There is no such thing as being over protective when it comes 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 and your roof. Even honest contractors make mistakes every once in a while. That’s why it’s 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 roof. One of their workers 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 property.

Solution: Roofers Compensation is really a type 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 unemployed. Be sure that your roofing contractor has workers compensation so 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’s 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 wind 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 intend to be sure they 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 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 resulting from leaving a roof open.

Business License
Problem: You hire a new 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 also find that there is never a small business license issued for that company. You are forced to cover the repairs yourself.

Solution: Check in advance that your roofing contractor has a business license. If they don’t have a license, it may be a sign that they don’t know what they are doing. The business could easily disappear or walk out business.

In hawaii 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 takes a general roofing license.

A general contractor is legally able to install a roof with out a roofing license if they have an over-all contractor license. However, there were a lot of cases of general contractors branching out and installing roofs themselves if they lack the correct training. This causes problems for building owners as well as home owners. It is perfect 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. sustainable roofing is B100.

If your roofing contractor is in the center of working on your roof and you also 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 because they were operating illegally. You can then find a qualified contractor to repair your roof and finish the work.

Lien Waiver
Problem: Your roof has been completed and you pay the contractor. However, a couple weeks later, the contractor’s supplier contacts you requesting a fee for the materials installed on your own roof. You discover that your contractor did not pay his supplier and that you are now in charge of that payment. This has happened and can happen to you.

Solution: Make 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 home or building owner from paying twice. If you have the lien waiver before you pay, it really is conditional upon your payment. However, once your payment has cleared, the lien waver becomes unconditional without the additional paperwork.