Top 5 Questions to Ask Your Roofing Contractor

Before you let a contractor on your roof, there are some questions you should ask and some homework you should do. It is your responsibility to make sure your roofing contractor is reliable, insured, competent and trustworthy. After all, building or replacing a roof is one of the most expensive improvements you’ll ever purchase for virtually any property, whether commercial or residential. Here are a few tips to make sure you get the best workmanship possible.

Question #1: Are You an Established Business/How Long in Business in this Area?
One good way to determine how much experience your roofing contractor has is by asking how long their business has been established in your community. A successful roofer will have survived this tough economy and have a strong history in your area. Many times, after a severe storm for example, some fly-by-night roofers move in to town offering to fix roofing problems. Sadly, many of these companies do poor work and get out of town quick before anyone can complain. So be sure you are working with a reputable local business you can trust.

Question #2: Are you Licensed?
Most states require roofing contractors to be licensed and registered. Ask to see a copy of the license and registration and check it out with your local government or registrar of contractors website. You can also check the Better Business Bureau for any good or bad comments about the company you are thinking of hiring.

Question #3: Am I Protected?
All reputable roofing companies should carry workers compensation and liability insurance, and the company should be bonded (bonding gives property owners the opportunity to be reimbursed for poor workmanship or non-performance by a licensed contractor). At a minimum, the company should carry $1 million in liability and auto insurance. They are required by law to provide workers’ compensation to their employees, but if their employees are not legally employable, they may not be following that requirement. You should ask to see copies of all certificates of coverage before agreeing to work with the roofing contractor, and not just accept the “licensed, bonded, and insured” statement as a fact.

Question #4: Do You Have References?
Any reputable roofing company will be delighted to provide you with references you can call. Do it! Ask how the job went, how long it took, did the customer have any concerns or problems, what was the experience like. Be sure to get names, telephone numbers and addresses so you can follow up with this references and check for yourself how well each job was completed.

Question #5: Do You Offer a Warranty?
A roofing contractor nearly always offers a warranty on the work. Typically, the warranty is for one or more years. A warranty guarantees that if something goes wrong later on, either with the workmanship or with the roofing materials, the roofing contractor will fix the problem at no charge to you while the warranty is still in force.