There is no such thing as being over protective with regards to your home as well as your finances. There are many roofing contractors out there which 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 once in a while. That’s why it is critical to know these 4 simple methods to protect yourself when choosing a roofing contractor.
Workers Compensation
Problem: You hire a roofing contractor to repair a leak on your own roof. One of their employees 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 property.
Solution: Roofers Compensation is 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. Be sure that your roofing contractor has workers compensation so that you 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 is an unexpected 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 interior of your building. You wind up paying to repair the damages yourself.
Solution: If damage occurs to your house or building this 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 problem 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 and mold caused by leaving a roof open.
Weehawken Drainage & Plumbing Systems : You hire a new roofing company to work on your roof. A few months later you notice 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 are forced to cover the repairs yourself.
Solution: 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 must 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 in a position to install a roof with out a roofing license should they have an over-all contractor license. However, there were 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 possess a roofing license in addition to their general contractors license.
In Utah, the number for a general roofing licence is S280. The overall 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 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 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 will be now in charge of that payment. This has happened and can eventually you.
Solution: Make sure you 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 aren’t responsible to cover them. It really 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 really is conditional upon your payment. However, once your payment has cleared, the lien waver becomes unconditional without any additional paperwork.