There is no such thing to be over protective with regards to your home and your finances. There are several roofing contractors out there that are willing to bend the rules 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 is important to know these 4 simple methods to protect yourself when choosing a roofing contractor.
Workers Compensation
Problem: You hire a roofing contractor to fix 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 really a type of insurance covering roofing injuries. If energy-efficient roofing 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 so that you will 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 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 interior of your building. You end up paying to fix the damages yourself.
Solution: If damage occurs to your house or building that is the fault of a roofing contractor, you intend to be sure they will 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 provider 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 new roofing company to focus on your roof. A couple of months later you see 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 was never a business license issued for that company. You’re forced to pay for the repairs yourself.
Solution: Check in advance that your roofing contractor includes a business license. If they don’t possess a license, it may be a sign that they don’t know what they are doing. The business could easily disappear or go out of business.
In the state of Utah, your roofing company must have a shingle license and a general roofing license to install a pitched roof. A flat roof installation only takes a general roofing license.
An over-all contractor is legally able to install a roof without a roofing license should they have an over-all contractor license. However, there have been a lot of cases of general contractors branching out and installing roofs themselves if they lack the correct training. This causes problems for building owners in addition to home owners. It is perfect for a general contractor to possess a roofing license along with their general contractors license.
In Utah, the quantity for a general 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 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 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 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: 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 fails to make his payments to a supplier or employees, you aren’t responsible to cover them. It 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.
