15 questions to ask a roofer before you sign
Reverse-engineered from public complaint records against roofing companies in nine states. Every question here would have prevented a real one.
This list was built backwards. We read the full public complaint records of eleven roofing companies across nine states, sorted what actually went wrong, and kept only the questions that would have prevented a specific documented complaint.
One caveat, stated up front because it matters: complaint records are by definition a sample of the jobs that failed. Millions of roofs go on every year without incident, and the roofing trade is full of second-generation family companies who will still be answering the phone in a decade. Treat this as a filter for the minority, not a portrait of the trade. Any well-run company answers all fifteen without hesitating — which is precisely what makes them useful.
Before you let them quote
- What is your licence number, and what name is the business registered under? Check it yourself on your state board's free lookup. Ask for the legal entity name too — one complaint record describes a company that "keep changing their name," which is how a long warranty quietly becomes worthless.
- Can your insurer email me your liability and workers' comp certificates directly? Directly from the insurer, not a PDF from the salesperson. If an uninsured worker is injured on your roof it can become your problem. One record notes crews with "no ID of any kind."
- What is your permanent local address, and how long have you been at it? Look it up while you are on the phone. Permanence is the one thing a storm-chasing crew cannot manufacture, and it is what determines whether anyone answers in year three.
- Can you give me three local addresses you roofed in the last two years? Addresses, not curated references. You can drive past a roof and see how it has aged.
- Does this job need a permit, and will you pull it under your licence? A full tear-off needs one nearly everywhere. If they say it is unnecessary, or ask you to pull it in your name, licensing boards treat both as warning signs.
- Will the crew be your employees or subcontractors, and who is my one named contact? Subcontracting is normal. Nobody owning the outcome is not — one homeowner could not get the main contractor to take responsibility for a subcontractor's damage.
Before you sign the contract
- What is the workmanship warranty — length, start date, and what voids it? This is the one that covers early leaks, not the 50-year figure on the shingle brochure. Get it written into the contract. Nearly every warranty complaint in the record began as a verbal assurance.
- What exactly is the payment schedule, tied to what milestones? Deposit tied to materials delivered, not to signing. Final payment after inspection. Complaint records show $11,500 and $23,000 handed over to companies that then never started.
- If this is an insurance job — will I be copied on every document sent to my insurer? Including supplements. Supplements are legitimate and routine, but one documented dispute ran a $16K contract to over $57K, with the roof measurement growing from 29.25 squares to 47.3.
- What brand, product line and colour, in writing — and what happens if it is unavailable? Substitution complaints are common and only discovered afterwards: wrong colour, mismatched shingles, half the roof finished in a different material entirely.
- What is your allowance for rotten decking, and what is the per-sheet price? Decking rot is invisible until tear-off and is the most common legitimate cost increase. Agreeing the unit price in advance turns a surprise into arithmetic.
During and before final payment
- Will you run a magnet sweep, twice, before you leave? The most predictable complaint there is. Homeowners were "still finding nails in my yard" weeks later, and one had a flower garden destroyed.
- Can I see a shingle wrapper and photos of the flashing before you pack up? The wrapper proves the material. Flashing photos are the baseline you will want if a leak appears at a chimney or vent in year two — and flashing is where roofs actually leak.
- Has the final inspection been scheduled, and will you attend it? A pulled permit that never closes leaves an open permit on your property record. One homeowner "never received the final permit inspection for the roof."
- Can I have a lien waiver with the final invoice? Confirms the contractor — ideally the supplier too — has been paid and waives lien rights. In most states a supplier can lien your house over money your contractor failed to pay, even with a paid-in-full receipt in your hand.
