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 which 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 once in a while. That’s why it is important to know these 4 simple ways to protect yourself when choosing a roofing contractor.
Workers Compensation
Problem: You hire a roofing contractor to repair a leak on your own roof. One of their employees decides not to use proper safety procedures and falls, breaking his leg. The employee holds you responsible to cover his medical expenses, because he was hurt on your property.
Solution: Roofers Compensation is really a type 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 so 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 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 wind up paying to fix the damages yourself.
Solution: If damage occurs to your home or building this 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’s almost like there is absolutely 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 work on your roof. A couple of months later you notice 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 has 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 company could easily disappear or walk out business.
In metal roofing options 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 were plenty 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 ideal 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 general 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 option to terminate their service right away. You are not required to pay anything to the contractor since they were operating illegally. After that you can find a qualified contractor to fix your roof and finish the job.
Lien Waiver
Problem: Your roof has been completed and you pay the contractor. However, a few weeks later, the contractor’s supplier contacts you requesting a fee for the materials installed on your roof. You discover your contractor did not pay his supplier and that you are now responsible for that payment. This 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 are not responsible to cover them. It is ultimately in place to protect the house or building owner from paying twice. If 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 any additional paperwork.
