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 that are willing to bend the rules 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 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 property.

Solution: Roofers Compensation is really a type of insurance covering roofing injuries. If a roofing contractor has workers compensation, any injured employees are entitled to recover expenses for hospital bills and being out of work. Make sure that your roofing contractor has workers compensation in order that 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 interior of your building. You end up paying to fix 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 can cover anything from broken windows to damaged interiors as stated in the problem 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 and mold caused by leaving a roof open.

Business License
Problem: You hire a new roofing company to focus on your roof. A couple of months later you notice 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 was never a business license issued for that company. You’re forced to cover the repairs yourself.

home improvement : Check ahead of time that your roofing contractor has 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 company 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 set roof installation only takes a general roofing license.

A general contractor is legally in a position to install a roof without a roofing license if they have an over-all contractor license. However, there have been plenty of cases of contractors branching out and installing roofs themselves when they lack the correct training. This causes problems for building owners together with home owners. It is ideal for a general contractor to have a roofing license as well as their general contractors license.

In Utah, the quantity 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 repair your roof and finish the job.

Lien Waiver
Problem: Your roof has been completed and you also 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 that your contractor didn’t pay his supplier and that you are now responsible for 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 aren’t responsible to cover them. It really is ultimately in place to safeguard the house or building owner from paying twice. If 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 the additional paperwork.