There is not any such thing as being over protective with regards to your home as well as your finances. There are numerous roofing contractors out there that are willing to bend the guidelines to simplify things for themselves, leading to problems for you as well as your roof. Even honest contractors make mistakes every occasionally. 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 fix 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 own 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 out of work. Be 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'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 inside of your building. You wind up paying to fix the damages yourself.
Solution: If damage occurs to your home or building this is the fault of a roofing contractor, you intend to be sure they have good liability insurance. This will 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. Search for coverage that doesn't exclude water damage resulting from 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 make an effort 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 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 have a license, it could be a sign that they have no idea what they are doing. The business could easily disappear or go out of business.
In hawaii of Utah, your roofing company should have a shingle license and a general roofing license to install a pitched roof. A set 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 if 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 proper training. This causes problems for building owners as well as home owners. It is ideal for a general contractor to get a roofing license in addition to 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 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 required to pay anything to the contractor since they were operating illegally. You can then find a qualified contractor to fix 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 that your contractor did not pay his supplier and that you will be now in charge of that payment. This has happened and can happen to you.
Solution: Make sure to 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 are not responsible to cover them. It really is ultimately in place to safeguard the house or building owner from paying twice. If energy efficiency 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.