1. Are you licensed and insured?
It is absolutely vital that you vet a contractor’s license and insurance prior to allowing them on your property. Many contractors often use an outside license holder to qualify their business. The actual license holder is not actively overseeing the company’s operations. Make sure to verify that the names of the Florida Articles Incorporation match the license. Also, insuring a roofing contractor is one of the most expensive costs of doing business. Many roofing contractors cut corners to avoid these costs and can be an all too common practice for our industry. Reliant is fully licensed, with our President being the license holder. Reliant also has insurance that goes far beyond the required state minimum standards.
2. Do you use subcontractors?
Many roofing contractors use subcontractors to perform the labor on their projects. This is because good skilled labor is hard to find and using subcontractors is easier and cheaper. The use of subcontractors can lead to poor workmanship, no quality control, and no warranties honored. Reliant performs all roofing labor with our own W-2 employees. All our labor has been trained in-house by GAF on proper installation and safety.
3. Do you have on-site project managers?
When homeowners hire roofing contractors that do not have project managers, the customer experience often plummets after signing the contract. Most roofing companies do not have full-time Project Managers on staff. Roofing crews are sent to projects with no company manager on-site and the homeowner is left feeling like they are having to be the manager. We have a full-time Project Manager assigned to each and every crew. They solely focus on quality installation and a great customer experience.
4. Do you have a safety program?
Safety should be your #1 concern for your roofing project. If your roofing contractor is not properly insured and a crew member is injured, for a property owner, there is virtually no way to guarantee that every person on the job is a rostered employee. This could lead to major issues for the property owner and lead to fines. The last thing you want to see is a crew member not being properly tied off on the roof or not wearing a hard hat. That is likely when a major injury occurs. Reliant has developed a comprehensive safety program that ALL employees participate in. The program consists of industry safety best practices, daily safety inspections by project managers, hazard awareness training, and weekly safety meetings. Reliant also provides all OSHA-compliant equipment for all employees.
5. Are you a specialist in roofing?
Many roofing companies like to cut corners. When they do that, they are not eligible to have certain certifications and rankings. Reliant is proud to be a GAF Master Elite contractor. Due to GAF’s stringent standards, only 3% of all roofing contractors nationwide qualify. GAF is the largest manufacturer of commercial and residential roofing materials in North America and produces the highest quality shingles on the market. We are rated one of the Top 100 Roofing Contractors, according to Roofing Contractor Magazine. We are the only Jacksonville roofing contractor bestowed this honor! Lastly, our President and Director of Residential Operations are both NRCA qualified trainers.
6. Do you use photo documentation?
Many roofing companies do not use live-time photo documentation of ongoing jobs, and the few who do will not normally share that imagery with the client. Reliant uses a product called “CompanyCam” where we document every step of the project. This is a way for our team to make sure that installation crews and project managers are following codes and proper installation methods. Clients can ask for project pictures if they like.
7. Are you involved in the community?
All local companies are far from just businesses: we are part of the community. Reliant makes it a priority to give back to the local community with our Every Shingle Heart Initiative. We believe that every local business owner should prioritize their home town and intensively be involved. That’s why Reliant established our annual Every Shingle Heart Initiative that will give local families in need the chance to receive a brand-new roof.
Get started on your roofing project with a contractor that you can trust by filling out our contact form at the bottom of this page!
