Professional roofers may have a number of professional labels accompanying their names and their businesses. Do you, as a the consumer, know what these labels are and what they mean? You should, seeing as most of these labels are important when it comes to hiring the right roofer to fix, install, or repair your roof. Those labels, and what they mean, are as follows.
Licensed
Professional roofing contractors are required to carry a license. The license gives them the right to operate as roofing contractors. You should never hire a roofing contractor/roofer that cannot or will not show you his/her license.
Bonded
Being bonded means that the contractor has private backing from a third party. This bonding guarantees that he/she will complete your roofing project on time and according to the schedule and deadline you have requested. While it is not entirely necessary to hire a bonded contractor, you may want to because the bonding protects both you and the roofer against unforeseen delays and mishaps with the project. It also grants you the right to sue the contractor if something in the contract goes very wrong.
Insured
An insured contractor has his/her own insurance that protects him/her and all members of his/her work detail crew against work-related injuries and fatalities. If the contractor does not have insurance and someone is hurt on your property (or worse!), that person can file a claim against your homeowner's insurance and/or sue you for a project you asked them to do. That is definitely one situation you do not want to be in the middle of, so make sure you hire a roofer that is insured. Ask to see his/her insurance certificate before he/she gets started.
Certified
A certified roofer is one that has completed additional certification for the installation of various roofing systems and/or roofing materials. Like a doctor who completes additional training for specialist certification, so, too, does a roofer for applicable and additional roof trainings. You would want to hire a certified roofer when you want a special kind of roof or roofing material installed or constructed on your home (or your business, as there are also commercial certifications).
Documentation
When a roofer claims to be "licensed, bonded, insured, and certified," ask to see all of his/her documentation attesting to these claims. By law, a roofer has to show a consumer when asked. Then you know that you are hiring a solid professional.
After struggling with the appearance and structural integrity of my home, I realized that I had to do something to make a difference. I realized that part of the issue had to be the roof, since the home had been in my family for years and nobody had ever addressed the roof before. I met with a roofing team to talk about the problem, and they were instrumental in helping me to get things sorted out. After a few renovations, things had really improved, and I felt like things were on the up and up. I wanted to start a blog that focused on finding roofing for your home, so check out this blog.