There is not any such thing to be over protective when it comes to your home as well as your finances. There are numerous roofing contractors out there which 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 occasionally. That’s why it is important to know these 4 simple ways to protect yourself whenever 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 really a kind of insurance covering roofing injuries. If a roofing contractor has workers compensation, any injured employees have entitlement to recover expenses for hospital bills and being out of work. Make sure that your roofing contractor has workers compensation so that you will 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 is an urgent 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 can cover anything from broken windows to damaged interiors as mentioned in the situation above. Some contractors have liability insurance, but their insurance company offers so many exclusions that it is almost like there is no coverage at all. Search for coverage that doesn’t exclude water damage caused by leaving a roof open.
Business License
Problem: You hire a fresh roofing company to focus on your roof. A couple of months later you see a leak. You try to contact the business, but can’t find their information. You make an effort to look them up by their business license and you find that there was never a small business license issued for that company. You are forced to pay for the repairs yourself.
Solution: Check ahead of time that your roofing contractor has 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 should have a shingle license and an over-all roofing license to install a pitched roof. commercial roof maintenance requires a general roofing license.
An over-all contractor is legally able to install a roof with out a roofing license should they have a general contractor license. However, there were a lot of cases of general contractors branching out and installing roofs themselves if they lack the proper training. This causes problems for building owners and home owners. It is ideal for a general contractor to have a roofing license along with their general contractors license.
In Utah, the number for a general 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 choice 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 repair 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 that your contractor didn’t pay his supplier and that you are now responsible for 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 does not make his payments to a supplier or employees, you aren’t responsible to cover them. It really 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 the additional paperwork.