, it is conditional upon your payment. However, once your payment has cleared, the lien waver becomes unconditional without any additional paperwork.