After a storm you will have a choice between a company that has been here for years and a crew that arrived on Tuesday. Telling them apart takes about ten minutes, and almost nobody does it.
The three documents. Verify all three, every time.
1. Alberta prepaid contracting licence
Under Alberta's consumer protection legislation, a business that takes any payment from a consumer before the work is completely finished is a prepaid contractor and must hold a licence issued by Service Alberta. Essentially every roofing company takes a deposit or a progress draw, so essentially every roofing company needs one.
It matters because licensed prepaid contractors are bonded, and the bond can compensate customers left stranded. Directors also go through a background check. You can search the Service Alberta business licence registry yourself. Ask for the licence number, then look it up — do not accept a laminated card.
2. WCB Alberta clearance letter
If an uninsured worker is injured on your roof, liability can reach the homeowner. A current clearance letter costs the contractor nothing to produce and is verifiable on the WCB Alberta registry. Check the date on it, not the logo.
3. Certificate of liability insurance
Two million dollars is the working minimum. Ask to be named on the certificate for the duration of the project, and check the expiry date. A certificate that lapsed in March is a piece of paper, not coverage.
Eight questions worth asking
- What is your physical address in the Edmonton area? Not a PO box, not a number that rings a call centre in another province.
- Who installs — employees or subcontractors? Either is fine. What matters is that whoever is on the roof is covered by the WCB clearance you were shown.
- What is the workmanship warranty, in writing, and for how long? Manufacturer warranties cover the shingle. Workmanship warranties cover the installation, and that is where failures actually come from — how the two differ, and what voids each one.
- Is tear-off and disposal in the price?
- What is the per-sheet rate for decking replacement? Anyone who says it will not be needed has not seen your deck.
- Does the quote include ice-and-water membrane, new flashing, drip edge, starter and ridge cap? Line by line.
- What is the payment schedule? A modest deposit, progress payments tied to milestones, and a final payment on completion. Not the full amount up front.
- Will you attend the adjuster meeting? On an insurance job, this one question separates the companies who understand claims from the ones who just install shingles.
Four answers that should end the conversation
- “We'll cover your deductible.” Illegal in Alberta and insurance fraud. The clearest single red flag there is.
- “This price is only good if you sign today.” Manufactured urgency. Your roof is not going anywhere.
- “We need full payment up front.” No legitimate roofer needs the whole amount before starting.
- “Just sign here so we can inspect.” Read what you are signing. This is frequently a contingency agreement that binds you to use them for the work if the claim is approved.
On reviews
Read the two- and three-star reviews, not the five-star ones. They are where you find out how a company behaves when something goes wrong, which is the only thing you actually need to know. Check whether the company responds, and how. A cluster of reviews all posted in the same week is worth noticing.
Get it in writing
A scope that lists materials and quantities. A price with the decking rate stated. A payment schedule. A start window. A workmanship warranty with a term on it. If the scope changes the structure or the roof line, it should also say who applies for the permit and who pays the fee — permit rules across Edmonton and the Capital Region. If it is not written down, it is not agreed — and after a big storm, memories on both sides get conveniently vague.
Before you hire anyone
Ask whoever you are talking to how they handle the insurance side, not just the roof: what a roof claim involves in Alberta is the part most contractors hand back to the homeowner. A written, dated report from a free inspection is also a fair test of a company — you find out what its documentation actually looks like before you commit to anything.