Why You Should Choose Insured Roofers
It is every property manager’s biggest headache that they wish they never have to deal with. Any number of things can go wrong with your building’s roof, maybe it’s leaking, or collecting pools of water. At any rate, you need to hire a roofing contractor asap. How do you determine who you let get on your roof? In commercial roofing, there are technically two options: uninsured, or insured roofing contractors. Being presented with the dichotomy, it may seem obvious who you should pick but let’s explore why you should pick an insured roofing expert for your roof job.
Finding an Insured Professional Roofer
Finding the right commercial roofer for the job can be a headache, especially when you’re under pressure to fix a current and pressing problem. Price will probably be your first concern, which is understandable. Unfortunately, basing your decision on price alone makes uninsured roofers look more attractive as they often charge lower prices. Makes sense, they don’t pay for insurance. When the differences are thousands of dollars less you may think it’s an easy pick. Unfortunately, there are serious dangers of hiring an uninsured roofer.
Risks of Hiring Uninsured Roofers
It helps to remember what insurance really is. Insurance is a financial way to protect yourself and your business from the risk of something going wrong. When a roofer doesn’t have professional insurance, you and your business will be held liable for everything that happens on the property. That means, what should have been dealt with by the budget roofer, is now off-loaded onto you.
Injury
Imagine that your company is in a bit of a tight spot, so you’ve selected a cheap roofer that happens to have no insurance. An accident happens in the middle of the project and one of the roofer’s employees and their equipment falls off a ladder, injuring that contractor as well as one of your own employees. When the roofer has insurance, there’s no problem because their professional roofer contractor’s insurance covers it. If they don’t, both employees can sue you for the costs of their medical care because it happened on your property. That’s a host of new expenses your company will have a hard time paying for, and chances are good that it’s far more expensive than it would have been to just hire a properly insured roofer in the first place.
Damage to Property
Similarly, you’ll be held responsible for any damage that happens to the property during the roofing project. If your roofer damages your pipe vents, HVAC, or electrical equipment, you will be responsible for those costs. If the contractor broke the piping for fire sprinklers, the money for that would come out of your pocket. But if your roofing contractor has insurance then they are able to lean on their insurance to fix the solution.
No Insurance is Common in Kentucky
Some States and Municipalities tied licensure with insurance status. No insurance, no license. Not so in Kentucky. A roofing company in Kentucky can operate its business without this very important insurance. Given all of those risks, not having professional insurance needs to be a deal-breaker. A trustworthy contractor would have it, and you should be asking yourself: If this roofer isn’t doing the right thing by being insured, then what else are they doing wrong? Do they cut corners, use cheaper products, or fudge the numbers?
Due Diligence – Buyer Beware
Remember, price, timing, and past client references are all important, but none of them matter if the roofer is uninsured. Always start by doing research about your options and narrowing down your list. Which companies have been in business the longest, and what’s the level of satisfaction with their work among their references? Are there reviews online? Look at both good and bad reviews to get a realistic idea of their service. Are they a part of the BBB? The result should be your shortlist of roofers you’d be interested in engaging. Upfront, be sure to request proof of insurance that you can verify. Each should be both ready and willing to provide any and all information you need, so if there’s resistance to the request, you may want to reconsider that contractor as an option. The apparent benefits don’t outweigh the very real dangers of hiring an uninsured roofer or its risks to your livelihood. When the time comes, be sure you keep these points in mind and hire an insured Kentucky commercial roofer. Our due diligence tips will help you find an insured commercial roofing contractor that will provide quality work that’s worth the investment.
No homeowner should let anyone on their roof without proof of insurance. At Unlimited Commercial & Residential Roofing, you can rest assured that we are fully licensed and insured. Additionally, we have an A+ rating with the BBB and are members of the Lexington, Winchester, and Richmond Chambers of Commerce.