From the walls, the roof serves as the next line of defense of the house against the elements.
This therefore calls for the unnegotiable need to have it in the perfect condition possible.
Unfortunately, during the initial roof installation or replacement, some mistakes may occur and render your interior at risk of damage by water and other elements.
The majority of these mistakes fall on the part of the contractor during the installation.
Due to the delicate and intricate nature of the scenario, this article aims to educate you on the recourse for an improperly installed roof.
Document the Issues
Is your roof installed correctly?
The first recourse for an improperly installed roof should be to take up a camera and record all the mishaps. These could be in the form of loose or misaligned shingles, missing screws and nails, leaks, among other mistakes. With these, you can back your claims when you invite the contractor responsible. The tapes also serve as evidence should the matter take the legal direction.
Contact the Contractor
From documenting the mishaps, the next recourse for an improperly installed roof is to contact the contractor responsible for the mishap. Most roofing contracts include a guarantee or warranty for such scenarios. In line with such contract details, the contractor is mandated to offer repairs at no cost on your part. If you are dealing with honest and reputable contractors, they should be more than willing to address the mishaps without any problem. That goes on to insist on the need to read and understand the contract fully during hiring.
Seek a Second Opinion
If the contractor is not willing to address the issues, you should consider seeking a second opinion. To do this, hire a different contractor and let them inspect the entire roof. This inspection is geared toward confirming your claims and eliminating the doubt that the mishaps were indeed caused by improper installation. Let the second contractor document the findings for use in legal action if need be.
Contact the Manufacturer
In cases where the contractor challenges your claims of faulty installation, even before taking legal action, your next recourse should be to contact the shingles manufacturer. They will send their people to your house to assess the mistakes. If the mishaps are because of defective materials, they will commence the process of reimbursing and compensating for the damages that might have been caused by the faults. Again, this goes without saying that you should be sure to buy your building materials from reputable and verified manufacturers only.
File a Complaint
Even with all the evidence documented in the pictures and videos, some rogue contractors will still contest their liability for the mistakes. Should your contactor show any unwillingness to address the mishaps, consider filing a complaint with their licensing board or any other professional associations they are party to. The board and professional associations are experienced and trustworthy in handling such cases. With the threat of revoking their license for breach of contract, the board can force the contractor to abide by the contract terms and address the mishaps accordingly.
Legal Action
Should all the above-discussed actions fail, the next recourse entails you filing for legal action for breach of contract in the Small Claims Court if the issue is small. For such recourse, you should work closely with your attorney or have them refer you to a corporate attorney experienced in such civil matters. You should be prepared for the worst since such cases could take longer than anticipated. The outcome of the case could also go both ways; in or against your favor.
Hire a New Contractor
Having initially noted that the roof is critical to the protection of your interior valuables against the elements, mishaps in installation cannot wait for some things for instance, legal action to be concluded. What you can do in that case is to hire another contractor to address the faults. However, before the commencement of the repairs, let them write a report indicating all the mistakes and the amount the repairs will cost. The report is critical to filing for compensation after the conclusion of the legal action.
Following the above-discussed recourses, you should never have to panic over mishaps in roof installation. Since every recourse comes at a price and may take longer than anticipated, be very careful when hiring roofing contractors. Be sure to check their credentials such as license of operation, and insurance, among other industry certifications. Most importantly, pay extra attention to their reputation and customer feedback.