There is not any such thing to be over protective when it comes to your home and your finances. There are many roofing contractors out there that are willing to bend the rules to simplify things for themselves, leading to problems for you and your roof. Even honest contractors make mistakes every occasionally. That’s why it is critical to know these 4 simple ways to protect yourself whenever choosing a roofing contractor.
Workers Compensation
Problem: You hire a roofing contractor to fix a leak on your roof. One of their employees 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 own property.
Solution: Roofers Compensation is a kind of insurance covering roofing injuries. In case a roofing contractor has workers compensation, any injured employees are entitled to recover expenses for hospital bills and being out of work. Be sure that your roofing contractor has workers compensation so 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 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 interior of your building. You wind up paying to repair the damages yourself.
Solution: If damage occurs to your home or building that is the fault of a roofing contractor, you intend 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 is almost like there is absolutely no coverage at all. Look for coverage that doesn’t exclude water damage caused by leaving a roof open.
Business License
Problem: You hire a fresh roofing company to work on your roof. A few months later you notice a leak. You try to contact the business, but can’t find their information. You try to look them up by their business license and you also find that there was never a business license issued for that company. You’re forced to cover 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 have no idea what they are doing. The business could easily disappear or go out of business.
In the state of Utah, your roofing company should 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 should 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 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 number for an over-all 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 right away. 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 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 fee for the materials installed on your own roof. You discover that your contractor didn’t pay his supplier and that you are now in charge of that payment. It has happened and can eventually you.
Solution: Make sure to request a lien waiver when 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. green building products is ultimately in place to protect the home or building owner from paying twice. In the event that you receive 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.