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There is no such thing to be over protective when it comes to your home as well as your finances. There are plenty of roofing contractors out there that are willing to bend the guidelines 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’s important to know these 4 simple ways to protect yourself when choosing a roofing contractor.

Workers Compensation
Problem: You hire a roofing contractor to fix a leak on your 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 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 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 is 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 wind up paying to repair the damages yourself.

Solution: If damage occurs to your home or building that is the fault of a roofing contractor, you want to be sure they will have good liability insurance. This can 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 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 fresh roofing company to work on your roof. A few 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 is 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 includes a business license. If they don’t possess a license, it may be a sign that they have no idea what they are doing. durability could easily disappear or walk out business.

In the state of Utah, your roofing company should have a shingle license and a general roofing license to install a pitched roof. A set roof installation only requires a general roofing license.

An over-all contractor is legally able to install a roof without a roofing license should they have an over-all contractor license. However, there were many cases of general contractors branching out and installing roofs themselves when they lack the proper training. This causes problems for building owners along with home owners. It is ideal for a general contractor to get a roofing license in addition to their general contractors license.

In Utah, the number 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 also 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. 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 if 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 safeguard 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.