Beware of Shoddy Roofers

The news continues to yield stories about shoddy roofers, especially about roofers who take advantage of home and business owners in times to disaster. Recent severe weather in the South and Winter Storm Jonas are sure to exacerbate the situation. Here are couple of recent stories we found interesting.

The state of Texas has one of the highest rates of roofing fraud in the country. Unlike its neighboring states, anyone with a hammer can call him or herself a roofer — no registration or licensing is required. Rep. Kenneth Sheets is proposing legislation that would allow roofers to voluntarily join a statewide database that provides consumers with licensing information, contact information, address and more. Leaders in the roofing industry support the bill, but say it doesn’t go far enough — they want all roofers to be licensed to practice their trade. Sadly, none of these measures will be in place to protect consumers who are looking for help after the December and January tornadoes and storms that ripped through the state.

In a related story, in St. Louis, Mo., a man complained about his roofing company on Angie’s List — a website that allows consumers to grade service companies. A few days later, the man received a letter from an attorney threatening to sue him for slander if he posted any more “untrue statements.” While lawsuits from online reviews are extremeley rare, they have happened. In general, the best way to complain is to simply express your opinion. You’re OK saying “I didn’t like the job he did,” or “His work was ugly” or “They charge too much.” That doesn’t misstate a fact.

What do these two stories have in common? While both contractor registration and online reviews can be helpful, they can also be limited, or in the case of Texas licensing or registration, non-existent. Therefore, consumers should use other methods to verify the credibility and reputation of a potential roofing contractor. Here are some additional avenues to pursue to verify that you are hiring a qualified and reputable roofer:

• Ask if the roofer is a member of a professional roofing organization at the local, state or national level, such as the Roofing Contractor's Association of California or the National Roofing Contractor's Association.
• Many reputable roofing companies are also members of real estate-related organizations and trade associations, such as IREM or a local multihousing association. While membership requirements may be less stringent, word of bad business travels quickly, and recommendations from other members are generally pretty true and reliable.
• Ask if the roofer has insurance, and to see a current certificate.
• Seek personal recommendations from previous clients. A reliable company will be happy to refer you to their client list for references.
• How long has the company been in business? A company of long standing reputation is more likely to be around if something should go wrong and you need warranty work done.
• Does the roofer have a physical address that you can verify?
• Is the roofer bonded? While their bid or price may be a bit higher, should they happen to go out of business or walk from a half-finished job, a bond guarantees you're covered.
• Does the contractor subcontract jobs to other companies? If so, find out who those companies are and check their reputations as well.

The old saying “Let the buyer beware,” applies when hiring a roofing contractor, so take the time to do your homework. Even a small repair, if performed improperly, could result in a bigger (and more costly) problem in the future.