There is no such thing to be over protective with regards to your home and your finances. There are numerous roofing contractors out there which are willing to bend the rules to simplify things for themselves, leading to problems for you as well as your roof. Even honest contractors make mistakes every occasionally. 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 fix 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 pay his medical expenses, because he was hurt on your own property.
Solution: Roofers Compensation is really a type of insurance covering roofing injuries. In case a roofing contractor has workers compensation, any injured employees are entitled to recover expenses for hospital bills and being unemployed. Be sure that your roofing contractor has workers compensation so that you will 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 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 interior 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 will cover anything from broken windows to damaged interiors as stated in the situation above. Some contractors have liability insurance, but their insurance company 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 caused by 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 company, but can’t find their information. You try 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 ahead of time that your roofing contractor includes a business license. If they don’t have a license, it may be a sign that they have no idea what they are doing. The business could easily disappear or walk out business.
In hawaii of Utah, your roofing company must have a shingle license and a general roofing license to install 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 a general contractor license. However, there were lots of cases of contractors branching out and installing roofs themselves if they lack the correct training. This causes problems for building owners and also home owners. It is perfect for a general contractor to have a roofing license in addition to their general contractors license.
In Avon , the quantity 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 immediately. 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 pay the contractor. However, a couple weeks later, the contractor’s supplier contacts you requesting a payment for the materials installed on your own roof. You discover your contractor didn’t pay his supplier and that you are now in charge of that payment. It has happened and can eventually you.
Solution: Make sure you request a lien waiver once 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 house or building owner from paying twice. If you receive 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.