Roofing installations and the contracts that are written
regarding them can be complicated in their own way. In both areas, these
complexities can put a buyer (that means you) at a significant disadvantage
that may result in less roof than you pay for or more repairs than you expect.
Here are 4 red flags that can provide advance warning of trouble ahead.
They offer reviews instead of references – An
increasing number of consumers rely on review sites like Yelp and Angie’s List,
but make sure you get references too. The problem with review sites is that
anyone can post a review, including an owner writing in glowing prose about his
own company. Throw in a couple more fantastic reviews from employees and the
company may look like the best in the bunch, even if it hasn’t ever completed a
project like yours. Instead, ask for a list of previous projects and contact
numbers for the people who paid for them. That will give you a true indication
of the quality of work provided by a prospective roofing company.
No warranties – Roofing projects usually come
with two warranties; the manufacturer’s for materials and the contractor’s for
workmanship. The absence of a manufacturer’s warranty probably means that the
contractor is either using second hand (or recycled) materials or hasn’t been
certified by manufacturers to work with their products. Watch out for a
workmanship warranty that lasts 1 year or less and run away if a warranty isn’t
offered at all. Instead, look for a contractor that stands behind its work with
a workmanship warranty of 10 years or longer.
No insurance – On-the-fly roofing contractors
will skip on liability and workman’s compensation insurance to increase their
profits and shift those risks to the homeowner. Under the wrong circumstances,
paying for an uninsured worker’s on-the-job injury could cost a multiple of the
price tag for the roofing installation. A roofing contractor without insurance
should be an immediate deal breaker.
Don’t call us, we’ll call you – A roofing
contractor that is hard to get in touch with probably doesn’t want to talk to
you. Start with that presumption and then make a list of reasons why that would
be. Your list should include; periods when they don’t show up for your job,
sloppy work and problems that keep coming up after the job is finished. If
chasing down your contractor to fix problems isn’t your cup of tea, opt for a
roofing company that has people who answer the phone during business hours – it
will save a lot of grief.
Watch out for any of these red flags. If you see even one of
them, rest assured that there is a better roofing company out there that will
get the job done right and save you the stress of dealing with a company that
disappears after doing a crummy job on your roof.
