How to Hire a Roofer in Ontario: The Ten Questions, the Paperwork That Proves the Answers, and the Reference Call

The paperwork questions

1. Can I have your WSIB clearance certificate? Yes, here, or here is the number to check at wsib.ca. A roofing company with employees must have WSIB coverage; a clearance certificate shows the account is in good standing. Without it, if someone falls off your roof, the claim can come to you. A one-person operation can be legitimately exempt and should say so plainly. Worrying: “residential does not need that.”
2. Can I see your liability insurance certificate? Here it is, $2 million, in this company’s name, current. Worrying: a certificate for a different company name, an expired date, or “the office has it.”
3. Is the quote and the contract in a registered business name, with an HST number? Yes. Worrying: a cash price. The 13% you save is also the insurance, the warranty and the recourse you give up.
4. Does this job need a permit, and who pulls it? Like-for-like re-roofing usually does not; if we change structure or add a skylight opening it does, and we pull it. Worrying: a roofer who has never heard of a roofing permit or one who wants to pull one for a simple re-shingle to pad the bill.

The work questions

1. Who will actually be on my roof? Our own crew of four, led by [name], who has been with us [years]; or, we sub to [company], who we have used for [years]. Either is fine if it is specific. Worrying: vagueness, or a salesperson who does not know.
2. What shingle, exactly? Brand, line, colour, wind rating, and the matching starter, ridge cap and underlayment. “25-year shingles” is not an answer. The shingle page has what to expect.
3. What is included, and what is the unit price for what is not? Tear-off of one layer and disposal, synthetic underlayment, ice and water at the eaves and valleys, new flashings and boots, ridge vent, cleanup. Decking beyond two sheets at $120 a sheet, a second layer at $1 a square foot, approved by you before we do it. Worrying: “everything is included,” or no unit prices.
4. Where does the ice and water shield go, and how will you vent the attic? Eaves to code, valleys, around penetrations; soffit intake checked, ridge vent sized to the attic. A roofer who can answer this without looking anything up understands the roof. The underlayment page and the ventilation page are the standard.

The money questions

1. What deposit, and when is the balance due? 10 to 15% to book the date, the balance when the job is done and you have walked it. Roofing is a two-day job with the materials delivered the morning of; there is no reason for 50% up front. Worrying: half down, or a deposit in winter for a roof in June that is “to lock in the price.”
2. What is the warranty, in writing, and who stands behind it? Our workmanship for [5 to 10] years, in the contract; the manufacturer’s material warranty passed to you, registered if it is the enhanced one. Worrying: “lifetime” from a two-year-old company, or no written warranty. The warranties page has what each kind covers.

The reference call

Ask for three roofs done in the last two years and one from five years ago. Call them. People give references and then answer specific questions honestly:

• Did it finish at the quoted price? If not, what was the extra and did they show you before doing it?
• Did they start and finish on the days they said?
• Was the yard clean, and did you find nails afterward?
• Has it leaked, and if so, did they come back?
• Would you use them again?

Then drive past one of the roofs. Look at the ridge line (straight), the shingle courses (straight, even), the valleys, the flashing at the chimney, and whether the drip edge and the eavestroughs look like they belong together. The installation checklist works from the street as well as from a ladder.

The answers that end the conversation

Where to find three roofers worth asking

Not the first three on a search page, which are the three who paid most for the position. Ask the counter at the roofing supply house that sells to the trade in your area; they know who pays their bills and who gets callbacks. Ask the home inspector who did your house. Ask a neighbour whose roof looks right and was done more than three years ago. Ask a local builder. And if you are in Simcoe County or the Georgian Bay area, the calculator’s quote request goes to a roofer who has done roofs on houses we built; elsewhere in Ontario it goes, with your permission, to one roofer we have checked, when we have one there.

Sources and further reading

• WSIB clearances: where you check that the roofer has a valid clearance certificate before anyone goes up the ladder.
• WSIB clearance FAQ: what a clearance covers and what happens to you, the homeowner, if the roofer does not have one.
• Your rights when starting home renovations or repairs: Ontario government. The 10-day cooling-off period, the 10% estimate rule, and what a contract has to say.
• Construction Act, R.S.O. 1990: the 10% holdback and the lien rules that apply to a roofing contract.