Tips About Finding A Roofing Contractor

When you need to have your roof replaced the contractor you hire and the roofing materials they use will have a big impact on how the job holds up and what it looks like, so you need to hire wisely. The first step is to locate a roofing company that you feel comfortable working with that is professional and has a good reputation. Referrals from neighbors, friends or family are a good way to find a roofer to get a bid, but you can also use the yellow pages or do an internet search. Ideally you need to get at least five written bids so you can do a comparison. Make sure the contractors that bid on your job are aware that they are not the only ones bidding. Most contractors are aware that home owners will get other bids but it is a courtesy to let them know.

Before you hire anyone there are some things you should look for. The contractors you select to bid on your project should have an active license in your state and no active complaints on their record. You can check out your contractor through the state contractor’s board either online or by calling the board. If the contractor is late for your scheduled appointment to put in a bid and doesn’t call or show up, this is a red flag that you should pay attention to. A roofer who fails to act professionally when they are trying to impress you and get your business is not going to show a lot of improvement once you sign a contract.

After you hire your contractor and before they begin any work on the property you need to get a worker compensation insurance certificate from your roofer with your name on it. This will ensure that if there are any injuries on the job you and your home owners insurance won’t be financially responsible. You also need to get a liability insurance certificate in your name from the roofer so that any damage to your property caused by the company won’t cost you or your home owners insurance. 

You will also likely need a work permit from the city for the job to be started and the roofing contractor should be the one to get this, not you. Any contractor that tells you to take care of it because it’s cheaper for you to do than him is giving you another red flag, it doesn’t cost more for the contractor to get the permit than it will cost you and it should be included in the bid price. 

Finally when the job is done and the contractors are ready to be paid their final check you need to have the roofing company sign a material and labor release so the suppliers cannot come after you financially if your roofer does not pay them for the materials you paid for. If you follow these tips your roofing job should go quite smoothly.