Monday, October 30, 2017
Consumer Alert: Beware Of Roofing Contractor Rip-offs!
Your Omaha home is your biggest investment and your rooftop is what protects it from the elements. It not only has an important job to do, it has probably the most important job to do.
As a diligent homeowner, you try to do what you can to take good care of your roof? Yet, what if in your attempt to be a proactive residential real estate owner, you find out that, while your intentions were good, those of the contractor you hired were not?
On the heels of major storm activity this past summer with Hurricanes Irma and Maria, it acts as a reminder that there are far too many storm-chasing frauds who are out to make a quick buck. They have no guilty conscience about leaving behind shoddy or unfinished work.
Even if the damage is not storm related, there are still enough less than scrupulous self-proclaimed pros out there, eager to take on your roofing job. This is about learning to protect yourself and avoid that type of situation.
Avoid Becoming A Victim
Of course, the best way to avoid becoming a victim is to get informed about how to avert scams, or even just generally inferior workmanship.
Don’t go for the lowest bid – Whenever you are getting a job done for your home, you want to be able to get a number of estimates from different industry professionals. This enables you to get an idea of what each one is like, and watch for any red flags. Yet too many homeowners make the mistake of thinking that this is all about trying to find the cheapest bid. Too low a quote should concern you, not prompt you to hire that roofer. If they don’t value their work, you are not likely to be satisfied with the final outcome, no matter how much you “save.”
They must have a current license and insurance – Some will shrug it off and claim they don’t need to keep it current; that saves them and you money. This is a basic responsibility of anyone working on your home, especially a component as vital as your roofing system. Keep in mind that this should raise concern because it should alert you to the fact that a lack of insurance leaves you at least partially responsible, should a worker become injured. Not only that but the work will most likely not be covered by your homeowners’ insurance, which means any issues that arise will be yours to cover financially, out of your own wallet.
Get references and make it a point to check them – If you owned a company and needed to hire an employee, you’d make it a point to check their professional and personal references, right? So why wouldn’t you take the same type of step to make certain that anyone you are considering for working on your roof would get good feedback? Make sure you ask how long ago the work was done. You want to hear from some previous customers who have had time to discover flaws in the workmanship.
Where to go From Here
As a general rule, you should only consider an established roofing company, like our team here at Valley Boys Roofing. Founded in 2002, we have a proven track record that can easily be confirmed. A company that can withstand the tests of time, has to take care of their clients. This alone should provide you with some peace of mind.
Our workmanship is unsurpassed, and that is how we have earned the flawless reputation that we have. We take this work seriously and promise to provide you with nothing short of service excellence.
