There is no such thing as being over protective when it comes to your home and your finances. There are numerous 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 methods to protect yourself when choosing a roofing contractor.
metal roof advantages : 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 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. Be 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 house and damages your sheet rock, carpet and some nice furniture. Your roofing contractor has liability insurance, but there are exclusions preventing coverage of the inside of your building. You end up paying to repair 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 situation 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 resulting from leaving a roof open.
Business License
Problem: You hire a new roofing company to focus on your roof. A few 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 is never a small business license issued for that company. You are forced to pay for the repairs yourself.
Solution: Check ahead of time 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 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 set up a pitched roof. A set 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 lots of cases of contractors branching out and installing roofs themselves if they lack the correct training. This causes problems for building owners as well as home owners. It is ideal for a general contractor to have a roofing license in addition to their general contractors license.
In Utah, the quantity for an over-all roofing licence is S280. The overall 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 choice to terminate their service immediately. You are not necessary to pay anything to the contractor since they were operating illegally. You can then find a qualified contractor to repair your roof and finish the job.
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 own roof. You discover that your contractor did not pay his supplier and that you will be now responsible for that payment. This has happened and can eventually you.
Solution: Make sure you request a lien waiver once 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 really is ultimately in place to safeguard the home or building owner from paying twice. If you have 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 the additional paperwork.