The Importance Of Roofing Insurance

If you're in the market to have a new roof installed it is important that you check with any potential contractors to see what forms of insurance they have on tap. Roofing can be a hazardous job with risks that are involved on a regular basis.

Due to the high cost of roofing insurance, some contractors have opted for holding a general contracting insurance policy. This policy may not always cover you if a roofer does any unintentional damage to your home or property.

Workman's compensation insurance is an important aspect of coverage for a roofing company to have. In the event of serious injury or death during a roofing related incident, the roofer can be held accountable to sums of hundreds of thousands of dollars. A roofing contractor without a policy like this could very well be out of business. The injured party may have no one else to go after for compensation and wind up (unfairly) targeting the homeowner. Making certain that your contractor has this insurance in place before starting on the job may be a good idea.

A general public liability policy may be of use as well. This protects the roofing company in the event of an accident involving someone outside of their workforce. In today's litigious society it doesn't take much to spawn a lawsuit. If a homeowner or mailman gets bonked on the noggin by a newly installed shingle or a tool, the contractor could be forced to pay a large sum of money out of pocket to remedy the situation. The cost of a public liability policy is far less than that of roofer specific insurance, and worth a look to make sure all of a contractor's bases are covered.

If a roofer is in search of a more affordable way to have all the necessary forms of insurance they could perhaps look into joining any available contractor or trade organizations. Often times these groups arrange for group buys or may have an arranged deal with an insurance company that can offer a discount to offset the (sometimes overwhelming) expense of full coverage.