How to Find the Best Roofing Company
HomeLight’s Q2 2020 survey reveals 79% of the nation’s real estate market was a seller’s market. Exciting, right? Of course, it is! When it comes to selling your home or buying a home, you shouldn’t settle for anything less than the best. Your roof plays a vital role in the integrity of the overall building, so it’s necessary that you make sure it gets the care and dedication it deserves. To ensure that it’s properly taken care of, the first step is finding a roofing company you can trust. Fortunately, there are several steps you can take to vet the competition and find the roofers that work best for you. Here’s how to find the best roofing company, residential or commercial.
Go Local
The first step is to narrow down your search to local companies. That’s the best way to avoid getting scammed. A local company will already have a reputation and a network built up in your area, and they’ll be eager to expand their business and reputation further with more work. Given the fact that their reputation relies on customer satisfaction, you can be certain that they’ll do the best job possible with your roof.
Check the Reviews
Merely opting for a local company is just the first step, as you also have to make sure that the company is reputable. Fortunately, modern technology makes it easier than ever to find reviews and ratings for any prospective company. There are often reviews on a roofing company’s website, but keep in mind that the company can decide which reviews are shown. They’re always going to skew positive.
Third-party sites can give you a more well-rounded view of the company by offering both good and bad reviews. Additionally, you may be able to find important information from an inquiry to the Better Business Bureau. This can take a bit of time, but it’s worth it if it means you can avoid a less than a reliable roofing company. Make sure to also be wary of storm-chaser scams. These traveling companies will go wherever there was a storm because the demand for roofing services will be higher there.
Ensure Compliance and Insurance
Roofing is inherently a dangerous job, so companies need to have the proper safety measures in place. This is what licenses prove. Even with all the proper measures, however, accidents can still happen, and you don’t want to be held liable if someone gets hurt. That’s why it’s essential that roofing companies have the proper insurance. Without both the licenses and insurance, you’ll be taking a big risk when hiring them.
While opting for a company that is licensed and insured will cost you a bit more on average, the trade-off is always worth it should any accidents happen. You can always ask a company if they have a safety training program for their workers. This is typically an effective way to gauge how much they value safety practices. While having insurance is useful for protecting yourself from accidents that happen on your property, the best solution is always to prevent accidents from happening in the first place.
Don’t Always Opt for the Cheapest
Price always plays a significant role in any kind of contractor hiring. Your budget can only handle so much, but you have to consider the long-term effects when making budgetary decisions. While it may be easier in the short term to hire the cheapest roofers you can find, that may not be the best decision. In addition to affordable work, you’ll also need quality work done on your roof. Otherwise, you could run into serious problems and be looking for more roofers to hire in a matter of a couple of years.
There are quite a few warning signs you can look out for when it comes to hiring roofers, but one of the most major is seriously cheap rates. There will always be a bit of variance between quotes you get from local roofers, but the differences shouldn’t be all that vast. If someone is grossly undercutting the prices of others, you can be sure that there’s a catch somewhere in there. They could have poorly trained workers or use low-quality materials. Some may even be scams that just take your payment and run.
Look for Material Options
The best material for your roof depends on a wide variety of factors. Not everyone can use the same kind of material to the same effect, so proper roofing companies will offer some variance for you to choose from. For example, if you’re looking for a roofing solution that maximizes your building’s energy efficiency, a good roofing company should be able to provide the appropriate materials.
Be wary of companies that only work with a single material. It’s likely that this material is of poor quality and that they stick to it simply because of its affordability. Even worse is when you find a company that doesn’t even offer a variety of colors with their material. Function is always essential when it comes to roofing, but your property value depends on the building’s aesthetic as well.
Don’t Fall for Insurance Fraud
Roofing companies often have to work with homeowner’s insurance companies to get their payment. Roofs get replaced for a variety of reasons, but it’s most often due to damage from weather. Homeowner’s insurance is generally designed to cover any damage caused by inclement weather, depending on the policy in question, so any roofing company you hire would essentially be paid by your insurance rather than out of your own pocket.
You’ll find some roofing companies making claims about insurance that simply aren’t true. The most common is when a roofing company claims they can handle the roof work without you having to pay your insurance deductible. This is not the case. Doing so would be illegal and insurance fraud. It is additionally illegal for any roofing company to take care of your insurance claim for you. This is also fraud, so stay away from any company that makes those kinds of promises. See 7 Tips to Avoid Scammers https://www.homelight.com/blog/home-remodelers/.
Check the Warranty
Every bit of roof work you get should come with a warranty. This warranty should be explicitly stated in terms of years. Anything short of that, and you may be dealing with a company that’s not very confident in their work. Having roof work that will only last a couple of years can hurt your budget far more than opting for a more costly and reliable company for the initial work.
Keep in mind that a roofing company’s warranty will be different from a manufacturer’s warranty for the materials. Always review exactly what the warranty covers before agreeing to anything. Ensure that the warranty covers the work itself and the roof as a whole rather than solely the individual materials used in its construction.
The Roof Clinic
You now know how to find the best roofing company, so it’s time to check out The Roof Clinic. Our professional team of roofers and available extended warranties will guarantee quality work that you can always count on. We can offer no-contact service that renders all communication virtual and easy. Whether you’re looking to protect yourself from the incoming storm season or you need repairs after a particularly bad one, our team has got you covered. Contact us today to get started with a free inspection!