There is not any such thing as being over protective with regards to your home and your finances. There are numerous roofing contractors out there which are willing to bend the guidelines to simplify things for themselves, resulting in problems for you as well as your roof. Even honest contractors make mistakes every occasionally. 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 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 property.
Solution: Roofers Compensation is 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. Be 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’s an unexpected storm. Water seeps into your home and damages your sheet rock, carpet plus some nice furniture. Your roofing contractor has liability insurance, but you can find 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 that is the fault of a roofing contractor, you want to be sure they will 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 provider offers so many exclusions that it is almost like there is 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 new roofing company to work on your roof. A few 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’re forced to pay for the repairs yourself.
Solution: Check ahead of time that your roofing contractor has 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 walk out 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 flat roof installation only requires a general roofing license.
A general contractor is legally able to install a roof with out a roofing license should they have an over-all contractor license. However, there have been a great deal of cases of general contractors branching out and installing roofs themselves if they lack the proper training. This causes problems for building owners in addition to 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. The overall contractors license is B100.
If Avon is in the middle of working on your roof and you also 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 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 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 didn’t pay his supplier and that you will be now responsible for that payment. It has happened and can happen to you.
Solution: Be sure to 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 are not responsible to cover them. It really is ultimately in place to protect the house or building owner from paying twice. In the event that 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.