“Apples to Apples”

Everyone wants to “compare apples to apples” but it’s difficult to compare service-based businesses that way. Simply comparing spec sheets and prices won’t tell the whole story. Zoom out and look at the entirety of the industry and customer reputation, workmanship warranty, credit standing and transparency of each contractor. Then factor in price and spec sheet as part of the overall picture.

Watch out for dropping prices

You want a company that is transparent and straight-forward. Every roofing company should be accountable for the original bid they present to you. A roofing company worth hiring is one that is always consistent and fair with its pricing and that always puts its best price forward, right from the start.

Too many bids

If you are getting five or more bids, what it is you are looking for? Buying a new roof is a big decision and excessive bids most often leads to confusion, frustration and sometimes even regret. We recommend getting three bids from reputable, residential-only roofing companies.

Show them the door

If the pressure to buy is too high, the price is also too high. Most roofing companies that employ high-pressure sales tactics won’t follow up with you if you don’t hire them on the spot. This is because they know that when you get other bids, you will discover that their bid is unreasonably high.

Don’t fall into the “exclusive” trap

Don’t hire a roofer that overemphasizes one specific detail of the installation. Most often this tactic is used to create an illusion of exclusivity, while adding little to no real value. You should hire a roofing company on its overall value and reputation.

What does licensed, bonded and insured mean?

To operate legally, every roofing company in Edmonton needs to have a contractor’s license from the Alberta Department of Labor and Industries, or best known as the "Alberta Department Of Labour", or commonly known as the OSHA.

BUSINESS LISCENCE

This license is specific to exterior installer mechanic contractors and is no different than a general business license issued by Aberta Registries in and across all of Alberta.

BONDED

When a roofer is bonded, it means that they have a surety bond and this bond is a promise to pay one party (you, the customer) a certain amount if a second party (the roofing company) fails to meet some obligation, such as fulfilling the terms of a contract.

INSURED

An insured roofing company is a company that has Liability Insurance.

Liability Insurance is purchased by the roofing company from an insurance company and the purpose is to protect the roofer and the customer from major accidents or injuries that could occur on a job site such as property damage or personal injury.

Having atleast the business liscence and corporate liability insurance shown as proof is a good start to hiring a legit roofing company.

How do you know if a roofing company is licensed, bonded and insured?

In Edmonton,Aberta, the department of labor and industries establishes the bond and insurance requirements for contractors and businesses.

Labor and Industries ensures that a contractor meets the proper bond and insurance requirements before issuing or renewing a contractor’s or business license.

So the bottom line is: If you hire a licensed contractor, you don’t need to worry about the bond and insurance because Labor and Industries has already verified that before issuing or renewing the contractor or business license.

YThere is a way that you can perdonally check on a contractor’s or business status by clicking on this link:

(Updating Link)

  https://www.cra.ca.gov/onlineservices/checklicenseII/checklicense.aspx

What if someone gets hurt on my property?

If the contractor you hire is licensed, you have nothing to worry about.

The workers compensation program from Labor and Industries will pay for any incurred injuries to employees of the licensed contractor.

If the person injured is not employed by the contractor you hire, the contractor’s liability insurance would protect you.

How do I make sure that no one puts a lien on my home?

First of all let’s discuss what a lien is.

As it pertains to a roofing project, a lien could be placed on your home by the roofer or by the roofer’s material supplier.

A roofing company might place a lien on your home if it is trying to collect money from you.

The roofer’s material supplier might place a lien on your home if it isn’t paid by the roofer, for the materials delivered to your property.

You might ask why you could be responsible for paying your roofer’s material bills.

The reason is, in the province of Alberta, the homeowner is considered to be ultimately responsible for the work that is performed on his/her property.

After your roof is completed, you can request that your roofing company provide you with a lien release from its material supplier before you pay the final bill.

In this case, a “conditional release” would be given you from your roofing company on behalf of the material supplier.

The conditional release basically says that once you pay your roofing contractor, the material supplier will automatically release any lien rights to your property.

After you have paid your roofing contractor in full, you can request a “full release” from your roofing contractor, on behalf of its material supplier.

If that seems like a lot of trouble to you, all this is avoided by simply hiring a reputable roofer that pays its bills.

I would suggest checking with your roofer’s material supplier to make sure your roofer pays its bills on time before worrying about lien releases.

The information provided above is not legal advice and KnM Roofing Inc. does not guarantee its accuracy.