2 Major Tips On How To Find The Best Residential Roofing Company

One of the most important features of your home is often the most overlooked. It’s the roof. Usually, because we can’t see it or we don’t interact with it enough, we often fail to spot structural damage or imperfect in our roofs until it’s too late. A damaged roof is a danger to you and your family. Your roof is the only thing protecting you from the elements, and it also happens to be instrumental in maintaining the structure of your home. Once the roof caves-in, you are now expected to pay for the damages.   

Finding a proper residential roofing company for your home can be overwhelming. There are so many options to choose from and so many aspects to each company that you have to pay close attention too. Overlooking certain requirements can potentially be detrimental. Here are two major tips to help you search for the right contractors with ease.

1. Do Your Research

• Any and all legitimate residential roofing companies must have the proper credentials and license to work on and repair your roof. They MUST have the following:
• Workers compensation
• Business License 
• Roofing credentials
• References on local roofing repairs
• General Liability Insurance
• Written manufacturing warranties 

• Type in the contractors’ information into a trusted site like the Better Business Bureau (BBB) to verify that a roofing company fits these qualifications. If not, continue looking. You want to be sure that if anything goes wrong, say the roof is not fixed or a worker gets injured while working on your roof, that you do not get financially penalized for it.

• Do research on the competitors from contractor to contractor. They each have different prices and have better customer service and satisfaction rates. Weighing the advantages and disadvantages that best suits your financial situation and the circumstance of your home. 

• Take note of the contractors they call “storm chasers”. They will bombard your door after a storm requesting that you need roof repairs. Do not take their offer immediately, check-in your roof has actual repair needs and speak to an agent. It is always safest to double-check before you jump into anything. 

• A local contractor is a must! They tend to have a reputation among the community. Get references from your neighbors and friends about their preferred contractors as well as the ones to stay away from. Online reviews are a fast and easy way to see how satisfied their past customers are. If a company has any awards, look out for that. The more awards, the better.

• If you are in the Miami or Fort Lauderdale area, residential roofing contractors there are plenty of qualified and safe roofing contractors at your service. 

2. Legal and Documents

• The length of time that a roofing contractor has been in business says a lot about their credibility, honesty, and knowledge. It is not to say that newer roofing companies are all corrupt; however, they have not built a foundation among an area of people to be deemed as entirely trustworthy. Until you learn more, stick to the companies that have been in business for a few years. 

• Do not feel pressured or rushed to sign any contracts with a contractor or roofing company. Get an estimate from the contractors and document any vocal promises they make too. Get as much of the agreement as well as the financial agreement in writing. Having written proof will come in handy if an accident occurs and the court gets involved.

• A contractor no matter what they say should never knock on your door offering roof repairs. Having fliers placed on your front door talking about “insurance companies compensating” are red flags.

• Payments should not be upfront. In case they are not trustworthy, paying a certain amount before and after the job is done is the safest route to take. Tactics like this prevent unnecessary amounts of money from being stolen. One-third upfront is the standard way to go about it. There have been too many cases where a contractor does not work on the roof at all and leaves or there is no damage in the first place. Stay alert! It would not hurt to learn the signs about roof damage and what kinds of things to look out for small signs letting you know that your roof could use a touch-up.

• Overspending for temporary repairs is not necessary in most cases. It is another way a contractor will try to suck as much money out of you as possible. Focus your money and your majority of the high investments on repairs that are long-lasting and are full proof.

• On that note, understand that you do get the results that you pay for. Low prices do not always mean that that is the best option. Low prices could also mean low quality of work. Depending on the situation, it is always best to speak to your insurance agent, paying higher prices for a certain service can be because it is guaranteed to fix the issue entirely or save you money in the long run.

• Warranties and guarantees are extremely important because if your roof has issues, you would be covered to prevent paying an extensive amount of financial costs from damages. 

• Watch out for a brief overview of what the contractor will be doing to your roof. Good roofing companies will tell you in detail what tactics they will use to fix the problem, which is a better option, and how it will affect the roof in a positive way for the future. A quality contractor will have nothing to hide if they are doing what they are supposed to. 

 
The key to consider when looking for a residential roofing contractor or company is to know exactly what to look out for and what actions to take if you are questioning the integrity of an existing roofing company. Being aware of the scams is the first step because as a customer you can never be too careful.