It’s natural for people to want to save money when and where they can- but if you need to hire a contractor to work on your roof, you should never choose someone based on price alone.

If you’ve been following our blog, you’ve likely read past posts that talk about the benefits of getting multiple quotes. Each quote should include the company’s name, address, license number, and provide you with a detailed breakdown of labor and materials costs. In a lot of cases, quotes come in within a reasonable price distance from one another. However, if you’ve gotten a bid from an unlicensed roofer, you’ll likely notice that their quote comes in significantly lower.

Unlicensed contractors might take your money and run

In April 2018, an unlicensed roofer in Arizona pleaded guilty to criminal charges after an investigation found he took roughly $15,000 from a client for roofing repairs that were never completed. In Hawaii, another unlicensed contractor was charged with multiple counts of theft, after police discovered he was conning money out of elderly homeowners.

In this instance, the “contractor” claimed he could do roofing, plumbing, and electrical repairs. Although his clients gave him deposits to get the work started, none of it was ever finished.

Yet this doesn’t just happen in other parts of the country. In 2019, multiple homeowners contacted a local news outlet to report that a roofing and sheet metal company took their money but didn’t complete the agreed upon work.

One man said the company bilked him out of more than $55,000. He’d hired the contractor to replace the roofs on three of his condominium buildings. Shortly after the work was started (and shortly after the roofs were ripped off of each of the buildings), the company stopped returning his calls.

Other homeowners reported similar horror stories, saying the company stole between $19,000 and $50,000 from each of them.

In closing

Repairing or replacing a roof can be expensive, but you shouldn’t try to cut corners. Yes, hiring an unlicensed contractor might save you some money on the front end of the transaction, but it could wind up costing you a lot more in the long run. If the work isn’t completed or it’s done incorrectly, you’ll need to hire a second contractor to get the job done right.

For more information about the benefits of working with a licensed, reputable roofing company, and the dangers associated with hiring an unlicensed contractor, call our office today to speak with an expert.