subject: Coventry Roofing Contractors - Why The Formalities Are Important [print this page] This article builds on two earlier articles about finding and choosing a roofing contractor. It is focused on selecting a roofing contractor in the Coventry area but it could equally apply anywhere as the basic concepts are the same wherever you are. This article will look at the formal matters which need to be dealt with both in selecting your roofing contractor and in agreeing the work to be done.
Insurance
Find out what insurance the company has both in terms of employee insurance and other insurance to cover possible damage to your home or indeed danger to you and your family. Make sure you look at the insurance certificate and go through with the contractor precisely what it covers
Sub-contracting
Is the roofing contractor planning to subcontract any of the work to other companies. If the answer is yes then you will need to make formal contact with the sub-contractor and get some references checked, check their insurance as well as getting in writing who is responsible for what.
Is the company a member of the National Federation of Roofing contractors (NFRC)? The NFRC is a professional association with about 60% of UK roofing contractor companies belonging. If the company is not a member of the NFRC you should not necessarily rule them out but membership does mean that the NFRC has inspected the contractor once every three years as a quality measure. Ask whether the company is a member of any other professional association.
The Contract
What is crucial is to get a written contract with the roofing contractor spelling out what is going to be done, when it is going to happen and what materials are going to be used. The contract should cover:
- When the project is going to start and when it will finish
- the details of what payments you are going to make to the contractor and when. Is a deposit upfront to be paid and when will further payments be made?
- The details about what materials are going to be made such as the type of tiles to be used, their colours and their prices.
- How the work is to be organised - hours of work, cleaning up arrangements, ongoing safety procedures.
- What warranty the contractor will offer, both for labour and parts. This is really important. For a roof you would normally expect a warranty of at least 10 years.
- Whether the contractor offers any roof maintenance programme. Many contractors do not make such an offer. However if it can be agreed put the terms of the maintenance programme in the contract.
By making a formal contract you are providing yourself with some legal protection in case things go wrong. In addition if everything about the job is clear then there will be no misunderstandings about what should and should not happen. So whether you live in or around Coventry or anywhere else these formal arrangement should ensure that you should get the best from any roofing contractors which you employ.
