If you are in need of roofing services for your home, you have many choices. Some roofing companies may employ licensed contractors while others may not. Is there a difference and is this something you should be concerned about? Before you hire anyone to handle roofing repair on your home, read below about why licensing is so important.
How Contractor Licensing Works
In Texas, roofing repair contractors are licensed by the RCAT or Roofing Contractors Association of Texas. This business organization licenses individuals, as opposed to businesses. Licensing is reserved for either owners or part-owners of roofing companies, business partners, or those involved in the daily management of a company. Employees working under principal contractors are not required to be licensed, as their work is managed by the licensed managing contractor.
Although licensing is not a requirement for roofing companies, it is recommended. Considering the many benefits that licensing affords a customer, it really is important to all roofing services that their head contractors be licensed.
What Does Licensing Mean?
Licensing by state organizations like the RCAT provides a basic certification that a contractor is reputable, skilled, and understands safety requirements. It also means their work is done according to ethical business practices. To become a licensed contractor, a person must be a resident of the State of Texas, have a permanent address, and be a principal partner or manager of a business.
They must provide sufficient credit and business references as well as be financially responsible. Roofing repair contractors must prove they carry sufficient liability insurance and workers compensation insurance and that they are bonded. Additionally, they must pass skills tests on roofing techniques as well as business and safety knowledge.
How Does Licensing Protect Consumers?
So what do all these qualifications mean to you, the consumer? They mean that when you work with roofing companies that use a licensed contractor, you gain many important benefits that are not guaranteed with other services. Your contractor is covered in the event of an accident, protecting you and everyone else who could be affected.
These contractors have demonstrated they are able to perform skilled work and effectively manage their employees to do the same. Additionally, licensing ensures that roofing services understand ethical business practices and how complaints could affect their licensing status in the future.
In these and many other ways, licensing offers you important protections that reduce the chance that you will experience problems with a contractor regarding the quality of their work, safety, or their willingness to stand behind their jobs when the work is done. In addition, your insurance company may actually require that you work with someone who is licensed.
Although roofing companies are not required to have a licensed contractor on staff, expert roofing services understand that licensing can be important to their customers. When you need roofing repair and are searching for qualified contractors, be sure to inquire from the start whether a service has a licensed contractor. Even if a licensed roofer costs a little more than others, the many advantages will outweigh the cost in the long run!