How to check a New Jersey roofer before you sign

Step one: get the legal name and the registration number

New Jersey’s Contractors’ Registration Act says a contractor must register with the Division of Consumer Affairs before advertising or doing home improvement work. Ask the roofer for the business’s full legal name and its registration number. A trade name on a truck or a website is not enough: you want the name that will go on the contract.

Step two: look it up yourself

The Division lets anyone check whether a contractor is registered, through NJConsumerAffairs.gov. Look the business up there and check three things: that the registration exists, that the name matches the one on the proposal, and that the address makes sense. If something does not match, ask the roofer to explain before you go further.

Step three: get the insurance policy and confirm it with the insurer

A contractor must give the homeowner a copy of its commercial general liability insurance policy. The state’s advice goes one step further: contact the insurer to learn whether the policy is valid. The insurer’s name and the policy number should be on the document. A call to the insurer confirms the policy is current and is for the same business.

Step four: read the written contract

Contracts for home improvement projects costing $500 or more must be in writing. Check that yours shows each of these:

• The contractor’s legal name
• The business address
• The registration number
• The dates the work starts and finishes
• A description of the work
• The total price

For roof work, push the description further. It should say what comes off and what goes on, how flashing at chimneys, walls and parapets is handled, what happens to gutters and drains, how rotten deck found during the job is priced, how the house and neighbors are protected, and who handles debris.

Step five: settle the permit question

Consumer offices tell homeowners to make sure all applicable construction permits are obtained from the municipality. Under New Jersey’s ordinary-maintenance rule, repairing or replacing the existing roof covering on a detached one- or two-family house needs no permit. For an attached rowhouse, a larger building or any structural work, ask the City of Newark’s construction office, and write into the contract who will apply if a permit is needed. The Newark roofing permit guide explains the rule.

Step six: agree how you will pay

It is customary not to pay for the entire project in advance. Put the payment schedule in the contract, tie later payments to work you can see completed, pay in a way that leaves a record, and keep every receipt. If a payment is due before any work starts, ask what it covers and get that in writing too.

Step seven: know your three days

Once you sign, New Jersey still gives you room to change your mind. A signed contract may be canceled for any reason before midnight of the third business day after you receive a copy. Write down the date you got your copy. If you decide to cancel, do it in writing and keep proof of when you sent it.

If you were approached, not the other way round

Be extra careful with anyone who knocks on the door after a storm to say your roof is damaged, who wants to start today, or who asks for the full price up front. The same checks apply, and taking the time to make them is reasonable.

The checklist version of all this, with questions to ask on the first visit, is on the roofing contractors in Newark, NJ page. Roofer Newark is an independent referral service and does not vouch for any contractor, including the independent local roofer who can contact you through this site: make these checks with every roofer.

Questions people ask