There is not any such thing to be over protective when it comes to your home as well as 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’s important to know these 4 simple ways 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 pay his medical expenses, because he was hurt on your own 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. Make 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 inside of your building. You end 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 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’s 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 notice a leak. You try to contact the company, 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 business license issued for that company. You’re forced to cover the repairs yourself.

Solution: Check in advance that your roofing contractor includes 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 go out of business.

In high-wind shingles of Utah, your roofing company must have a shingle license and an over-all roofing license to set up a pitched roof. A flat roof installation only requires a general roofing license.

A general contractor is legally in a position to install a roof with out a roofing license should they have a general contractor license. However, there have been many cases of contractors branching out and installing roofs themselves when 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 besides their general contractors license.

In Utah, the number 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 also find that they will have given fraudulent business license information, (in Utah) you have the option to terminate their service immediately. You are not required 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 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 did not pay his supplier and that you will be now in charge of that payment. It has happened and can happen to you.

Solution: Make 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 aren’t 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 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 any additional paperwork.