Regardless as to whether this is the first time you’re hiring a roofer, or if you haven’t needed to hire one in quite a few years, there are several things you’ll want to ask them before you commit to having the work done.

How long has your company been around?

If a company has been in business for many years, you likely won’t have any problems tracking down information about them. They should have numerous online reviews, you can research them on the BBB, Angie’s List, or Home Advisor, and you can get a sense of the level of customer service that they’ve provided to past clients.

Does this mean you shouldn’t hire a newer company? Not necessarily.  For example, if Joe Smith roofer has 20 years of experience in the industry, and he finally decided to venture out on his own, he may be worth talking to. (This is especially true if he’s hired a crew of seasoned roofers.) On the other hand, if a pair of 20-year-old college kids decided to start a roofing company a year after they did some part-time work for a contractor while they were on summer break from college, they likely don’t have the industry knowledge you’d be looking for.

Are you licensed and insured

We’ve posted numerous past blogs about the dangers of working with an unlicensed contractor. Not only will you not have any guarantee that they’ll start (or finish) the work, they could take your deposit and disappear. They might also do shoddy, terrible work, and if that’s the case, you’ll likely have no recourse (which means you’ll need to pay a different company to fix what the first company didn’t do right.)

In addition to being licensed, the company should also be insured. If the company is not insured, and one of their employees is injured while working at your property, you could find yourself on the hook to cover their medical expenses.  Working with an uninsured roofer, regardless as to how good their quote is, is a risk you simply don’t want to take.

In closing

Hiring a roofer doesn’t need to be stressful, as long as you know which questions to ask. For more information about how to hire a roofing company in Southwest Florida, we can help. Call our office today to speak with a local expert.