Questions to Ask your Roofer

Prior to hiring a roofing contractor, most homeowners do their research. They need to know who the best contractors are in the area, how much their roofing project could potentially cost, and a number of other things. Like most homeowners, you probably want to get the job done right. In order to achieve that goal, picking the right roofing contractor is key.

In order to be able to choose the right roofer, you also need to ask the right questions.

The first step is determine a potential roofer’s credibility by knowing their business name, insurance coverage, and who works for them.

Before even considering a roofing contractor for a job, you first need to make sure that they are credible. This is essential to protecting yourself from getting a faulty roof installation that could potentially harm your family, cause more damage, and cost even more in the long run.

One of the first questions that you should ask is: What is your legal business name?

It is important to get a roofer’s legal business name so that you can make use of this information to check on state or federal directories to, first of all, make sure that they are registered, certified, and are an actual legitimate roofing company, and to also check if they are certified with certain roofing manufacturers, especially if you are hoping to use certain roofing materials that require installers to be trained in the proper installation methods of the product.

If your roofer gives you the run-around when you ask this first question, that is a major red flag that they may not be as reliable as you expect. Some companies may have their roofing company under another legal business name. In that case, you might want to follow up on the reasons for them doing so and also to make sure that they aren’t using another company’s name to boost their credibility.

To be on the safe side, if they sound unsure of what their legal business name is – they are probably not the right team to be handling your roof. No roofer should have trouble emailing you a copy of state licenses or proof of insurance.

The next question to ask is this: What level of roofing insurance do you have?
Insurance coverage can be tricky, especially when it comes to roofing. There are many different levels of roofing insurance in the state. The type of insurance that a company has also depends on the type of contractor they are. There are certain insurance requirements that a roofing contractor needs to meet in the area before they can work on your home. The important thing is that their insurance covers the minimum requirement.

After getting their business name and insurance coverage, you should also ask your roofer: Who will be on the job site during my roofing installation?

Most well-known roofing contractors have more than 1 roofing project to attend to per day. And they usually have tons of teams working under them. The company owner may not be available during your schedule and when this happens, you need to know who is going to be managing the whole project to ensure that it goes smoothly.

Most reputable companies have designated project managers to handle this. The goal of the project manager is to make sure that all steps of the installation process proceed as planned and that the roof is installed according to the legal requirements and manufacturer guidelines.

The above questions are just some of the essentials that you need to cover in order to determine the roofing contractor’s credibility. A few other questions that you should definitely pitch to get an even better idea of your potential roofer’s experience, expertise, and work process to assess whether they are the right team for your project include…

Which parts of my property do you need to inspect to give me a cost estimate?
Can you provide a detailed breakdown of expense?
How does the material affect installation costs?
Can you provide price for possible repairs that are commonly associated with roof installation or replacement?
What is the cost of roof removal?
Does the cost estimate you provided factor in the cost of materials?
Will you provide at least three references for my research?
What are your guidelines when processing a warranty claim?
How will you protect your workers’ safety while on my property?
What steps will you take to avoid damaging my home or property during installation?
How will you ensure the project is completed on time?