Tips on Picking a Roofing Contractor

Verify Contact Information

• Reputable roofing contractors maintain a stable business address, even if only for tax purposes. Ask prospective contractors for their business information -- phone number, address, fax number, website and email address. You are also entitled to ask a business for its tax identification number (TIN). This number is also known as an Employer Identification Number (EIN).

Proof Of Licensing

• Although there is no federal license required for roofing contractors, some states require construction workers and roofing contractors to have a specific license. All states require businesses, even small businesses, to obtain a standard operating license if they have employees. Self-employed individuals and freelancers are excluded from this requirement. If your prospective contractor has employees, ask to see proof of licensing. This license may be verified by visiting your state department of commerce.

Proof Of Insurance

• Roofing contractors obtain insurance to cover work-site accidents -- falls, injuries due to mechanical failure, etc. Without this insurance, individual home owners or building managers are held legally responsible and liable for the cost of all damages due to work-site injuries. Ask for proof of insurance to verify the coverage of your contractor and his workers. Verify this information by contacting the insurer directly.

Get An Estimate

• When interviewing prospective contractors and getting job estimates, ask for a written cost breakdown. Make sure the breakdown shows the contact information of the site manager, number of workers, material costs, descriptions of labor, start date, end date and additional services, such as clean-up. Compare estimates from different contractors. If a contractor's estimate is far below or above the average, eliminate them from your candidate list or ask for more information.

Check References

• Always ask for recent and past work history with references. Call recent clients to ensure the work was completed in a timely fashion with no problems. Contact old clients to make sure the roofing is durable. If possible visit or drive by work sites to view on-going work and talk to current customers.

Business Bureau Report

• Enter the business' information on the Better Business Bureau website to check for past complaints. Even if the roofing contractor is not a registered member of BBB, you can still view information about its history. The BBB creates reliability reports based on work history, complaints and positive feedback from customers.