How to Choose a Commercial Roofer

If you own a business, you can’t afford to have a leaky roof. If you have to shut your doors for just a day or two, you could lose a ton of money. That’s why it’s so important that you call a reputable commercial roofer as soon as you suspect there may be a problem.

Unfortunately, a lot of people aren’t sure who to call when they need this kind of work done. Years ago, you could just open the yellow pages and find someone nearby. Today, it doesn’t work that way. Sure, you can go online and search Google for a local roofer or contractor. But, there’s no way to know who is competent and who may run a fly by night operation.

Because roofing repairs are such a huge investment, it’s critical that you pick the right roofer, the first time. You don’t want to pay someone thousands of dollars only to find out they did a terrible job. All that will do is cause you to lose more money and pay another roofer to fix the initial roofer’s mistakes.

The roofing professionals at Lanier Roofing in Greenville, South Carolina how frustrating that can be. This is why they’ve decided to provide this brief guide on how to pick a commercial roofer who will do good work without costing you an arm and a leg.

Here are some of the things you need to keep in mind when hiring a roofer to repair or replace your roof.

Make Sure They’re Licensed

Nobody is going to broadcast on their website that they’re not licensed. If you look at a roofing company’s website, they’re going to tell you they’re the best in town. They’ll offer testimonials from prior customers who praise their work and rates. What you don’t realize is that many of these “customers” are just friends of the roofer. These reviews and testimonials could have actually been written by the owner of the company or their employees.

You need to make sure the person you choose to do the work is licensed, certified and insured. The only way to do this is to ask if you can see copies of their credentials. It’s also a good idea to check with the Secretary of State to make sure the information they gave you is credible and verifiable.

The last thing you want to do is hire someone who isn’t licensed in your state. If something goes wrong, or if your work isn’t done to code, you could spend thousands of extra dollars in fines, permits and having the work redone.

Get Referrals

Usually, we don’t know we have a roofing problem until we feel the water drip on our heads. Most business owners don’t have weeks or months to research roofing companies. They need to find someone and they need to find them fast. Like we mentioned earlier – any day you have to shut your doors because of a leaky roof is money lost.

Without the luxury of time, you probably won’t have time to ask around town for referrals. However, what you can do is ask fellow business owners in your town who they’ve used in the past to do similar work. This way, you’ll get an honest answer about the kind of work a certain roofing company does. They’ll also give you a candid answer about how much it cost.

Check with the BBB

While the internet is great to research a company, there are ways for business owners to hide some information they don’t want you to see. For example, if customer “x” put a negative review on a roofing company’s website, they can simply delete it. Or, they can update their website to hide these negative comments.

That’s why it’s a good idea to reach out to the Better Business Bureau (BBB). They can give you information about any formal or informal complaints filed against the roofing company. They can also let you know what the company’s overall rating is and if they’re in good standing.

Check Review Sites Such as Angie’s List

One of the great things about the internet is that there are free review lists you can use to find a good contractor or roofing company. Angie’s List is a great example of these review sites. Angie’s List will let you know what other business owners have to say about a certain company. And, since the companies can’t pay to have Angie’s List say positive things about them, you should get an honest appraisal.

If you find out that you need to hire a roofing company ASAP, call and speak with the experts at Lanier Roofing in Greenville, South Carolina. They can answer any questions about what kind of work you may need done. They’ll give you honest feedback and a free estimate.