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Whether you require a new roof for your custom home or are looking for a roof replacement following storm damage, hiring the wrong contractor can cause major headaches. Worse, searching for a reputable contractor in Texas is difficult due to our lack of legislation. For those unaware, Texas has ZERO licensing requirements for roofers, leaving consumers to fend for themselves. Thus, advocating for yourself and knowing your rights is especially important when hiring a roofing contractor here. After reading this blog, we hope you will be better prepared to determine whether a potential contractor is trustworthy or a fraudster. Here are 10 questions you should ask a roofer before your pen touches paper. What is your company’s legal name and physical address? This question is one of the fastest ways to get to the heart of the matter: are you a well-established, professional roofer? Any reputable roofer will have a permanent address that you can find and use to gather more info. With the combination of Address + Company Name, head to the Better Business Bureau Directory Search and check their business history. If they are in Texas, you can use our own directory to check them out here. This is also a good opportunity to check the Google Reviews of a roofing contractor. If you see any complaints, it might be worth digging deeper or considering a different contractor. Another crucial thing to note when hiring a roofer is their location: Is this roofer local to my area? Often, out-of-state roofers bring low-quality services and deceitful business practices. While this is not always true, the bad apples know that it is much easier to be fraudulent while on the move and that it is much harder to hold them accountable. Will you be using sub-contractors? After you have vouched for the business, it’s crucial to inquire if they will be using subcontractors. For example, while the contractor is insured and licensed, will his subcontractors also be up to par? If your contractor will be using subcontractors, acquiring their business information and researching them as you did with the main contractor is prudent. Finally, if a reputable contractor uses subcontractors, he will also give you a good reason for using them, so don’t be afraid to ask, “why?” How Long Have You Been In Business? This is another question that aims to establish the reliability of a contractor. To give you some context, RCAT requires a contractor to have at least three years of proven experience roofing in Texas before they are considered eligible to become an RCAT licensed member. While plenty of new contractors are doing good work, especially those who’ve recently left an established operation to start their own, it is always a safe bet to work with a long-standing contractor. Do you have references that relate to this project? Not all references are created equal, and finding one that confirms that your roofer can complete the specific work proposed is crucial. To demonstrate what we mean, let’s give you an all-to-common example. You are a homeowner looking for a slate roof for your new home. You find a contractor who claims they can do the job, but once you ask for references, they only offer references for completed asphalt shingle roofs. After inquiring again, it turns out he cannot provide you with a single example of a slate roof he’s completed. So, if you want to ensure your contractor is up for the specific task requested, get references that prove it! Can I see your insurance policies? A contractor who doesn't have his insurance ready to be shared is a huge red flag. Roofing is a dangerous business, and any contractor who doesn’t have comprehensive insurance is passing off legal culpability to his clients. Suppose your roofer is skimping out on his insurance. In that case, he is undoubtedly skimping out on other aspects of his business, especially considering an insurance policy is one of the best ways a contractor protects himself. If you want to avoid a possible legal battle, do not work with a roofer who doesn’t have his insurance ready to be shared. Do you offer a warranty on your workmanship? In the contracting world, there are two types of warranties: the manufacturer’s warranty and the contractor’s warranty. As you probably guessed, the manufacturer’s warranty covers the materials themselves in the event of failure. That said, the manufacturer’s warranties are contingent on proper installation. Therefore, an inexperienced contractor who has installed your roof incorrectly could nullify your manufacturer’s warranty! Beyond this, every reputable contractor should cover their workmanship under warranty. While the time varies by contractor, the industry standard is often a year. Again, it is crucial to read your contracts before you sign. If your contractor offers zero warranty coverage on his work, we recommend looking for a different one. Can I get a written proposal? Any professional roofer will be more than happy to offer you a written proposal. Here, your roofer will spell out the entire project from start to finish. A written proposal will typically contain these items: A complete timeline of the project An estimate of the material costs Estimated cost of labor Unforeseen cost provisions Warranty options Insurance & licensing details Options to terminate services A proposal like this is essential for both the consumer and the contractor. It protects both parties and is a blueprint that assures that both parties will be satisfied with the job and the final product. What is your cleanup process like? Consumers don’t often think of this, but the cleanup process is an essential part of the roofing job! When working with an established contractor, they should be able to spell out exactly how they will keep your property clean. Their answers will vary, but some specific things to look out for are: How they will protect your lawn How do they get rid of refuse/garbage How do they prevent falling debris from damaging you or your property If your contractor doesn’t have a thorough answer handy, it might be a sign that the cleanup process will become your responsibility! Why is your bid higher than the other guy’s? This one is sort of a trick question and is actually inviting you to ask the inverse question: why is the other guy’s bid so much lower? A low bid is not always a great deal when working with a contractor, especially considering how much a roof repair may cost following substandard work. When a roofer bids at an incredibly low rate, it’s often because he is cutting corners in crucial areas. When a roofer is cheap, he might be: Uninsured Using low-quality materials Using fraudulent roofing practices, such as deductible waiving(read more about that here). Here’s a handy rule of thumb: while a high bid won’t always assure top quality, an extremely low bid will almost certainly reflect a low-quality roof. Are you licensed by RCAT? If you are in Texas, the easiest way to find a well-established and trustworthy roofer is by checking the RCAT directory. At RCAT, we recognized how little protection the laws of Texas offered its consumers in the roofing space, and we set out to rectify it. Before a contractor is licensed by RCAT, they go through a rigorous and impartial certification process. Moreover, our licensed contractors must obtain yearly continuing education to expand their expertise and stay sharp. At RCAT, we take the responsibility of finding a reputable contractor off the consumer’s shoulders. To make it even easier, we have built a searchable directory to find an RCAT-licensed contractor in your area. Skip the process of determining whether your contractor is above-board and instantly find a good one today: web.rcat.net/search
Whether you require a new roof for your custom home or are looking for a roof replacement following storm damage, hiring the wrong contractor can cause major headaches.
