There is no such thing as being 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 critical to know these 4 simple methods to protect yourself whenever choosing a roofing contractor.

Workers Compensation
Problem: You hire a roofing contractor to repair a leak on your roof. One of their employees decides never 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 own property.

Solution: Roofers Compensation is really a type 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 unemployed. Make 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’s an urgent storm. Water seeps into your house and damages your sheet rock, carpet plus some nice furniture. Your roofing contractor has liability insurance, but you can find exclusions preventing coverage of the inside of your building. You end up paying to repair the damages yourself.

Solution: If damage occurs to your house 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 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. Look 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 work 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 try 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 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. Choosing the right roofing material could easily disappear or walk out business.

In the state of Utah, your roofing company should have a shingle license and an over-all roofing license to install a pitched roof. A flat roof installation only takes a general roofing license.

A general contractor is legally able to install a roof without a roofing license if they have a general contractor license. However, there were many cases of general contractors branching out and installing roofs themselves when they lack the correct training. This causes problems for building owners as well as home owners. It is ideal for a general contractor to get a roofing license as well as 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 since they were operating illegally. After that you can find a qualified contractor to fix your roof and finish the work.

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 roof. You discover your contractor didn’t pay his supplier and that you will be now in charge of that payment. It has happened and can eventually you.

Solution: Be sure you request a lien waiver when 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 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 is conditional upon your payment. However, once your payment has cleared, the lien waver becomes unconditional without any additional paperwork.