There are many questions that you should ask a roofing company before they come to replace or repair your roof. These questions are important for you to make sure that you get the job done right. If the roofing company refuses to answer these questions for you, choose another roofer.
Most roofing companies will be glad to answer any questions that you might have. For example, Chester County PA roofing and other roofers would be willing to answer the questions that are below. They may even have answers for questions that aren’t listed below.
This article will list some of the questions that you need to ask before you hire a roofing company. These are common questions that the roofers should be used to answering. They would be easy for roofers to answer if they are doing things the right way.
Top Ten Questions
- How Long Have They Been in Business?
You want to know how long they have been in business because there are fraudulent companies out there that open for a few years and take advantage of people. They will then close down and then reopen under a different name and start taking advantage of people again. They do this continuously because not many people will do anything about it. You want a roofer that has been in business for at least five or ten years so that you know they will still be there if you have any issues with your roof in the future.
- Who Owns Your Contracting License?
If the roofer is fraudulent, they will also change who holds their contracting license. They can change this often, just like they can change their business names. If you have the correct contracting license, you can check with the Better Business Bureau or the licensing department to see if there are any claims against them: https://www.bbb.org/. If they keep changing their license, it looks like there has never been any claims against them.
- Do You Have Insurance Coverage?
You want to make sure that the company has an insurance policy in case anything goes wrong. The company’s insurance policy has the premiums that are based on volume. The lower that they report their volume, the less they must pay for insurance. If you have issues with your roof and the insurance company does an audit and discovers fraud, you will not get your damage paid for.
- Do You Use Sub-Contractors?
Using sub-contractors is also a common business technique so that unscrupulous roofers don’t have to pay insurance. Since the workers aren’t their employees, they have no need to pay for their insurance, including worker’s compensation insurance. This means that if there is an accident on your property, you could be liable to pay for any injuries.
Also Read: From Landscaping to Roofing: 7 Ideas to Enhance Your Home’s Exterior
- Do You Have Worker’s Compensation?
You can ask this question directly – they should have worker’s comp. They can’t be exempt for it unless they are the owner. Everyone else should be covered – if not you will be liable for any accidents on your property. Make sure that this is covered or find another company to work with.
- Do You Know and Follow the Local Building Codes?
Your roofer needs to know all the local building codes for the area that they are working in. Make sure that they are up-to-date on all the newest codes that can be changed daily. They should know all the codes that are up-to-date on the day that they begin work on your roof. You need to know that the work on your roof will be up to the latest codes.
- Are You Certified by the Manufacturer to Install This Roof System?
If the roofing company is not certified by the manufacturer to install the roof system, it may void any warranty. This is one way that the companies will refuse your claim – they can say that the warranty was voided because they weren’t certified. This way you are liable for any costs to repair anything that goes wrong. The fraudulent companies want to make sure that they don’t have to pay for anything and that you are liable for everything.
- Will You Pull the Permit?
The roofing company needs to pull a permit to work on your roof. Your own insurance company will refuse to pay if the company refuses to pull the permit. They will sometimes do this because it costs hundreds of dollars to do it and they want to cut corners. They also know that if they don’t pull the permit, they won’t have anyone checking up on them and they can cut even more corners. Make sure that they do pull it so you don’t have any issues later on and then not be able to do anything about it.
- Do I Need to Do Yearly Maintenance on My Roof to Keep My Warranty?
This could be a scam to get you to pay for yearly maintenance that you might not need. If the contractor does the job the way that it is supposed to be done, there should be no need for yearly maintenance. A good contractor will offer free yearly inspections and then only charge you if there are repairs that are needed. If no repairs are needed, there won’t be any charges.
- Do You Follow OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) Regulations?
The answer to this should always be yes because they are vital to workers’ safety. If the contractor doesn’t follow these regulations, workers can get hurt and you could be liable for their injuries. See here for more information about OSHA. This will cost you money and it could cause you to be involved in a lawsuit.
Conclusion
There are many questions that need to be asked before you hire a roofing contractor to do work on your roof. You need to ask these questions to make sure that the contractor is reputable and you have quality work done on your roof. You don’t want to be liable for something that you should not be.