There is not any such thing as being over protective with regards to your home as well as your finances. There are several 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 once in a while. That’s why it is critical 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 really 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. Make sure that your roofing contractor has workers compensation so that you will 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 is an urgent storm. Water seeps into your house 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 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 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 focus 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 find that there was never a small business license issued for that company. You are forced to pay for the repairs yourself.
Solution: Check ahead of time that your roofing contractor includes a business license. If they don’t possess a license, it may be a sign that they don’t know what they are doing. The company could easily disappear or walk out business.
In Amish values 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 takes 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 lot 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 ideal 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 have given fraudulent business license information, (in Utah) you have the option 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 couple weeks later, the contractor’s supplier contacts you requesting a fee 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. This has happened and can eventually you.
Solution: Be sure to request a lien waiver when the job is completed and before you pay. A lien waiver simply states that if 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. In the event that you have 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.