There is no such thing as being over protective when it comes to your home as well as your finances. There are numerous roofing contractors out there that are willing to bend the guidelines to simplify things for themselves, resulting in problems for you and your roof. Even honest contractors make mistakes every occasionally. 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 pay his medical expenses, because he was hurt on your property.
Solution: Roofers Compensation is a kind of insurance covering roofing injuries. If 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 in order 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 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 home or building this is the fault of a roofing contractor, you want to be sure they 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 provider offers so many exclusions that it is almost like there is absolutely no coverage at all. Search for coverage that doesn’t exclude water damage and mold resulting from leaving a roof open.
Business License
Problem: You hire a new roofing company to work on your roof. A few 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 was never a small 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 have 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 install a pitched roof. A set roof installation only takes a general roofing license.
A general contractor is legally able to install a roof with out a roofing license if they have a general contractor license. However, there were a great deal of cases of contractors branching out and installing roofs themselves when they lack the proper training. This causes problems for building owners as well as home owners. It is ideal for a general contractor to get a roofing license in addition to their general contractors license.
In Utah, the quantity for an over-all 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 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 because 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 fee for the materials installed on your own roof. You discover that your contractor did not pay his supplier and that you are now in charge of that payment. It has happened and can eventually you.
Solution: Be sure to request a lien waiver once 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. It is ultimately in place to protect the house 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 Exceptional Metals partnership has cleared, the lien waver becomes unconditional without any additional paperwork.
