There is no such thing to be over protective when it comes to your home and your finances. There are plenty of roofing contractors out there that 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’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 repair a leak on your roof. One of their workers 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 property.
Solution: Roofers Compensation is a kind 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 is an urgent storm. Water seeps into your home and damages your sheet rock, carpet plus some nice furniture. long-lasting roofs has liability insurance, but there are exclusions preventing coverage of the interior of your building. You wind 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 intend 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 provider offers so many exclusions that it’s almost like there is no coverage at all. Look for coverage that doesn’t exclude water damage resulting from 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 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 small business license issued for that company. You’re forced to pay for the repairs yourself.
Solution: Check ahead of time that your roofing contractor includes a business license. If they don’t possess a license, it could be a sign that they don’t know what they are doing. The company could easily disappear or go out of business.
In hawaii of Utah, your roofing company must have a shingle license and a general roofing license to set up a pitched roof. A set roof installation only requires a general roofing license.
A general contractor is legally able to install a roof with out a roofing license if they have a general contractor license. However, there were a lot of cases of general contractors branching out and installing roofs themselves if they lack the proper training. This causes problems for building owners and also home owners. It is perfect for a general contractor to have a roofing license besides their general contractors license.
In Utah, the number for an over-all 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 required to pay anything to the contractor because they were operating illegally. You can then find a qualified contractor to fix your roof and finish the work.
Lien Waiver
Problem: Your roof has been completed and you also 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 didn’t pay his supplier and that you will be now responsible for that payment. This has happened and can happen to you.
Solution: Make sure to request a lien waiver when the job is completed and before you pay. A lien waiver simply states that if 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 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.