We’ve all probably heard a horror story or two about people having repairs done on their home that turn out to be a big mistake on their part; jobs that subpar contractors are paid to do because they are the cheapest or easiest option end up being done in a poor way that costs the homeowner time, money and hassle to have the problem fixed again by a trained professional. 9 times out of 10 this is because the company or contractor the homeowner hires is unlicensed. Licensed roofing contractors are skilled, educated and experienced at performing quality roof repairs or roof replacements; a contractor who doesn’t have a license just isn’t qualified to provide roofing repairs in a way that can be counted on to last in the long run or to fix the initial problem that required the repairs in the first place.
Last year on Bakersfield Now an article talked about a desperate homeowner by the name of Jim Pugh who needed to have a leaking roof fixed quickly. He ended up going with the only roofer who got back to him, shelling out $640 for the repairs and regretted it soon after. The leaky roof that the roofing contractor “fixed” was back to leaking once again in the next rains. Mr. Pugh soon found out his mistake as it became clear the company he went with were not only not honoring the 6 month guarantee for the roofing repairs, but was an unlicensed contractor as well. He was left $640 poorer for a roof repair that Mr. Pugh later had to have fixed by a quality roofing repair company; finally paying nearly twice the amount he would have had to if he had taken a little longer to search for a professional roofing company.
It’s a choice that many homeowners are faced with oftentimes, having to get a leaky or damaged roof fixed quickly or cheaply and choosing the option of a contractor that they know little about and that sadly isn’t qualified to do the job right. That is why it is important to always look into the roofing company before entrusting your home’s roof to them because you could pay a fair amount for the repairs that in the end may not be fixed or may become worse on the subpar efforts of an unlicensed contractor.
There is an easy way for you to check that a roofing company is licensed and qualified to perform roof repairs on your home at the Department of Consumer Affairs’ Contractor State License Board. You can easily look up the company or person by their personal name, company name or license number so that you can be assured that they are licensed to perform high quality roofing repairs. If you do run across an unlicensed contractor who is violating the law by advertising that they have a license or advertising their services without stating clearly that they do not have a license, report them to the Roofing Contractors Association of California to ensure that others aren’t swindled out of their hard earned money for subpar roofing services.