When you are planning to hire a roofer, there are a few things you need to find out about them, and their company, before forging ahead with the work you need done. Your roof is the most important part of a home or business and as such, needs to have a reliable roofing contractor who is licensed and insured handle all work that needs to be done to it. Hiring a bad contractor, or one who is not licensed or insured, can end in having to spend far more than necessary or hiring someone else to fix the mess the first contractor made. Before you hire anyone, be sure you understand the insurance
The first thing you must do, before hiring a roofer, is ask them to show you proof that they are licensed and insured. They need to be licensed in the state your home or business is located. Next, check the insurance.
A roofing contractor should have valid, and verifiable workman’s compensation insurance as well as liability insurance that will protect you, the homeowner, or the business owner if an accident happens at your home or business. You should not only get the information from a potential roofing contractor but also check with their insurance company itself to verify the business is currently insured.
Another thing to be sure to check is references and online reviews of the company to make sure they do not have any legal claims against them, and that they are in good standing.
Roofer Worker’s Compensation is Not Optional
You may be wondering why worker’s compensation insurance needs to be valid for the roofer to provide services for you. If the roofer has a worker who falls from your roof, nails their hand with a nail gun or has any other type of accident while on your property, the injured worker, or their family, could try to hold you responsible for the injury since it happened on your property. If the roofing contractor has valid worker’s compensation insurance, the homeowner/business owner is protected by that coverage.
If the roofing contractor did not have worker’s compensation insurance, you can be held responsible for doctor’s bills, emergency room visits and even funeral costs if a death should happen to occur from the accident.
Roofer Liability Insurance is a Must-Have
Also, if an accident happens and a roofer makes a mistake while putting on a new roof or making a repair to your roof, their professional liability insurance coverage will protect you from having to pay for their mistake.
For example, a roofer is supposed to patch a small area of your roof where a few shingles fell off during a storm. The rest of your roof is in great shape and needs no repair. The roofer climbs onto the roof and begins to work near your chimney. At some point, the roofer swings a hammer and hits the edge of the chimney, causing a few bricks to be broken. If the roofing contractor did not have liability insurance, you might find yourself facing a bill not only to replace a few shingles, but also the added expense of calling a chimney contractor out to replace the bricks on the chimney.
Take The Steps To Protect Your Home
When you meet with the roofer to get your estimate, get copies of the insurance certificate upfront and verify that it is valid. For general liability, the coverage amount should range between $1 million and $5 million and should be up to date on the certificate.
You also need to find out whether the roofing contractor you hire will complete the work on their own or if they will hire a subcontractor for anything. If they hire a subcontractor, you need to make sure their insurance is valid as well and be sure to get a lien waiver to ensure you are safe from being billed if the original roofing contractor fails to pay them as agreed.
