IS MY ROOFING CONTRACTOR RIPPING ME OFF? PART 1
There are a lot of scams in the Roofing Industry, especially in New Jersey. Here's some advice on how to verify if your roofing contractor is legitimate, or a fraudster/scammer.
1) Asking for a deposit upfront of more than 35%. You absolutely never pay a roofing contractor, for a repair or a re-roof more than 15% before they order the materials. If a roofing contractor requires more than 15% RUN AWAY with god-speed! It's important you realize that New Jersey law prohibits contractors from asking for full payment or 1/3 of payment before the project passes inspections, and is completed. The best advice is the same amount of progress on your roof should equal finances.
2) Ask contractors for a copy of their license, general liability insurance, and workers comp insurance. Here's why: Imagine you hire said contractor who's unlicensed, and he's loading up materials on your roof, or one of his employees, and your roof deck collapses, or the employee falls, if the contractor doesn't have workers comp, you the homeowner are also liable if the employee chooses to sue. Do not be cheap, verify this stuff, it'll save you hundreds and thousands of dollars of pain & headaches!
3) Make sure permits and inspections are being passed. Ask the contractor to show you the state website to verify everything is in line, if he looks confused, run AWAY, every legitimate contractor should know where to find depending on the county in New Jersey!
