There is no such thing as being over protective with regards to your home and your finances. There are many 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 once in a while. That’s why it is important to know these 4 simple methods to protect yourself when choosing a roofing contractor.
Workers Compensation
Problem: You hire a roofing contractor to repair a leak on your own roof. One of their employees decides never 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 type 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 out of work. Be 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 house and damages your sheet rock, carpet and some nice furniture. Your roofing contractor has liability insurance, but you can find exclusions preventing coverage of the interior of your building. You wind up paying to fix the damages yourself.
Solution: If damage occurs to your house or building that is the fault of a roofing contractor, you want to be sure they have good liability insurance. This can cover anything from broken windows to damaged interiors as stated in the problem 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 caused by leaving a roof open.
Business License
Problem: You hire a new roofing company to focus on your roof. A couple of months later you see 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 find that there was never a business license issued for that company. You are forced to cover the repairs yourself.
Solution: Check in advance that your roofing contractor has a business license. If they don’t possess a license, it could be a sign that they have no idea what they are doing. The company could easily disappear or walk out business.
In the state of Utah, your roofing company should have a shingle license and an over-all roofing license to install a pitched roof. A flat roof installation only requires a general roofing license.
A general contractor is legally in a position to install a roof without a roofing license should they have a general contractor license. However, there have been a great deal of cases of contractors branching out and installing roofs themselves if they lack the correct training. longevity causes problems for building owners and home owners. It is ideal for a general contractor to get a roofing license besides their general contractors license.
In Utah, the number for a general roofing licence is S280. The general contractors license is B100.
If your roofing contractor is in the middle of working on your roof and you find that they will have given fraudulent business license information, (in Utah) you have the choice to terminate their service immediately. You are not necessary to pay anything to the contractor since they were operating illegally. After that you can find a qualified contractor to fix your roof and finish the work.
Lien Waiver
Problem: Your roof has been completed and you pay the contractor. However, a couple weeks later, the contractor’s supplier contacts you requesting a payment for the materials installed on your roof. You discover that your contractor did not pay his supplier and that you will be now responsible for that payment. It has happened and can happen to you.
Solution: Be sure to request a lien waiver once the job is completed and before you pay. A lien waiver simply states that when the contractor does not 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. If you have 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.