When you hire a contractor for a residential roofing service you will need to sign a contract
. Or rather you really should require a contract and have it fully executed.
A roof may last from twelve to over twenty years, some such as a concrete tile roof may last over fifty years. Some metal roofs will last a lifetime. And none of these are cheap to have installed. So when you hire that residential roofing service contractor you want your investment, the roof and you, to have the fullest protection that contract law will provide.
If you dont have a contract you have no legal leg to stand on if there are problems during the execution of the roof work or during the warranty period.
When you get your three roofing contractor bids and compare them also make sure to check their references before you hire them. You also need to make sure they have insurance to cover their workers if they hurt themselves on the job.
You should also make sure they have the correct and current licenses to perform the work the residential roofing service in your area. If permits need to be pulled and an inspection performed by a city official then you need to make sure they will do all of that before they start the job.
And you will need to sign a contract. A contract should have all the elements of a typical contract. There are a few basic elements in a standard contract which include the offer and acceptance. Reasonable consideration or payment must be exchanged for the work.
There must be set terms such as a start and estimated finish date or incremental completion dates which must be set in clear terms. And the document must be signed by all parties. Of course you can have a verbal contract but without anything in writing you have little to prove what was agreed to.
When you have a valid contract you can feel pretty certain that the roofer will perform what he promised to do when he said he would do it. If you encounter problems with the contractor not showing up most contracts will follow the law for relief. You may have to send so many notices to request them to show up or call you. But eventually you will be able to hire another residential roofing service contractor to complete your roof.