Homeowners check more than ever, and still get hurt, because the
licence lookup is one page and the problems live on six others. Here is what the
record looks like when it is good, and what it looks like when it is not.
Who holds the licence · what good looks like
The qualifier is an officer of the company, and on the crew.
The RMO whose exam the licence rests on is listed as a principal, appears on the company's own staff page, and qualifies no other company. The person responsible is the person on your roof.
ConFacts checks the CSLB personnel list against the company's own site, and every other licence the qualifier holds.
Who holds the licence · what goes wrong
The licence belongs to someone who isn't there.
A licensed qualifier (RMO) lends their credential to a company they never visit. The crew on your roof is effectively unlicensed. If the work fails, the bond may not respond and your manufacturer warranty can be void.
ConFacts checks the qualifier against every other licence they hold, and against the company's own staff.
Workers' compensation · what good looks like
Comp is active, with the carrier and dates on the state record.
A named carrier, a policy that runs past your job's end date, and a crew size that matches the filing. If someone is hurt on your property, the policy pays, not you.
ConFacts checks the comp filing on the state record and its dates, against the crew the company advertises.
Workers' compensation · what goes wrong
“Exempt” workers' comp, and a crew of eight.
A contractor can file as having no employees. When a worker falls on your property and there is no policy, the injury claim can be made against you, the homeowner.
ConFacts checks the comp filing on the state record, then compares it to the crew the company advertises.
Certifications · what good looks like
GAF Master Elite, confirmed in GAF's own directory.
The tier on the website is the tier in the manufacturer's directory, under the name the company trades under. The 50-year warranty in the bid can actually be registered on your roof.
ConFacts checks GAF, Owens Corning and CertainTeed's own directories under every name the company uses.
Certifications · what goes wrong
The badge on the website isn't in the manufacturer's directory.
Certification tiers decide which warranty can be registered on your roof. A pasted logo is not a certification. The 50-year warranty in the bid may not exist.
ConFacts checks whether the tier claimed is the tier held, and flags the difference.
Liens & history · what good looks like
No open liens, and a licence as old as the website says.
County records show no lien or judgment, the licence date matches the years the company claims, and there are no prior names. The company you are paying is the company that will honour the warranty.
ConFacts checks county recorder and court records, prior names, and licence age against the company's claims.
Liens & history · what goes wrong
A lien from the last job is still open.
When a contractor doesn't pay a supplier, the supplier can lien the property the materials went into. Next time, that property can be yours. Nearly half of construction firms are gone in five years, and a new name starts clean.
ConFacts checks county recorder filings, civil judgments and bankruptcies, and every prior name.