The Journal
The HomFax™ Journal · Verification

How to check a contractor yourself

Texas does not issue a state roofing licence. There is no register to look them up in, which means the burden of verification sits entirely with you. It takes about fifteen minutes and it is the cheapest fifteen minutes in the whole project.

Why we don't publish a blacklist. Naming a business as bad, on the strength of complaints alone, is how publishers get sued for defamation — and storm-chasing outfits litigate. So this page teaches you to check primary public records instead. Facts you can verify beat an opinion you have to trust, including ours.

1. Confirm the business actually exists

A legal entity leaves a paper trail. Search the company name on the Texas Comptroller's Taxable Entity Search. You are looking for: does it exist, is its registration active, how long has it existed, and does the name on the contract match the name on the filing?

A company formed six weeks ago, immediately after a hail event, is not disqualifying — but it tells you what you are dealing with, and it should change your payment terms.

2. Get the insurance certificate from the insurer, not the contractor

Ask for general liability and workers' compensation. Then ask for it to be sent directly by their insurance agent, naming you as certificate holder.

A photocopy proves nothing — certificates are trivially edited, and a policy that existed in March may have lapsed by August. If there is no workers' compensation and someone is injured on your roof, you may find that becomes your problem.

3. Check whether they pull permits

Call Arlington's permitting office and ask whether the company has pulled roofing permits in the city, and how many. A contractor who has worked here for years has a record. One who has never pulled a permit either does not work here or does not permit their work — and both answers matter.

4. Search the courts

Tarrant County district and county court records are searchable online. Look for the company name and the owner's name. You are looking for patterns: repeated breach of contract suits, mechanic's liens, judgments.

One lawsuit means little; any business of size gets sued. Nine mean something.

5. Check enforcement actions

The Texas Attorney General's consumer protection division publishes enforcement actions, and the Texas Department of Insurance publishes storm-fraud warnings. Both are searchable and both are primary sources.

6. Ask for references from three or more years ago

Recent references only prove the company can start a job. References from three years back prove it was still reachable when a problem surfaced — which is when a workmanship warranty is actually worth something.

Ask for three, in your ZIP code, from work completed at least three years ago.

The six questions

Ask these in order. Discomfort is data.

  1. What is your physical business address in Tarrant County, and how long have you been at it?
  2. Will your insurer send me your liability and workers' compensation certificates directly?
  3. Who holds the workmanship warranty, for how long, and what happens to it if the company closes?
  4. Are you a manufacturer-certified installer, and may I verify that with the manufacturer?
  5. Will you provide lien waivers from your suppliers and subcontractors on final payment?
  6. Can I have three references in this ZIP code from work completed three or more years ago?
One answer ends the conversation. If a contractor offers to pay, waive, rebate or absorb your insurance deductible, that is prohibited by Texas Insurance Code §707.003 — and it usually means the invoice sent to your insurer will be inflated to cover the difference. The misrepresentation is made in your name, on your claim. Ask them to leave.

Two rules with no exceptions: get it in writing before work begins, and never pay in full up front. A deposit is normal; full prepayment is not.

Know what your roof is worth before anyone quotes it

The homeowner who already has independent documentation is a much harder person to mislead. A free HomFax inspection gives you a dated, timestamped record of your roof's actual condition — before anybody knocks on your door with an opinion about it.

Book a free inspection Free, about 45 minutes, no obligation.