Home Owners' Warning:

It doesn't matter whom or which Roofing Company you hire to get your roofing project done by; BUT (for your own sake) please pay close attention to the following:

1)    Make sure that the Roofing Company you hire has a minimum $1-Million Liability Insurance and that they have a CURRENT (and valid) W.S.I.B. Insurance (W.S.I.B. = Workplace Safety Insurance Board).

Reasoning:

There are dozens of 'new' roofing 'companies' that pop up each year, claiming that they are experienced and that they have done many houses; while they could be just a newly formed team of guys who have either partially seen real roofers complete a roofing project, or they were laboring for a while on a roofing project (i.e. they carried the shingles for the experienced roofers), BUT they do not have any significant roofing experience or knowledge. Such 'fly-by-nighters' don't have any insurance -- and no wonder they are no longer to be found, they had so many call-backs that they had to get out of business. Even if there was any warranty that they offered, it's worth absolutely nothing since the business doesn't exist anymore.

We have received numerous service calls in the recent past where the home owners hired a 'fly-by-nighter' roofing 'company' and their roof is leaking, even though their roof was done just last year. Of course we repair their roof for them, but this raises more issues (besides the fact that their roof was not done professionally). The home owners had to spend extra money on getting the mistakes repaired and a great deal of their attic insulation had to be changed, some drywall had to be replaced (along with the wall-insulationtoo), it had to be taped and mudded, primed and painted, the floor got soaked too, etc., etc. Too many damages to list... Such a repair procedure can easily cost thousands of dollars.

The eventual cost of their re-roofing project ended up to be much more than triple of their highest roofing estimate!!!

Any reputable and experienced Roofing Company has a minimum $2-Million Liability Insurance as well as a current and valid W.S.I.B. Insurance Certificate.

You can ask the particular Roofing Company to provide you with a copy of their W.S.I.B. Insurance Certificate and (by law) they MUST provide you with it (if they can't, DO NOT hire them!!!).  Some Roofing Companies give you a copy of both their Liability Insurance and their W.S.I.B. Insurance Certificates in their roofing estimates by default, like we at All Pro Roofing & SheetMetal always do.


WHY does the Roofing Company have to have a minimum $1-Million Liability Insurance?

Let's say one of the roofers on your rooftop smokes and he flicks his cigarette away when he finishes it.  Imagine that this burning cigarette ends up in your attic and the insulation in your attic starts to smolder... and it catches on fire...  By the time the roofers could do anything, or by the time the fire department could extinguish the flames, your house might be completely engulfed in flames... and you have just lost your house! (This exact thing happened recently to a home owner in Timmins, Ontario.)   Your home insurance would (naturally and most certainly) investigate, and they would surely find out what caused the fire; they would simply inform you that they do not cover a third party's negligence since the repair/maintenance company you hired MUST have their valid Liability Insurance, and that you should have checked for it -- and you shouldn't have hired them.   Of course, you could say that you didn't know any of that; BUT: not knowing the law is not an excuse in the court of law!   You've probably heard such excuses (on TV) from criminals that "they didn't know..."

Or, the roofers' hammers may accidentally fall off the roof, which then could break a glass sheet in your patio door... or any of your windows... (accidents can happen sometimes with anyone - guaranteed!) and even though it may cost only about $400 or $1,000 to repair your damages; if the Roofing Company declines to pay for it, your home insurance would take the necessary steps that the roofing company's insurance will indeed pay for it... UNLESS they do not have a Liability Insurance.   At that case your insurance premium will be adjusted accordingly -- that increase will certainly not be pleasant to your budget!

If your home (or business) is worth more than $1-Million, you should make certain that the company you hire has adequate Liability Insurance.


WHY does the Roofing Company have to have a valid W.S.I.B. Insurance Certificate?

Let's imagine one of the roofers falls off your roof.   (Statistics show that between 10-13 prople die yearly due to falling off roofs in Southwestern Ontario.)   Very likely this person will suffer some injuries -- which could lead to death or some type of impairment, even permanent disability.   To cure any serious injury will require hospital treatment(s).  Currently each day in any hospital in Ontario costs at least $1,300.00 per day.  Luckily, our system will make sure that the injured individual will indeed be treated properly, but they will also make sure that they investigate the occurrence very seriously... and when they find out that the 'company' you hired had no valid W.S.I.B. Insurance, they will go after your own home insurance to cover the hospital costs... and they will have the costs recovered without a doubt!   At that point your home insurance premium will sky-rocket to the point where it's highly doubtful that you will ever be able to insure another home anywhere within Canada.

Or, we can take a less serious example whereby a roofer cuts off his finger with his saw. (That actually happens to many construction firms!)   The consequences will be the same as described above!


2)    You should make certain that the Roofing Company you receive your roofing estimate from provides you with at least 20 of their most recent roofing references.

These references may not contain their customers' contact info such as phone numbers and names (for privacy reasons), but their addresses will be there so you can drive by, look at their roof and even knock on their door to ask them about their opinion and satisfaction about their recently completed roof...


3)    Make sure that the Roofing Company you'll hire will provide you with a minimum of 10 years Workmanship Warranty IN WRITING!

If they do not mention this in their estimate, they will likely not want to return to your property to repair their possible roofing mistakes, should there be any.