Storms bring wind and hail, but they can also bring “storm chaser” roofing companies from other states. Sadly, we also see an influx of new roofing companies that may or may not have the professional credentials to do the necessary work for homeowners.
Being a licensed and insured roofer with the State of Oklahoma is the first step to vetting a company to repair your property.
So, how do you know if your roofing contractor is licensed and insured with the State of Oklahoma? In this video, Brooke Laizure with Whirlwind Roofing will show you how easy it is to verify if your roofing contractor is in good standing with the Oklahoma Construction Industries Board (CIB), including:
- How to search the official website for roofing contractors and other licensed trades
- How to tell if a roofing contractor has a suspended or revoked license
- Find out who is the owner of a roofing company
- Learn how to search for all roofing contractors in your area by city
- Learn how to look up a roofer by the CIB number shown on a truck or car
Why is this so important? It’s all about your protection. The roofing industry provides quality services and products to homeowners and takes pride in their reputation and work. However, there are a few bad apples that swoop in from out of state during a hail storm and provide shoddy work, or even worse, take trusting homeowners’ money and skip town.
In Oklahoma, residential and commercial roofing companies are required to file for registration. The contractor must submit their qualifications, show evidence of liability insurance of no less than $500,000.00, show evidence of workers’ compensation insurance coverage or exemption from coverage, provide certain information and meet other criteria as specified in the RCRA. The roofing contractor must register annually.
We can’t stress enough the importance of checking a company’s registration with the CIB to make sure they are still in good standing and their registration is not suspended, denied, or revoked.
We also recommend:
Asking for a copy of the roofing contractor’s general liability insurance and then call the insurance agent to verify coverage. Unfortunately, some companies obtain insurance just to get a registration number and quit paying the bill, leaving them open to liability.
And ask for references. This one is tricky because most companies will only provide their happiest customers, but it’s still a good way to weed out the “out-of-town” storm chasers.