Worse, searching for a reputable contractor in Texas is difficult due to our lack of legislation.
For those unaware, Texas has ZERO licensing requirements for roofers, leaving consumers to fend for themselves.
Thus, advocating for yourself and knowing your rights is especially important when hiring a roofing contractor here.
After reading this blog, we hope you will be better prepared to determine whether a potential contractor is trustworthy or a fraudster.
Here are 10 questions you should ask a roofer before your pen touches paper.
This question is one of the fastest ways to get to the heart of the matter: are you a well-established, professional roofer?
Any reputable roofer will have a permanent address that you can find and use to gather more info.
With the combination of Address + Company Name, head to the Better Business Bureau Directory Search and check their business history.
If they are in Texas, you can use our own directory to check them out here.
This is also a good opportunity to check the Google Reviews of a roofing contractor.
If you see any complaints, it might be worth digging deeper or considering a different contractor.
Another crucial thing to note when hiring a roofer is their location: Is this roofer local to my area?
Often, out-of-state roofers bring low-quality services and deceitful business practices.
While this is not always true, the bad apples know that it is much easier to be fraudulent while on the move and that it is much harder to hold them accountable.
After you have vouched for the business, it’s crucial to inquire if they will be using subcontractors.
For example, while the contractor is insured and licensed, will his subcontractors also be up to par?
If your contractor will be using subcontractors, acquiring their business information and researching them as you did with the main contractor is prudent.
Finally, if a reputable contractor uses subcontractors, he will also give you a good reason for using them, so don’t be afraid to ask, “why?”
This is another question that aims to establish the reliability of a contractor.
To give you some context, RCAT requires a contractor to have at least three years of proven experience roofing in Texas before they are considered eligible to become an RCAT licensed member.
While plenty of new contractors are doing good work, especially those who’ve recently left an established operation to start their own, it is always a safe bet to work with a long-standing contractor.
Not all references are created equal, and finding one that confirms that your roofer can complete the specific work proposed is crucial.
To demonstrate what we mean, let’s give you an all-to-common example.
You are a homeowner looking for a slate roof for your new home.
You find a contractor who claims they can do the job, but once you ask for references, they only offer references for completed asphalt shingle roofs.
After inquiring again, it turns out he cannot provide you with a single example of a slate roof he’s completed.
So, if you want to ensure your contractor is up for the specific task requested, get references that prove it!
A contractor who doesn't have his insurance ready to be shared is a huge red flag.
Roofing is a dangerous business, and any contractor who doesn’t have comprehensive insurance is passing off legal culpability to his clients.
Suppose your roofer is skimping out on his insurance.
In that case, he is undoubtedly skimping out on other aspects of his business, especially considering an insurance policy is one of the best ways a contractor protects himself.
If you want to avoid a possible legal battle, do not work with a roofer who doesn’t have his insurance ready to be shared.
In the contracting world, there are two types of warranties: the manufacturer’s warranty and the contractor’s warranty.
As you probably guessed, the manufacturer’s warranty covers the materials themselves in the event of failure.
That said, the manufacturer’s warranties are contingent on proper installation.
Therefore, an inexperienced contractor who has installed your roof incorrectly could nullify your manufacturer’s warranty!
Beyond this, every reputable contractor should cover their workmanship under warranty.
While the time varies by contractor, the industry standard is often a year.
Again, it is crucial to read your contracts before you sign.
If your contractor offers zero warranty coverage on his work, we recommend looking for a different one.
Any professional roofer will be more than happy to offer you a written proposal.
Here, your roofer will spell out the entire project from start to finish.
A written proposal will typically contain these items:
A proposal like this is essential for both the consumer and the contractor.
It protects both parties and is a blueprint that assures that both parties will be satisfied with the job and the final product.
Consumers don’t often think of this, but the cleanup process is an essential part of the roofing job!
When working with an established contractor, they should be able to spell out exactly how they will keep your property clean.
Their answers will vary, but some specific things to look out for are:
If your contractor doesn’t have a thorough answer handy, it might be a sign that the cleanup process will become your responsibility!
This one is sort of a trick question and is actually inviting you to ask the inverse question: why is the other guy’s bid so much lower?
A low bid is not always a great deal when working with a contractor, especially considering how much a roof repair may cost following substandard work.
When a roofer bids at an incredibly low rate, it’s often because he is cutting corners in crucial areas.
When a roofer is cheap, he might be:
Here’s a handy rule of thumb: while a high bid won’t always assure top quality, an extremely low bid will almost certainly reflect a low-quality roof.
If you are in Texas, the easiest way to find a well-established and trustworthy roofer is by checking the RCAT directory.
At RCAT, we recognized how little protection the laws of Texas offered its consumers in the roofing space, and we set out to rectify it.
Before a contractor is licensed by RCAT, they go through a rigorous and impartial certification process.
Moreover, our licensed contractors must obtain yearly continuing education to expand their expertise and stay sharp.
At RCAT, we take the responsibility of finding a reputable contractor off the consumer’s shoulders.
To make it even easier, we have built a searchable directory to find an RCAT-licensed contractor in your area.
Skip the process of determining whether your contractor is above-board and instantly find a good one today: web.rcat.net/search