HI

There is no such thing to be over protective when it comes to your home and your finances. There are plenty of roofing contractors out there which are willing to bend the guidelines to simplify things for themselves, resulting in problems for you and your roof. Even honest contractors make mistakes every once in a while. That’s why it is 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 employees 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 unemployed. Make sure that your roofing contractor has workers compensation in order 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 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 fix 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 will have good liability insurance. This will cover anything from broken windows to damaged interiors as mentioned in the situation above. Some contractors have liability insurance, but their insurance provider offers so many exclusions that it’s almost like there is absolutely 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 fresh roofing company to focus 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 try 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 in advance 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 company could easily disappear or walk out business.

In the state of Utah, your roofing company must 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.

An over-all contractor is legally in a position to install a roof without a roofing license should they have an over-all contractor license. However, there have been plenty of cases of general contractors branching out and installing roofs themselves if they lack the correct training. This causes problems for building owners together with home owners. It is perfect for a general contractor to get a roofing license along with their general contractors license.

In Utah, the quantity for a general roofing licence is S280. The general contractors license is B100.

If your roofing contractor is in the center of working on your roof and you find that they will have given fraudulent business license information, (in Utah) you have the choice to terminate their service immediately. You are not necessary to pay anything to the contractor since they were operating illegally. You can then find a qualified contractor to fix your roof and finish the job.

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 fee for the materials installed on your roof. You discover that your contractor didn’t pay his supplier and that you are now in charge of that payment. This 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 aren’t responsible to cover them. home improvement 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.