As a roofing business owner, you have to be prepared to handle any legal issues that might arise on the job. Here are five tips to avoid common legal problems for roofing and construction companies. 

Avoid customer complaints

• Always have customers sign a written contract for any roofing or building projects. If you need examples of professional roofing contracts, just ask your Gibson Sales Rep.
• Make sure your contract is specific about the scope of work to be performed and the payment schedule. 
• Clearly state what happens if you don’t get paid according to the terms of the contract. If a customer defaults on a payment, you can put in a claim for up to $35,000 through Small Claims Court.
• Remember that customers can sue you if you fail to comply with agreements such as deadlines, quality of delivery, and preventing property damage.  
• Ensure your customers are fully satisfied with the completed project. Provide attentive after-sales service and resolve any post-construction problems to avoid facing possible legal challenges from customers later on.

Keep your roofers safe

• Provide proper safety equipment in good working order to protect your roofers on the job.
• Monitor that your roofers are using their safety equipment properly, such as always connecting safety harnesses to lifelines. This helps protect your company from claims for non-compliance with employee safety rules.

Maintain proper licenses and permits 

• The type of license you need depends on where you operate your business and where you do the work. Check with each municipality to ensure you have the proper licenses. 
• Permits are also site-specific. Always familiarize yourself with local bylaws to avoid unnecessary fines.

Be fully insured  

• Don’t even think about operating your business without insurance! The two most important ones for roofing contractors are commercial general liability insurance and WSIB.
• You need commercial auto insurance for your vehicles. Your equipment should be insured as well.
• Talk to an insurance professional to get the best value coverage for your business needs.

Work with a good lawyer

• With any roofing or construction project, there are numerous risks to manage.
• Find a lawyer who’s familiar with the roofing and construction industry. Your lawyer can review client and supplier contracts. They can also help you identify possible business risks and suggest ways to minimize them. 
• Pro Bono Law Ontario offers small businesses 30 minutes of free legal advice. Call 1-855-255-7256 or visit their website.

At Gibson, we’re committed to helping our customers grow their commercial and residential roofing and building businesses in any way we can. Check out this article that highlights some of the many ways we support our roofing company owners: How Gibson helped roofers succeed during a tough year.

Feel free to reach out to your Gibson Representative to help answer any business questions you may have. Contact us at: info@gibsonsupplies.com.