How to Check a Roofer Is Actually Insured in Ontario

Almost every roofing company in Ontario says it is insured. Very few will show you anything. The difference matters more than most homeowners realise, because if it turns out not to be true, the exposure lands on you and not on the contractor.

There are two separate things to check, they are not the same thing, and a company can genuinely have one without the other. Here is what each one is and how to see it for yourself.

The two things you are checking

WSIB coverage is workplace injury insurance. It covers the people on your roof if one of them gets hurt. Roofing is work at height, and a fall is the kind of injury that generates a very large claim.

Commercial general liability insurance is different. It covers damage the contractor causes: a ladder through your window, water in your ceiling because the roof was left open before a storm, a dropped bundle on your car.

One does nothing for the other. Ask about both, separately, and do not accept a single reassuring sentence that covers neither.

How to verify WSIB coverage

The Workplace Safety and Insurance Board issues something called a clearance. It is a unique number given to a registered business, and it confirms that the business is registered with the WSIB and up to date on its reporting and premium payments. Only a business in good standing can obtain one.

Two details are worth knowing:

• A clearance expires. It is valid for up to 90 days. A certificate from two years ago tells you what was true two years ago.
• It is easy for the contractor to get. A registered business can request a clearance through the WSIB's online services immediately. If a roofer tells you it is difficult or slow, that is worth noticing.

In construction, coverage is generally mandatory, and that includes many one-person businesses that would be exempt in other industries. So "it is just me, I do not need it" is not the reassurance it sounds like.

Ask for a current clearance certificate before work starts. Not after.

How to verify liability insurance

Ask for a certificate of insurance. This is a one-page document issued by the insurer or the broker, not by the contractor. It is not a logo on a truck, a line on a website or a laminated card.

When you have it in your hand, read four things:

• The policy dates. Is it in force today, and will it still be in force on the last day of your job?
• The coverage amount. Two million is common in Ontario residential work. Five million is not.
• The named insured. Does the name on the certificate match the name on your quote? Not a related company, not a similar name.
• Who issued it. It should come from an insurance company or broker, with their contact details on it, and you are entitled to call them.

Questions worth asking out loud

You do not need to be adversarial about this. A contractor who carries proper coverage is usually pleased to be asked, because it is a cost their cheapest competitors are avoiding.

• Can you send me a current WSIB clearance certificate?
• Can you send me a certificate of insurance from your broker?
• Will subcontractors be on my roof, and are they covered under the same policies or their own?
• Who is responsible if the roof is open and it rains?

That third question catches the most people out. A company can be perfectly well insured and still send a crew that is not.

Why the cheapest quote is often the uninsured one

Coverage costs money, and it is one of the easiest costs to skip while still sounding professional on the phone. When one quote is dramatically below the others, insurance is one of the first places to look for the difference, alongside the parts of the roof assembly you cannot see once the panels are on.

The saving is real. It is just that you are the one carrying the risk that was removed to create it.

What Highland carries

Highland carries five million dollars in commercial general liability insurance and is covered by the WSIB. We will send both certificates on request, before you commit to anything, and we would encourage you to ask the same of everyone else you are getting a price from.

We have been roofing in Ontario since 2004, working out of Caledon across the Greater Toronto Area and cottage country. If you would like the paperwork along with a quote, ask us for both.