Don’t Be Afraid To Fire A Bad Roofer Before It’s Too Late!

It can happen to the best of us. Emergencies happen, a tree falls onto your house, a hail storm roars through, water is suddenly dripping out of the ceiling, whatever the cause was, it was urgent, and you had to hire someone fast! Now, it’s looking like they may be making matters worse.

Maybe you didn’t do your homework and hired the first guy who said he could fix your roof fast. Maybe they sounded like they knew what they were doing or maybe they gave you a price you couldn’t refuse, whatever the reason, you now find yourself in the position of wondering if you made a horrible mistake.

There is no stigma attached to recognizing a bad decision in time to install a better one.   

Laurence J. Peter

Even if they’ve been working for hours or days, it isn’t too late! Even if you signed a contract, you aren’t legally obligated to keep the roof contractor if they aren’t following the law, terms of the contract or are obviously doing a poor job, in short, you can fire them! If a roof contractor is acting “sketchy” you have the right to dump them and hire someone you can count on.

Hiring a capable, reputable roof contractor is the foundation of any roof or roof repair. If you find you made a mistake, don’t beat yourself up for it, correct it and go on with your life!

Warning signs can manifest in many, many ways but be especially wary if any of these apply:

Obvious Poor Installation Procedures

Like the picture in this post, if you see obvious poor workmanship practices (these guys should NOT be laying shingles over wrinkled felt like that) you have the right to stop the job and address the roof contractors directly. If they are willing to cut corners by doing a poor job on something this crucial, chances are they’ve cut corners elsewhere. Now your warranties can be voided, the roofer will likely disappear and you’ll be left holding the bag, responsible for all the costs to correcting the mistakes they made.

If you feel the roof contractor is listening and willing to correct the problem you can take the chance and let them fix it OR you can have another, well-researched roof contractor come out to inspect the work and advise you on how to proceed. Either way, address it now or you may find yourself paying a much heavier price later on.

Adding Work Not Included In The Original Quote/Contract

If you hired your roof contractor for a single task but they come up with more and more work after the initial inspection and quote, they may be taking you for a ride. The best roof contractors perform inspections before the job is pitched and will define, clearly the terms of the job. Rarely is anything discovered after the inspection but if so, it will be clearly explained.

Review the initial quote/contract before work begins, stating clearly what you are paying for (and what you won’t pay for). If you feeling uneasy, get a second opinion from another roof contractor. If they insist on adding on more work outside of the initial contract, especially without justifying it, let them go.

Lack Of Licensing/permits/insurance

If you have asked for proof of insurance, permits, licensing, and other related documents more than once or twice and have yet to see them, there’s a good chance it’s because they don’t have them . Aside from the legal risks and repercussions of hiring such a roof contractor, a roof contractor who cannot produce these things could put your family and home itself at risk. Allowing them to continue without these things could even put you in legal jeopardy!

Unprofessional Behavior

If the crew or roof contractor themselves act dangerously or disrespectfully towards your family or home, terminate them. From using drugs or alcohol on the job site, to constantly showing up late, especially failing to follow OSHA guidelines, an unprofessional roofing contractor is not a contractor you can to trust to work on your roof.

Unwarranted Delays or Absences

Having roof contractors work several hours a day for days, even weeks at a time is inconvenient enough without having to deal with late arrivals and even “no-show’s”. This is a sure sign you may have made a mistake hiring this particular roof contractor. If the behavior continues, consider a new roof contractor.

Failure To Follow Laws and Guidelines

Any roof contractor that shows blatant disregard for local laws and regulations or OSHA guidelines should be fired.

Falls are the top cause of worker fatalities in the construction industry and cause nearly 35% of construction-related deaths every year! If your roofing contractor won’t protect themselves and their crew from an unsafe work environment, they surely aren’t thinking about your family.

Of course, not all of these are necessary grounds for immediate dismissal. Straighten out any miscommunication or misunderstandings when you can. If the roof contractor is exhibiting more than one of these things, making the decision quickly could save you a lot of money and anger.

Avoid future by checking out your roofer thoroughly before you even call them, do your homework on anyone you consider.

In Metro Atlanta, Atlanta Roofing Specialists has been providing top quality roof contracting services since 1993! For a free estimate on your residential or commercial roof, call 770-419-2222 today!