When homeowners start talking to contractors about roofing in Urbana IL, they’ll likely discover that all the roofers require some of the payment upfronts. To some homeowners, this may seem unreasonable. The property owners may prefer to go to the lumber yard and pay for shingles themselves and then pay the roofer when the job is complete. There are good reasons that contractors such as SK Service Corp require some upfront payment aside from the cost of shingles, however.
First, there may be material costs besides shingles that are special-ordered for this particular job. Second, the roofing contractor fits this project into a busy schedule. Sometimes, accepting one job means turning down another job. Also, roofers commonly hire some independent contractors for their crew, and those individuals count on the work scheduled.
Third, in Illinois, a contract involving home improvement work is not valid without some payment of money or other assets. Without any upfront payment, the contractor risks having the property owner cancel right before the project begins. If a job is canceled at the last minute, that can cost the contractor money as it leaves an open spot on the schedule? In fact, there’s a risk of the property owner canceling after the project begins. In this case, the roofer can legally file a lien against the property or take the owners to small claims court, but those activities obviously are time-consuming hassles. In the meantime, the contractor is still shorted on payment.
Different contractors who do roofing in Urbana IL have varying payment arrangements with their customers. Some require half of the estimate before the work beings and the rest after the job is done. Some request half at the beginning and 25 percent midway through the project. Others only ask for 10 percent upfront as good-faith money. All of this may depend on the size of the job. In general, homeowners should never pay all the money before the job starts. Any contractor who asks for that sort of arrangement is sending up a red flag. Nevertheless, it is reasonable for a roofer to expect some type of deposit before beginning work.
