DependableRoofer.com - Choosing A Contractor

Interview

Conduct a face-to-face interview with the contractor. You’ll get a feel for their integrity, expertise and their ability to deliver everything that they promise.

Verify Their License

Licensing; the company must be licensed and any sales person representing the company must be licensed too. The sales person should be able to show you valid license with their name on it and the name of the company they are selling for.

This is how the scammers will fool you. They will send out an unlicensed person to do the quote. It’s a violation of the State of Michigan Licensing law.

A customer once told me “I checked with the state to verify a salesperson license and found out that she did have a license. But it was a cosmetology license not a builder’s license.”

You can verify a license by going to the State of Michigan website.

What Do The Scammers Leave Out Of The Contract?

Everything that’s included in your roofing project must be in writing. They fool people with vagueness about what’s included. Many will leave out the cost of the permit and bill you for it later, for example.

Is the Workmanship Warranty very specific about what is covered? Does it say that all of the materials will be of the same quality and have the same warranty?

Does it spell out the contractors’ obligation to carry Workers Compensation Insurance and General Liability Insurance?

Are they in compliance with State law to provide the owners license number and/or the salesperson’s license number? Are they in compliance with Federal law to notify you that you have 3 days to cancel the agreement?

Verify Their Insurance

Make sure they have General Liability Insurance which covers damage to your property, a neighbor’s property and other people besides workers. Workers Compensation Insurance covers the workers. A reputable contractor will protect you by having both types of insurance.

Contractors have been known to present proof of insurance for policies that have been cancelled. To be sure that a contractor is insured you would have to get a certificate of insurance from the insurance company or call the agent to verify it. Ask if the contractor has both General Liability Insurance and Workers Compensation Insurance that covers roofing.

Roofing is a high risk category and to avoid the high premiums some contractors will fraudulently tell their insurance company they are doing a different type of work.

Evaluate Their Expertise

Make sure you're dealing with a seasoned expert that will make expert recommendations. Maybe their recommendations don’t even meet Building Code requirements.

If the roof is not properly ventilated or if the shingles are not installed according to the manufacturers’ specifications then your new roof will not qualify for warranty coverage.

Are they sending out an expert with hands on experience or are you dealing with a company that sends out fast talking salesmen?

Are they coming in with a low price, because they are probably compromising quality to get you that low price?

Do they recommend tearing off the old roof? Or do they want to make a quick buck by putting a second layer, a second layer that provides less wind resistance, less waterproofing and won’t last as long? (Because it cost a lot less to install)

Check References

Call some customers and ask if the contractor did everything that they said they would.

Check with the Better Business Bureau to see how many complaints they have on file. Ignore the BBB rating system; one company had 75 complaints and they still had a rating of "A" with the BBB.

You may be thinking you can count on a referral source like the Better Business Bureau, Angies List, and Service Magic. How do you know if they did their homework? All of those organizations get paid by contractors to help them promote their business.

Get a reference from the contractors’ supplier to make sure they pay for materials on time. If a supplier doesn’t get paid they can place a lien on your house.

Do They Have Quality Control System?

Quality control begins before the job is even started. To get the quality that you deserve and to make sure you job qualifies for a warranty it has to be evaluated by an expert.

Who will right the specifications for your roof replacement?

Are the installers properly trained and supervised?

Does the salesperson or company owner follow up to make sure you’re getting everything that was included with your job?

Does the salesperson or company owner meet with you after the job is done to make sure you’re happy or to see if you have any questions?