Answers that should worry you
It is less about which question gets a no, and more about the character of the answer. These are all from the record:
- “not a legal entity... not a licensed, bonded, and insured company” Homeowner complaint record, IL
- “never pulled permits and did shady unsafe work” Homeowner complaint record, OH
- “We was told that the insurance company told them to use that material however we were not notified” Homeowner complaint record, MO
- “never sent me anything in writing stating that specifically” Homeowner complaint record, OH
- “rescheduled the start date over three times” Homeowner complaint record, OH
- “they will not return calls” Homeowner complaint record, OH
- “keep changing their name” Homeowner complaint record, ME
The short version
Keep calling
- No verifiable local address.
- Licence number not offered, or does not check out.
- Insurance certificates you cannot get from the insurer.
- Wants the insurance cheque endorsed over to them.
- Says the permit is unnecessary — or asks you to pull it.
- Warranty exists only in conversation.
- Offers to waive your deductible.
- Price that expires if you do not sign today.
Sign with them
- Permanent local premises you can look up.
- Licence number volunteered before you ask.
- Certificates sent directly by the insurer.
- Payment tied to milestones you can see.
- Pulls the permit and attends the inspection.
- Workmanship warranty and start date in the contract.
- Names one person accountable for the crew.
- Comfortable with you getting two other estimates.
Find roofers to ask
Three phone calls is the whole method. Every listing here shows the trade, the city and the public rating signals we have, so you can shortlist and start asking rather than taking whichever ad found you first.
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What questions should I ask a roofer before hiring them?
The six that matter most on the first call: your licence number and registered legal name, can your insurer email me the certificates directly, what is your permanent local address, three local addresses you roofed in the last two years, does this job need a permit that you will pull, and will the crew be employees or subcontractors with one named person accountable.
Those six alone prevent the large majority of documented roofing complaints.
How do I verify a roofing contractor is licensed and insured?
Search the licence number on your state board's free public lookup — most take under a minute and show status plus disciplinary history. Licensing requirements for roofers vary by state, so check what yours actually requires.
For insurance, ask that the certificates for liability and workers' compensation be sent to you by the insurance agency, not handed over as a PDF. A certificate is easy to fabricate; an email from the insurer is not.
What should a roofing contract include?
Scope of work, shingle brand/line/colour, a per-sheet price for replacing rotten decking, the payment schedule tied to milestones, the permit and who pulls it, the workmanship warranty term and start date, cleanup obligations including a magnet sweep, and an estimated timeline with what happens if it slips.
If the insurance company is paying, add that you are copied on every document submitted to your insurer — supplements included.
How many estimates should I get for a new roof?
Three is the standard advice for a job this size, and it is the only way to know the going rate for your roof in your market. It also tells you something the price alone cannot: three contractors describing the same roof should broadly agree on the scope.
If one is dramatically cheaper, look at what has been left out — tear-off versus overlay, flashing replacement versus reuse, decking allowance. If one is dramatically more, ask what they saw that the others did not.
Is the cheapest roofing quote a bad sign?
Not automatically — overheads genuinely differ, and a smaller local company without a sales team can be cheaper and better. But compare scope before price.
The common ways a quote gets cheap: going over the existing shingles instead of a full tear-off, reusing old flashing instead of replacing it, no allowance for decking, a shorter workmanship warranty, or no permit. Those are all real cost differences, and the last two are the ones that hurt later.
Should I pay a roofer before the work is finished?
A deposit tied to materials being delivered is normal — roofing materials are a genuine up-front cost. Paying in full before work starts is not, and it removes every piece of leverage you have.
Complaint records show exactly what that costs: $11,500 and $23,000 deposits, and insurance payments taken on jobs that were never begun. Tie payments to milestones you can see, and keep the final payment until the inspection passes.
Do I have to use the roofer my insurance company recommends?
Generally no. Insurers maintain preferred-contractor networks and there are real advantages — vetting, and sometimes a warranty backed by the insurer — but in most cases you are entitled to choose your own licensed contractor.
What you cannot do is choose a contractor and keep the difference: the claim pays for the roof being replaced. Ask your insurer directly what your policy allows before assuming either way.