Every day that you leave your work office you see more and more of your roof shingles laying on the ground instead of being where they should be. On your roof. Severe weather season is coming up so it would probably be a bad idea to put off repairs any longer.

This is the first time that you’ve had to call a commercial roofing company out for repairs. You’re not really sure what you should be looking for. There are many questions you can ask a business to find out if they are reputable or not.

To help you find the best company to take care of the roof over your head, here are a few of those common questions to ask.

1. Do You Have Workman’s Comp Insurance?

In most states, roofing contractors are legally required to have some sort of workman’s comp insurance. Despite this, there are some companies that may opt to not have it (not all of them or even most of them mind you).

If they don’t have it and one of their workers was to say, fall off the roof of your business, you would then be responsible for their medical expenses.  So, it’s better to get this question out of the way rather than to take the risk.

2. Do You Have Liability Insurance

Another type of insurance that any roofing company needs is liability insurance. This protects your building rather than the workers. For example, if an employee is welding something on your roof and the building caught fire.

Without liability insurance, you would have to pay to replace what you lost in the ordeal out of your own pocket.

3. How Long Have You Been in Business

You want to hire a commercial roofing company that has a bit of experience in the field. Ask when the company was founded and how much experience the workers have.

While you shouldn’t always dismiss a newer company that has decent reviews, if your project is a bit complicated or you have a tight deadline, it’s better to know you’ve hired a company that can handle it.

How Long is it Going to Take?

Along with asking how long they’ve been in business, you’ll need to ask them how long the project is going to take. In some cases, you’ll have to be out of business until the roof is done. Every day that goes by is more money you lose.

How long it takes does depend on the state of the weather but more than that, it also depends on how experienced the company is. If you have a huge project and hire an amateur company it may take them a bit longer.

4. Have You Completed Projects Like Mine in the Past?

Despite the nature of the question, you aren’t actually looking for a yes or no answer here. What you need is a yes and then evidence to back up that yes. Ask for a link to their portfolio where you can see their past work.

Every company should have a portfolio. If they don’t have one at all then you should consider going in a different direction.

5. What Do You Do in the Case of Inclement Weather

Depending on where you live, the weather can change in the blink of an eye. This can be a problem if contractors have started working when a sunny day decides to make a 360. If measures aren’t taken then the whole interior of your business will be a the mercy of the elements.

The contractor should assure you that everything will be protected by a plastic covering or tarp. They should also come out regularly if the rain sticks around to make sure that the tarp keeps doing its job.

6. What’s My Warranty

Most companies are going to offer you a warranty for their work. It’s important to note that there are two different ones that you need to familiarize yourself with. First, there is the manufacture’s warranty.

This takes care of the materials that the contractors use to build your new roof. So if something happens to the roof because of faulty materials you can get compensation.

There is also a workmanship warranty. This is the one that should be offered by the company and it’s also the one that you’re asking about. This will allow you to get compensation if the roof breaks due to negligence on the worker’s part.

7. Can You Give Me a Written Estimate?

Nothing is worse than thinking you’re getting one price and then getting hit from left field by some sort of hidden fee. This is why you need to ask the contractor if they’ll do a written estimate before they start working.

If they do then someone will come out and do a basic check to see everything that needs to be done. After their assessment, they will break down the cost of everything to tell you how much it’s going to be in total.

Common Questions to Ask Any Commercial Roofing Company

Is the roof on your business starting to show signs of decay? It may be time for you to call up a commercial roofing company to take on the job. If it’s been awhile or you’ve never hired one, then you may get the wool pulled over your eyes if you don’t stop and ask questions.

Use this guide when you make your calls so you know all of the common questions to ask.

So you’ve got your new roof on but now other problems are occurring throughout your business. Check out the development/planning archives of our blog for a few tips on how to handle things.