Questions to Ask Before Hiring a Roofing Contractor

Hiring a qualified roofing contractor in your area doesn’t need to be a stressful or confusing experience. If you do some legwork ahead of time, Google “roofing companies near me in Abingdon Maryland,” and evaluate the roofing contractors’ experience, online reviews, and licensing, you can ensure you’re choosing a trustworthy and reliable roofing contractor. Here’s a list of questions you should ask your roofing contractor before signing a contract or paying any money.

Are You Licensed and Insured?

Any roofing contractor you use should be a fully licensed contractor in your state. You can check your state’s registrar of contractors online to confirm that the roofing company has an active license with no restrictions or violations. You should also confirm that the roofing company carries active workers’ compensation and liability insurance that will protect you in the event there is an accident, property damage, or they leave the project unfinished for some reason. If the roofing company doesn’t carry workers’ compensation insurance, you may end up at risk for medical bills and other costs associated with an accident or injury on your property. 

Do You Offer Warranties?

Most roofing companies offer a warranty for parts and labor that lasts at least a year, but some roofing contractors offer longer warranties. While the manufacturer’s warranty typically covers materials, the roofing company may offer a separate warranty that covers labor. Ask the roofing company about their warranty coverage, length, and terms. 

Do You Have a Portfolio of Recently Completed Jobs?

While roofing companies aren’t required to keep a portfolio of completed jobs, reviewing one may help you decide between two different companies. Whether the portfolio is on their website or onsite at their office, they should let you look through it to confirm that they have successfully completed roof repairs and roof replacements for happy customers. 

Have You Ever Had a Complaint Filed Against You?

If you ask a roofing contractor this and they don’t want to answer, that might be a bad sign! You can look up the roofing contractor or roofing company to find out if they have ever had customer complaints filed against them, or if they have ever been sanctioned, warned, or had their license revoked. While any company will occasionally have bad reviews or angry customers, you should look out for allegations that a project was left incomplete, wasn’t completed on time, the customer was charged more than agreed upon, the roofing contractor caused damage or injury, the roofing contractor or roofing company became unresponsive to the customer, or anything else that indicates they are not reputable or trustworthy.

Do You Have References or Customer Reviews I Can Read?

Most of the time, you can find online customer reviews or testimonials. Keep in mind that some customers will always find something to complain about, so bad reviews do happen. But if the bad reviews relate to any of the concerns listed above, it’s a red flag. If the roofing company doesn’t have any online reviews, that might also be a bad sign. Ask if they have any customer references or contact information for customers you can talk to about the work they did. 

Do You Use Roofing Subcontractors?

Find out if the roofing company ever outsources parts of the job to a roofing subcontractor. If so, you should get information about the subcontractors they use, including whether they have licenses and insurance. You should also ask for the names, addresses, and license numbers of all subcontractors so you can do your due diligence. If the roofing company doesn’t want to give you that information or explain what they outsource, when, and why, it may be a red flag.

How Long Have You Been in Business?

While there’s nothing wrong with using a new roofing company, it helps to know how long they have been in business. They may have more experience in the roofing industry than is indicated by the date they opened their roofing company, so keep that in mind.

Do You Offer Estimates in Writing?

Your roofing contractor should be willing to provide a good faith estimate in writing, and it should include parts, labor, and any other costs or fees that may come up during the course of the roof repair or roof replacement. 

Do You Offer a Guarantee That a Project Will Be Completed on Time?

There is always a chance that a roof repair or roof replacement won’t be completed on time, and there are a lot of good reasons this may happen, many of which are out of your roofing company’s control. However, if you get the sense they don’t usually finish jobs on time, or if they can’t tell you about how long your roof repair or roof replacement will take, that might be a bad sign. A roofing company that offers a guarantee that a project will be completed efficiently is much more trustworthy.

Do You Have Questions About Roof Repair or Roof Replacement in Northern Maryland? Call Us Today!

To find out if we’re the right roofing company to complete your roof repair or roof replacement in Northern Maryland, just call us today at Harford Roofing & Exteriors. We pride ourselves on our honesty, integrity, and transparency in every customer interaction, and we will never pressure a customer to get a service or product they don’t need. We want to be Northern Maryland’s most trusted roofing company, and we offer a guarantee that we will complete your project on time, with precision and care. We source all of our roofing materials from industry-leading manufacturers, and we keep our customers in the loop for every step of our process. To learn more or to schedule a roofing assessment, call us today at (443) 292-6020 or request a quote for roof repairs online.