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Always check licenses by visiting https://www.myfloridalicense.com/wl11.asp.
Unlicensed activity should be reported to the department.
In selecting a roofing or sheet metal contractor it’s important certain information be obtained.
Job specifics to be obtained include:
1. Make certain that the contractor is a member of a recognized professional association like the NEFRSA,
the FRSA, or the National Roofing Contractors Association (NRCA).
2. Select a contractor with a permanent place of business with a local address & phone number. Find out
how long they have been at that location.
3. Demand that the contractor is Florida licensed and insured. Have them show you their Florida license
number and verify it through the DPBR web site or a link to it through our web site www.nefrsa.com.
There are case files when asked if the individuals were licensed they said yes, produced their drivers’
license, and still sold the job.
4. With the entry of the EPA into the remodeling arena, if your structure is pre-1978 or houses children,
the remodeler must be a certified lead renovator and must conform to their requirements.
5. Obtain copies their certificates of insurance for worker’s compensation and general liability naming you
as the ‘certificate holder’.
6. Insist on a written proposal from a minimum of three licensed contractors with a detailed description of
the work to be accomplished, material specifications, estimated starting & completion dates, guarantees
for the workmanship and the material. Make sure the contractor agrees to keep the property clean and
orderly on a daily basis and that all equipment and material will be removed upon completion. Prior to
commencement of the work insist on the posting of the county or city required permit and the Notice of
Commencement to comply with the Florida Lien law.
7 Never hire a contractor that insists on full payment in advance. A partial payment upon agreeing to the
proposal or at various defined stages of the project is normal particularly when special order materials are
involved but should not exceed 50% of the estimated cost. In making partial payments insist upon partial
waivers of lien or making joint payment to the contractor and his supplier. Upon final payment insist upon
a final waiver of lien from the contractor and his supplier and a certificate of completion from the building
inspection department involved.
As the project manager and consumer, you have every right to this information and a list
of references including suppliers that the contractor has established through the years.
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