There is not any such thing as being 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 guidelines to simplify things for themselves, resulting in problems for you as well as 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.
Workers Compensation
Problem: You hire a roofing contractor to repair a leak on your 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 property.
Solution: Roofers Compensation is really 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. Make sure that your roofing contractor has workers compensation so 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 unexpected storm. Water seeps into your home 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 wind up paying to fix the damages yourself.
roof maintenance : If damage occurs to your house or building this is the fault of a roofing contractor, you intend to be sure they will have good liability insurance. This will 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’s 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 new roofing company to focus on your roof. A couple of months later you notice a leak. You make an effort 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 are forced to cover the repairs yourself.
Solution: Check in advance 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 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 takes a general roofing license.
An over-all contractor is legally in a position to install a roof with out a roofing license should they have an over-all contractor license. However, there have been many cases of contractors branching out and installing roofs themselves if they lack the correct 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 a general 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 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 necessary to pay anything to the contractor since they were operating illegally. You can then find a qualified contractor to fix your roof and finish the job.
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 payment for the materials installed on your own roof. You discover your contractor did not pay his supplier and that you will be now responsible for that payment. It 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 if 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 protect 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 any additional paperwork.