The simple answer to this question is YES. Without a doubt, any contractor a homeowner hires should absolutely be licensed, bonded, and insured. Here are the reasons why:
License: In Washington State, contractors are required to be registered with the state to maintain a current business license. Licensed contractors are required to be both bonded and insured, and must have accounts with the Department of Revenue and the Department of Labor & Industries. While ensuring your contractor is licensed doesn’t guarantee they are reputable, looking up their license is a good place to start in doing your due diligence as a homeowner. We recommend researching any contractor you receive a bid from at: https://secure.lni.wa.gov/verify/ On the L&I website, you’re able to see a large amount of information related to the health of the business. That information includes lawsuits, tax debts, license violations, general liability coverage, bond coverage, and worker’s compensation coverage. Heritage Roofing & Construction is proud to be a registered contractor in both Washington and Idaho. We hope you’ll take the time to look us up on the L&I website. We think you’ll be pleased with what you find.
Bonds: A bond provides financial security to help put your mind at ease. In the rare, but unfortunate occasion that a job is left unfinished, a homeowner can take civil action against a contractor’s bond to remedy the issue. Choosing a bonded contractor over an unbonded contractor is a way to help protect one of your greatest investments, your home. If you choose an unbonded contractor you may be left with an unfinished project, and nothing but a disconnected phone number.
Liability Insurance: While no contractor ever intends to damage your home, accidents do sometimes happen. Ensuring you choose an insured contractor for your project means that if a problem were to arise due to their actions, their insurance company would be liable for the damage to your property. Choosing an uninsured contractor means that liability would fall on you. To best protect your home, hire an insured roofing contractor like Heritage Roofing & Construction.
Worker’s Compensation Insurance: In the state of Washington, any contractor with 1 or more employees is required to have an account with the department of Labor & Industries. The company pays premiums based on their experience and history of safe business practices. If a safety incident were to occur in which an employee is injured on your property, if that worker is covered by L&I you’re safe, and that employee will be on the mend with no out-of-pocket cost to the employee or the homeowner. However, if the contractor you hired is not properly reporting to L&I and paying workers compensation insurance premiums, you the homeowner would be liable for all medical expenses related to the injury.
You may now be asking why anyone would ever hire a contractor who isn’t licensed, bonded and insured. The answer? Price. Many ‘fly by night’ companies offer low prices that entice the homeowner. When you see a large difference in price between roofing bids there is likely a reason. Are both contractors doing their duty and protecting you? Heritage Roofing & Construction is proud to be a licensed, bonded, and insured contractor specializing in roofing in both Washington and Idaho. When you work with HRC not only do you receive superior quality work, you receive superior quality protection. Call today for a free roofing quote.