Choosing a roofer for the installation and maintenance of your roof

A specialist in the construction and repair of roofs, the roofer plays a key role on a construction site. Indeed, he intervenes on the envelope of the building in the same way as the mason and the carpenter. How to choose the right professional for your project? What are the points to check? Here are some tips from our experts to guide you.

In summary :

Introduction

1 – What is the role of the roofer?

2 – How to select it well?

1. What is the role of the roofer?

Building, repairing and maintaining roofs or coverings so that they fully fulfill their role of protection against bad weather: this is the mission of the roofer.

Identification of defects on an existing cover and proposal of corrective solutions.

Repair of the roof  : this operation includes the installation of the scaffolding, the removal and then the replacement of worn

Before even issuing an estimate, the roofing company must check the adequacy between your request, the regulations (or the specific decrees of the place where the project is located) and the technical feasibility. If this is not the case, he must tell you, as part of his duty to advise, the preliminary work necessary to secure the project and include them in his estimate. They cannot be the subject of an additional request after its signature.

Exceptionally, on certain construction sites, it happens that the diagnosis is difficult to carry out upstream. In this case, an in-depth and trusting dialogue with the roofer is essential.

2. How to choose your roofer?

Budget, qualification or even insurance: take the time to find out about the professionals you meet, compare their prices, their services and check their qualifications before signing an estimate with a roofer. Because it is important to choose a reliable professional with whom you can move forward with confidence, our experts guide you with a series of questions to ask them.

Is the roofing company registered in the trade and companies register or in the trades directory?

To verify this information, you must first determine whether it is a commercial enterprise or an artisan.

This information allows you to check that the cover company has a legal existence. It must also have a SIREN/SIRET number or intra-community VAT number .

Even if this case remains rare, it will prevent you from entrusting your work to a roofer who does not legally exist and from finding yourself without any recourse in the event of a dispute.

Where is she based?

Finally, certain types of coverage respond to local specificities. By contacting a company in the sector, you will have a better chance that it has mastered local hedging techniques.

Find out about its legal and financial situation.

This paid approach is not essential, but it can save you some disappointments and can be interesting depending on the budget you have planned to devote to your project.

For a hundred euros, Infogreffe offers to verify that the roofing company identified is financially sound and is not filing for bankruptcy or in receivership.

This allows you to make sure that the craftsman to whom you intend to entrust your project is solid, reliable and that he will be able to carry out his service.

Has the roofer taken out “10-year guarantee” insurance?

Ask the roofer for his insurance certificate for the ten-year guarantee. This is mandatory  : it covers the carrying out of any repair work related to material damage occurring within ten years after acceptance of the work. By contracting with a roofer who has not taken out insurance, you take the risk of having to assume any repair work yourself.

Once the certificate has been obtained, check that it covers all the services envisaged for the desired period. Attach it to the quote and be sure to keep it. Do not hesitate to contact the insurance if you have any doubts.

Does he have liability insurance for the company director?

This compulsory insurance covers the craftsman during the work and after delivery in the event of a material or bodily problem occurring on the site (degradation of the facade during the installation of scaffolding, for example).

Ask the roofer to attach it to the quote, check that it is still valid and that it covers the services requested over the period you are interested in. If in doubt, do not hesitate to contact the insurance.

References

Has he done any projects similar to yours? Before signing with a roofer, it’s always best to interview past clients. Ask the identified professional if he is able to provide you with a list of his recent achievements as well as the contact details of the clients concerned. By discussing with them, you will be able to assess more precisely the skills of the roofer and his experience on the type of project that you plan to entrust to him. This can allow you to reassure yourself in your choice.

Organization

What is the hedging company’s policy for missing deadlines? To avoid signing with a roofer engaged on too many sites – and therefore not very available – include a line on the estimate (and a clause on the contract ) mentioning the deadlines for completion and the possible consequences in the event of non-compliance with those. -this.

Be sure, however, to be irreproachable on your side so that the site is never slowed down by you.

To be certain, discuss it with him to verify that it does not pose a problem for him. If you absolutely want to use one type of tile, for example, be sure that the roofer will not mind.