There is not any such thing to be over protective with regards to your home and your finances. There are numerous roofing contractors out there which are willing to bend the rules to simplify things for themselves, leading to problems for you as well as your roof. Even honest contractors make mistakes every occasionally. 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 own roof. One of their workers 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 really a type 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 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 house and damages your sheet rock, carpet and some nice furniture. Your roofing contractor has liability insurance, but you can find exclusions preventing coverage of the interior of your building. You end up paying to fix 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 will 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 provider offers so many exclusions that it is 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 see 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 have a license, it could 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 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.
A general contractor is legally able to install a roof without a roofing license if 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 correct training. This causes problems for building owners as well as home owners. It is ideal for a general contractor to possess a roofing license as well as 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 middle 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 immediately. affordable roofing 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 payment for the materials installed on your roof. You discover your contractor didn’t pay his supplier and that you are now responsible for that payment. This has happened and can happen to you.
Solution: Be sure to request a lien waiver once the job is completed and before you pay. A lien waiver simply states that if the contractor does not make his payments to a supplier or employees, you are not responsible to cover them. It really is ultimately in place to safeguard the house or building owner from paying twice. In the event that you receive the lien waiver before you pay, it really is conditional upon your payment. However, once your payment has cleared, the lien waver becomes unconditional without any additional paperwork.