Should you worry about your contractor having insurance?
If you have a home project that will require you to hire a contractor, you should really do your homework and find one that has proper insurance coverage. Hiring a contractor with no or improper insurance coverage can be disastrous. Homeowner’s insurance does not typically cover damages to your home caused by a hired contractor.
Think about this: If a contractor is unwilling or unable to purchase insurance for their business, not only to protect themselves, but to protect their clients, then what else are they unwilling or unable to do? Most licensing authorities and professional organizations require contractors to obtain both worker’s compensation and general liability policies. If a contractor does not have insurance, they most likely do not have a license or affiliation with any trade organizations. This means there is little to no oversight of the work they do. They may be able to do the work cheaper and save you money without the required insurance, but with no oversight or accountability by other professionals, how do you know they are doing it properly? Who will pay for it to be done again, or for future damages to your home, if it is not? There is almost no way to hold them accountable because it is ultimately the homeowner’s responsibility to verify that the people they hire are qualified to do the job.
Even when a contractor comes highly recommended and can prove the quality of work, it is still a bad idea to hire them without insurance. Accidents can happen to even the best of contractors. Sometimes parts, materials, and equipment malfunction and cause damage or injury. That causes all kinds of conundrum. What if a plumbing valve that a contractor installs is defective and floods a part of your home? Is it the contractor’s responsibility to ensure that the valve is not defective prior to installing it? Is it the valve manufacturer’s responsibility to pay for the damage caused to your home? . . . Or is it the responsibility of the homeowner’s insurance carrier? If the contractor you hire to install the valve has proper insurance, it is much easier to resolve this debate because the general liability provider would typically issue payment for this type of matter. However, if the contractor doesn’t have general liability, the homeowner may be caught up in a legal battle for quite some time. In the meantime, if finances are unavailable, they have to live with the damage until the responsible party is identified in a court of law.
At Roof It Right, LLC in Louisville, KY we are fully insured and a member of multiple professional organizations and certifications. We know that by having these insurances and affiliations, we can offer our customers peace of mind and certainty in the work that we perform. Even when unexpected problems are encountered, there is ultimately a solid protection in place for those burdens to not fall on the shoulders of our customers. With proper insurance we will be able to remain in business and to stand behind the products we deliver for many years to come!
I’m James Hannon, and remember we are Roof It Right, because if we did it any other way, we would be like everyone else!
