Hiring A Roofer — What to Ask

In some ways, the roofer (along with other contracting professions) gets a bit of a bad rap. Because there are so many serpents in the sea, people begin to paint the industry with a single brushstroke. While it is true that there are a number of bad apples in the bunch, the truth is that most roofing companies are very reputable and value their customers, putting a premium on quality work. Unfortunately, there’s little way to tell the difference from the good and the bad just by looking at advertisements. To make sure you’re not about to get screwed over, here are some questions you should ask of any roofer you’re thinking of hiring.

Ask the roofer if they are insured. There are plenty of fine companies without insurance, but you don’t want to hire them. If something goes wrong on the job, someone gets hurt, or the project itself turns out to be a mess, you want to know that it won’t be you who is picking up the bill. Reputable companies have gone under because of incidents that have happened without the protection of insurance. If the contractor you’re thinking of hiring can’t provide legitimate proof of insurance, keep looking. 

Ask the contracting company what their policy is if the price goes up from the initial estimate. Let’s face it—this sort of thing can easily happen. They quote you one price based on what they can see, but when they get on top of your house, they notice that the job is going to entail much more than they had anticipated. These unforeseen circumstances don’t necessarily reflect on the reputation of the contractor one way or the other, but the way they handle such occurrences should be nailed down before the job begins. Make sure you don’t get hit with unexpected charges after the job is completed. If you want to be kept abreast of the costs, make sure this is known and put into writing.

Finally, ask your roofer if they have a guarantee of satisfaction. Many companies offer this as a way to bring in new business and assure people that they are not out to scam anyone. If the company you are hiring is fully reputable, there’s no reason why they can’t include this kind of guarantee. Make sure you don’t wind up with a situation where the contractor does a terrible job, and then rides away into the sunset with your money. In fact, if you can find a company that allows you to pay for the work only after it is completed to your satisfaction, that might make the biggest difference when it comes to which one you choose.