There is not any such thing to be over protective with regards to your home as well as your finances. There are several roofing contractors out there that are willing to bend the rules to simplify things for themselves, leading to problems for you and your roof. Even honest contractors make mistakes every occasionally. That’s why it is critical to know these 4 simple methods to protect yourself when choosing a roofing contractor.

Ready to Reroof : You hire a roofing contractor to repair a leak on your own roof. One of their employees 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 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 out of work. Make sure that your roofing contractor has workers compensation so 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 is an unexpected storm. Water seeps into your home and damages your sheet rock, carpet and some nice furniture. Your roofing contractor has liability insurance, but you can find exclusions preventing coverage of the interior of your building. You wind up paying to fix the damages yourself.

Solution: If damage occurs to your home 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 problem above. Some contractors have liability insurance, but their insurance provider offers so many exclusions that it’s almost like there is no coverage at all. Look 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 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 business license issued for that company. You are 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 could be a sign that they have no idea what they are doing. The company could easily disappear or go out of business.

In the state of Utah, your roofing company should have a shingle license and an over-all roofing license to install a pitched roof. A set 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 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 ideal for a general contractor to possess 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 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 required to pay anything to the contractor since they were operating illegally. After that you can find a qualified contractor to repair your roof and finish the work.

Lien Waiver
Problem: Your roof has been completed and you 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 your contractor did not pay his supplier and that you are now responsible for that payment. It has happened and can happen to 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 does not make his payments to a supplier or employees, you are not responsible to cover them. It is ultimately in place to safeguard the house 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.