Here are five things you should ask a roofing contractor before signing a contract for your own piece of mind.
After all, your home is your most valuable asset, and you don’t want a total stranger to do a poor job and cause damage to it. Doing the task yourself, on the other hand, can result in harm, especially if you don’t know what you’re doing. You’ll need to hire a skilled roofing contractor to help you.
Here are five things you should ask a roofing contractor before signing a contract for your own piece of mind.
1. Do You Have A Roofing Contractor’s License?
The first question you should ask a roofing contractor is whether or not they are licensed to work in your State or City. Most States require contractors to be licensed, while this does not prevent unlicensed contractors from undertaking roofing work; rather, roofing is governed by the government. A contractor’s license establishes his or her credibility, competence, and expertise in the field.
Most states have a webpage where you can verify the status of a contractor’s license by entering the license number. If a roofing contractor refuses to provide their license, you should reconsider employing them.
2. Do You Have The Necessary Insurance Coverage
Any home maintenance or repair project, but especially roofing tasks, carries the potential of injury. As a result, making sure the contractor has the appropriate insurance protects both you and the contractor in the event of an accident on the job.
Inquire about the roofing contractor’s general liability and workers’ compensation insurance. General liability insurance protects you in the event that your property is destroyed, while workers’ compensation insurance ensures that you are not responsible for the contractor’s medical expenditures if he or she is hurt on the job. Most states require contractors to carry general liability insurance, which protects them from claims arising from their work.
3. Do You Mind If I Look At Your References?
Checking a roofing contractor’s previous work is one of the finest ways to judge their experience and abilities. Request a list of the roofing contractor’s prior clientele, whom you can visit or speak with about their experience. If they are happy with the work, you can be confident in the contractor’s abilities.
You can ask former clients the following questions:
Was the project completed on time?
Were there any blunders made? How were they spoken to?
Were there any modifications to the original plan?
Were you happy with the results?
Do you think the contractor is someone you’d recommend to others?
4. Do You Use Subcontractors To Help You With Some Of The Work?
Some roofing contractors may recruit their own subcontractors to help with certain aspects of the job. If this is the case with your project, you should also inquire about the subcontractors’ licenses and insurance.
Most importantly, finding out if they’ll utilize subcontractors is crucial in case there are any payment issues between the roofing contractor and the subcontractor they hired. Unpaid subcontractors may decide to use their lien rights in the roofing job, thereby putting you on the hook for payment.
5. How Would You Like To Be Compensated?
Payment conditions that are unclear can be a significant pain at the end of a project. So, before any payment issues develop, inquire about the roofing contractor’s preferred payment arrangement. Inquire with the contractor about the project’s cost and how much they want to be paid up front. Also, inquire as to whether they prefer to be paid on a time or milestone basis. Before the roofing project begins, make sure you get all of these questions answered.
Finding a dependable roofing contractor is a difficult undertaking. So make a list of the questions you’ll want to ask potential contractors. If they respond positively, you may be confident that your roofing project will run well.
