There is no such thing as being over protective when it comes to your home as well as your finances. There are several roofing contractors out there that are willing to bend the rules to simplify things for themselves, leading to problems for you as well as your roof. Even honest contractors make mistakes every occasionally. That’s why it’s 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 workers decides not to use proper safety procedures and falls, breaking his leg. The employee holds you responsible to cover his medical expenses, because he was hurt on your own property.
Solution: Roofers Compensation is a kind of insurance covering roofing injuries. If a roofing contractor has workers compensation, any injured employees are entitled to recover expenses for hospital bills and being unemployed. Be sure that your roofing contractor has workers compensation in order 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’s an urgent storm. Water seeps into your house 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 wind up paying to fix the damages yourself.
Solution: If damage occurs to your home or building this is the fault of a roofing contractor, you intend to be sure they will 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 no coverage at all. Search for coverage that doesn’t exclude water damage and mold caused by leaving a roof open.
Business License
Problem: You hire a fresh roofing company to work on your roof. A couple of months later you see a leak. You make an effort to contact the business, 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 cover the repairs yourself.
Solution: Check ahead of time 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. The business could easily disappear or walk out business.
In the state of Utah, your roofing company must 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 able to install a roof without a roofing license if they have an over-all contractor license. However, there were energy efficiency of cases of contractors branching out and installing roofs themselves if 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 as well as 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 also find that they will have given fraudulent business license information, (in Utah) you have the option to terminate their service right away. You are not required to pay anything to the contractor since they were operating illegally. After that you can find a qualified contractor to repair 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 fee for the materials installed on your own roof. You discover that your contractor did not pay his supplier and that you will be now in charge of that payment. This has happened and can happen to you.
Solution: Be sure to 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 are not responsible to cover them. It is ultimately in place to protect the home or building owner from paying twice. If you receive the lien waiver before you pay, it really is conditional upon your payment. However, once your payment has cleared, the lien waver becomes unconditional without any additional paperwork.
