Flint Roofing Contractor |how To Verify Insurance Coverage?
Flint Roofing Contractor: How to Verify Insurance Coverage
As with any home improvement project, the importance of insurance coverage really can't be understated. You should never hire a Flint roofing contractor that does not carry both Workers' Compensation Insurance and General Liability Insurance.
Of all that can go wrong on a roofing project, personal injury is about the most serious and costly liability a property owner can face. Ultimately, when there is nowhere else for an injured person to recover damages, the property owner is the number one target of any law suit.
These days it is very easy to check to see if a contractor is in compliance with Workers' Compensation Insurance laws. Simply go to The State of Michigan' Current Workers' Compensation Insurance Coverage Look-up. Here you can just enter the business name and city, click search and you will be returned results in a matter of seconds.
It is important to note that if no results are returned for a company when using the State of Michigan look-up tool, it doesn't necessarily signal they are uninsured. This website is, however, a good place to start your search before asking the contractor directly for their insurance information. You can visit The State of Michigan website at: http://www.dleg.state.mi.us/bwuc/wkrcomp/asp/sr_bwdc.asp
If results do return with your search query, click on the company name in question and their address will appear along with the name of their insurance policy carrier. Once you have the name of the insurance policy carrier, do a search on the internet using the insurance company's name. You are looking for their contact information.
Once you have the contact information of the insurance company, call them to verify that your prospective roofing contractor's policy is current and that it will remain so throughout the duration of your roofing project. Ask for a Certificate of Insurance.
If you were unable to retrieve results from the State of Michigan website, before work ever begins, ask your contractor who carries their Workers' Compensation policy and get the name and phone number of the agent who oversees the policy.
Verify the contact information you've been given by either looking it up on the internet or in the phone book. Now call the insurance agent to verify that your contractor's policy payments are current and ask for a Certificate of Insurance.
If your contractor has provided a Certificate of Insurance ahead of time, make sure you still follow through with the verification process regardless the dates showing on the certificate. It's far too easy for a fly-by-night contractor to open up an insurance policy, just to get a certificate of insurance, and then go delinquent on the policy the following month. Never take a contractors word for it that they are insured and never trust a piece of paper they've provided as final proof of coverage.
Now do the same to verify a contractor's General Liability coverage. Ask your contractor for a Certificate of Insurance and follow up by calling the insurance agent who oversees the account to verify coverage is current.
Your contractor should have a policy of at least $1 million dollars, as this is a minimum standard among other contractors and subcontractors. When calling to verify if the policy is current, also make sure that it covers roofing specifically. It should also cover subcontracted labor if your contractor intends to sub out any portion of the project to another.
Insurance policies can get tricky with fine print language. And though your contractor may be insured with general coverage, if your contractor has an economic style policy, they may not be covered for the specific work you've hiring them to perform without even knowing it themselves.
by: Douglas Case
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