There is not any such thing to be over protective with regards to your home as well as your finances. There are many roofing contractors out there which 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 occasionally. 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 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 own property.
Solution: Roofers Compensation is a kind of insurance covering roofing injuries. If commercial roof installation 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 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’s an unexpected storm. Water seeps into your home 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 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 have good liability insurance. This can cover anything from broken windows to damaged interiors as stated 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. Look for coverage that doesn’t exclude water damage caused by leaving a roof open.
Business License
Problem: You hire a new roofing company to work on your roof. A few months later you notice 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’re forced to cover the repairs yourself.
Solution: Check in advance that your roofing contractor has a business license. If they don’t possess 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 hawaii of Utah, your roofing company should have a shingle license and an over-all roofing license to set up a pitched roof. A set roof installation only takes a general roofing license.
A general contractor is legally able to install a roof without a roofing license should 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 in addition to home owners. It is perfect for a general contractor to get a roofing license as well as their general contractors license.
In Utah, the quantity for an over-all 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 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 since they were operating illegally. You can then find a qualified contractor to repair your roof and finish the job.
Lien Waiver
Problem: Your roof has been completed and you also pay the contractor. However, a few weeks later, the contractor’s supplier contacts you requesting a payment for the materials installed on your own roof. You discover that your contractor did not pay his supplier and that you will be now in charge of that payment. It 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 when the contractor does not make his payments to a supplier or employees, you are not responsible to cover them. It is ultimately in place to protect 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 any additional paperwork.