There is not any such thing as being over protective with regards to your home as well as your finances. There are several roofing contractors out there that are willing to bend the guidelines to simplify things for themselves, leading to 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 ways 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 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 really a type of insurance covering roofing injuries. If 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 in order that you are saved the trouble 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 home and damages your sheet rock, carpet plus some nice furniture. Your roofing contractor has liability insurance, but you can find exclusions preventing coverage of the inside of your building. You end up paying to repair the damages yourself.
Solution: If damage occurs to your home or building this is the fault of a roofing contractor, you want to be sure they have good liability insurance. This will cover anything from broken windows to damaged interiors as mentioned in the problem above. Some contractors have liability insurance, but their insurance company offers so many exclusions that it’s almost like there is absolutely 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 focus on your roof. A few months later you notice 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 small business license issued for that company. metal roof upgrade options forced to cover the repairs yourself.
Solution: Check in advance that your roofing contractor has a business license. If they don’t have a license, it may be a sign that they don’t know 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 a general 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 many cases of general contractors branching out and installing roofs themselves if they lack the proper training. This causes problems for building owners along with home owners. It is ideal for a general contractor to have a roofing license besides their general contractors license.
In Utah, the number for a general roofing licence is S280. The overall contractors license is B100.
If your roofing contractor is in the middle 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 immediately. You are not required to pay anything to the contractor because 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 also pay the contractor. However, a few weeks later, the contractor’s supplier contacts you requesting a payment for the materials installed on your own roof. You discover your contractor did not pay his supplier and that you are now in charge of that payment. This has happened and can happen to you.
Solution: Be sure you 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 are not responsible to cover them. It is ultimately in place to safeguard the house or building owner from paying twice. In the event that 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 the additional paperwork.
