Legal BBS'ers: Roofers with no insurance...

hire or not?

90% of them are not bonded or insured. I always like the guys doing to high work to have this. The masons have it. The gutter guy does. The painters. WHY DO SO MANY ROOFERS BLOW IT OFF??

 

Agree. I'm actually surprised you're finding companies without insurance.

No reason to hire them when others do have it.

You'd probably be fine, but there is no reason to expose yourself to liability unnecessarily.

- Chris, Esquire.

 

Reminds me of an outfit I worked for one summer "If you fall you're fired before you hit the ground" lmao.

 

Hahahahaha!! Good one.

 

Dont even think about it, and dont trust the ones who say they are covered. Get copies before you allow them to do anything. I have had contractors tell me they are insured, only to disappear when you ask them for proof.

 

I'm gonna move on from them and find one that carries it no doubt.


One more question though while we're at it:

Let's say, I hire a guy who produces an insurance cert for Liability and workers comp. I take said cert and put it on file like I'm supposed'ta. But...the cert turns out to be faked (we all know that can happen pretty easily). Then, some poor knucklehead falls off the 12-in-12 pitch roof the 45' to the ground and gets hurt.

Now what (liability-wise for me)?

 

Why would you ask for a cert, and then not check it?

 

F NO!

Here's why

If they get hurt at your house they can sue you (well, anyone can but they may win)
If your roof leaks, blisters, fails, or needs to be warrantied it can't be
If you don't like the work you have zero recourse

Roofers need to be insured, bonded and licensed in your state, or tell them to Eff off.

 

This. Always call and check. In fact, you might want to look up the phone number for the insurance company yourself, that way you aren't talking to the wife of the guy handing you the cert.

 

Remember that if they have no insurance, and a heavy thunderstorm comes in while your roof is stripped off, they will not have the coverage to rebuild your ruined home. I know two couples who are still fighting uninsured roofers over that exact problem.

Don't hire uninsured contractors. Ask to see a current Certificate Of Insurance.

 

+10000000000

 

Nevermind liability, if someone cant bother to run their business properly, do you really trust the quality of their work? Sure SOME might be good, but I can imagine enough of them are fly by night or hire a bunch of guys at Home Depot type companies you'll never see again.

 

Was my creedo at UPS...lol. and hell no unless you want to get sued

 

Going cheap on the roof of your house is never a good idea.

 

They hire illegals?

 

I'm the cheapest person on the BBS and gawd knows I love me a deal but. . . f@ck no!

As much as I love saving a buck, I love not getting sued even more!

 

It's stupid for a business not to have it. A bond and insurance isn't even expensive in the grand scheme of things.


Probably the same type of guys who don't file their taxes. It's amazing how much of the construction industry is negligent towards that shit

 

I'm 3 hours from you but I can suggest a company local that has been around for 30 years and they did a kick ass job on my roof.

Call your insurance company that you carry your home owners insurance with. Ask them who THEY use.

 

At my last house in Cali an acquaintance (a licensed contractor with insurance, etc). recommended "his" roofer. We got a couple of quotes but decided that our guy probably knew best.

It was a mid-century with an open beam ceiling in some rooms and they stripped off 4 layers of tar and gravel roofing without covering anything in the open rooms with a dropcloth. Buckets and buckets of gravel. Everywhere.

I got a call to come home the next day because "power went out". That translates into "we knocked weather vane off roof into ravine below". Neighbors called PGE after watching them trying to reattach a live power line. PGE shut off the power at the street and we needed a permit to have a electrical contractor replace everything. 3 days later, after running our power off a generator we were back in business.

The 1st time it rained. sheets of water rushed into the kitchen because drains were revealed when they removed the old roof and they didn't clear them. Ruined the sheetrock and some cabinets.

I think they were 30% cheaper than the guy who emailed and snailmailed a quote with this contractor and insurance info enclosed.

Oh, and we had a newborn at the time. I'm sure I left something out. DON'T DO IT.