Choosing a total roofing company in Sarasota-Bradenton—whether for repairs, maintenance, or replacement/installation—can be daunting. And it’s about to get a lot harder.
As our area faces another potentially unprecedented hurricane season, we’re unfortunately also going to draw a lot of attention from underhanded criminals from who-knows-where claiming to be local roofing companies.
Amid all the other stresses hurricane season causes for homeowners and roofing companies alike, trying to distinguish legitimate companies from fly-by-night crooks and opportunists can keep you up at night.
Here are three important words to know when choosing a trustworthy company to provide complete roofing and roof repair in Sarasota: “Licensed, Bonded, and Insured.”
You might see these words everywhere, but it’s time to look closer. They’re all very important. Being licensed, bonded, and insured are three different things that roofing companies do to prove their legitimacy and protect their clients.
Licensed: The Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation will only issue a license to a certified roofing contractor who has met a number of stringent qualifications. A licensed roofer in Sarasota or Bradenton must have at least four years of experience and/or relevant post-secondary education, pass a state examination, and prove financial stability (usually via FICO credit score). Licensure also requires certain types of insurance.
You can check a Florida roofing company’s license at the FDBPR website. Try it out with LD Total Roofing’s license number, which is CCC1333055.
Insured: Public liability, property damage, and workers compensation insurance are all required before a Florida roofing contractor can receive their license. These types of insurance all protect the roofing company, its employees, and the client in the case of an injury on your property.
Any legitimately roofing company will want to be insured to protect its own financial interests and reputation. But insurance also demonstrates that a contractor wants to protect its employees—especially given the inherent risks of roofing work. And while some under-the-radar handymen might cut costs by skipping the insurance, that’s not the kind of person you want to trust with your roof work.
Bonded: While not required by Florida regulators, a bond demonstrates an additional level of legitimacy and trustworthiness in a Sarasota roofing company.
A bond means that a third party has agreed that you, the client, will get your money back if the roofing work is not completed. Sometimes legitimate issues arise that mean a contractor is unable to complete a job. That bond provides you with some financial safety when investing in something as important—and expensive—as roof work.
But even more frightening, the situation we all dread is to hire a roofing company that turns out to be a scam, disappearing and ghosting you when the work is half-finished. The financial loss is scary, but so is being left feeling cheated and vulnerable.
A bond shows that a third party (the bonding company) trusts this contractor to complete the work they say they’re going to do. After all, the bonding company would never agree to cover the job if they had any suspicions about contractor.
So not only does a bonded roofing company provide financial backup, but that third-party trust can help you feel more reassured, too.
And reassurance is something we could all use more of as we head into this year’s hurricane season.
Deckard & Company