Insurance, paperwork and paying for a roof

Our registration and insurance

Crews working for Meridian Roof Works are registered contractors with the Idaho Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses — the registration Idaho requires for any construction job over $2,000 — and carry general liability and workers' compensation insurance. Idaho has no roofing license and no roofing exam, so registration plus insurance is the whole legal standard, and it's the minimum you should demand from anyone who climbs on your house. The registration number and a current certificate of insurance are on every contract we sign, and you can confirm both yourself: registration on DOPL's online lookup, insurance by calling the agent named on the certificate.

Your homeowners insurance

A standard Idaho homeowners policy covers sudden, accidental damage to the roof — hail, wind, a fallen limb, the weight of ice and snow — and excludes wear and tear, neglect and a roof that simply reached the end of its life. Three things on your declarations page decide what you'll actually get. First, whether the roof is covered at replacement cost (RCV) or actual cash value (ACV): many Idaho carriers now move roofs over 15 or 20 years old to ACV, which pays the depreciated value of a 20-year-old shingle — not much. Second, whether you have a separate wind/hail deductible, often 1% or 2% of the dwelling coverage instead of a flat $1,000 or $2,500. Third, the deadline to file after a loss. We'll read the page with you before you decide whether a claim makes sense.

Idaho Code 41-348 makes it unlawful for a contractor to make a practice of waiving, rebating or paying any part of your deductible, and the Idaho Department of Insurance lists deductible waivers, door-to-door solicitation after storms, promises that the insurer "must pay," and pressure to sign on the spot as the red flags of a roofing scam. If you have a question about your carrier, the Department's Consumer Affairs line is 208-334-4319.

Paying for it

Most residential jobs are paid on completion by card, check or bank transfer — no deposit until the written price is approved and the work is scheduled. Insurance jobs are paid as the carrier releases funds, with the deductible due at completion. For a roof you didn't plan on, we can connect you with third-party financing offering fixed monthly payments, applied for online in a few minutes with no effect on your credit to check the rate; we don't lend money ourselves and we don't mark up the financing.

Reports and letters

When a lender, a buyer, a carrier at renewal or an HOA wants a written opinion on a roof — age, condition, remaining life, whether it needs replacing — we write it, with photos. Small fee, credited toward any work we do.