What to look for in a roofing contractor:
‰ Make sure any estimate or proposal is legible and comprehensive. ‰ Know all of the components that are included, the manufacturer of the products to be used and the type of products involved. ‰ Make sure the proposal includes a commitment to install in accordance with the building code. ‰ Get proof the contractor has adequate and comprehensible liability and general insurance — minimum coverage of $1 million, although $2 million is recommended. ‰ Ensure the contractor is a member in good standing with the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board. ‰ Never give any money up front — no deposit, no 50 per cent payment before completion of the job.
Call the supplier, distributor or manufacturer — whomever the contractor has identified as the source of the products you select — to make sure he’s paid up and is in good standing financially. If the contractor install shingles on your house and he is in arrears with the supplier, that supplier may put a lien on your house, “which isn’t a problem until you sell the house—then it becomes a real problem,” says Peter Kalinger, technical director with the Canadian Roofing Contractors’ Association. ‰ Before you pay a contractor, get the roof inspected to ensure you’ve got what you expected and all the items have been included. Make sure the contractor provides all the warranties, manufacturing data sheets and manufacturer’s guarantees.