There is no such thing as being over protective with regards to your home as well as your finances. There are several roofing contractors out there that are willing to bend the rules 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 whenever 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 cover his medical expenses, because he was hurt on your own property.
Solution: Roofers Compensation is really a kind of insurance covering roofing injuries. In case 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 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 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 that is the fault of a roofing contractor, you intend 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’s almost like there is 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 couple of months later you see a leak. You try to contact the company, 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’re forced to pay for the repairs yourself.
Solution: Check in advance 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. The business could easily disappear or go out of business.
In hawaii of Utah, your roofing company should have a shingle license and a general roofing license to set up a pitched roof. A set roof installation only takes a general roofing license.
EBG Construction -all contractor is legally able to install a roof with out a roofing license if they have an over-all contractor license. However, there were many cases of contractors branching out and installing roofs themselves when they lack the proper training. This causes problems for building owners and home owners. It is perfect for a general contractor to have a roofing license besides their general contractors license.
In Utah, the number for an over-all 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 choice to terminate their service right away. You are not necessary to pay anything to the contractor because 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 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 that 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 to request a lien waiver when the job is completed and before you pay. A lien waiver simply states that if the contractor fails to make his payments to a supplier or employees, you aren’t responsible to cover them. It is ultimately in place to safeguard the home 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.