Hiring a commercial roofing contractor is not something that you should take lightly. Nearly anyone can hand out a professional-looking business card and say that they are a skilled roofer. It is not uncommon for roofing contractors to go door to door in a business or a neighborhood to drum up business, and often times those who are not reputable will make offers that are too good to be true.

Here are the top five signs of a bad commercial roofing contractor:

They are unable to provide proof of insurance. All good commercial roofing professionals should have a general liability policy, and if they have employees, should also have a worker’s compensation policy, and they should have no problem showing you these documents. If a contractor is not willing to provide these documents, any injuries or accidents that occur while your roof is being repaired actually fall under your responsibility-and that can be very costly to you. ALWAYS verify that your commercial roofer has insurance.

They ask for a large amount of money before any work is done. If a commercial roofer approaches you and then requests that you pay a large amount of funds prior to the job beginning, this is a very cautionary sign and you shouldn’t take it lightly. While a deposit for supplies and work to begin is typical, don’t ever consider paying more than 10-20% up front for the work to begin.

They cannot provide any verifiable references. Making sure that you check on the references provided by a commercial roofing contractor is critical to ensuring that you are hiring someone with top-notch qualities. If your roofer cannot provide references that you can verify personally, this is a huge red flag. While the Internet can be a place to review commercial roofing professionals, sometimes those reviews can be altered or manipulated to make the professional seem more worthy than they are. Always call to confirm references, and if you cannot reach them, give great pause before moving forward with this type of person or business.

They do not make it easy for you to contact them. If you’ve tried to contact the commercial roofing professional that you’ve hired and you’re unable to reach them, that is a sure sign that you’ve hired a poor commercial roofer. Additionally, if they aren’t arriving as scheduled, or are working inconsistent hours that weren’t agreed upon, this could also signal a less than reputable commercial roofing contractor. 
Once you’ve agreed upon a date to start and finish your commercial roofing contract, they should be arriving on time and working consistent hours, and be easily accessible to you if they aren’t able to make it or you have questions.

They do not offer warranties. If the commercial roofing professional that you’ve hired doesn’t offer a warranty for their work, chances are that is because they do work that simply cannot be backed by a warranty. 
The materials that are used in the repair of your commercial roof should be covered by the warranty of the manufacturer, while the labor should be covered by the roofing professional. If there are going to be issues with the work that has been done on your roof, they usually arise within the first year. If the commercial roofing professional that you’ve hired isn’t willing or able to provide at least a one year warranty, this is a sign that they are a bad roofing contractor and you should seriously consider hiring a different and more reputable professional.