Before you sign with a roofer: the questions that separate pros from storm chasers

Ask these before anything gets signed

Before you sign with a roofer, ask where their office is, who carries their insurance, exactly what the written scope includes, how and when you pay, how your deductible is handled, and who will be on your roof and answering your calls. A reputable contractor answers all of that plainly and puts it in writing. If the answers are vague, the contract will be too, and vague contracts are where roof jobs go wrong.

I run Verde Roofing out of an office in Plano, and much of our work follows North Texas storms. After a big hail event, homeowners meet five or six roofers in a week, and from the outside they all look the same. The questions below are the ones that make the differences visible. Ask them of everyone, including us.

Where are you, and will you be here next year?

A roof is a long-term purchase, and the company that installs it should still exist when you need a repair or warranty help. The Texas Department of Insurance advises using a local company and verifying the contractor's local address and phone number. That sounds obvious, but after a big storm, crews arrive from other states, rent a temporary office or work from a truck, and move on when the weather does.

Ask for the street address and drive by it if you are unsure. Ask how long the company has worked in North Texas and for recent local references, then call them. Ask about trade association membership; we are an accredited member of the North Texas Roofing Contractors Association and a member of the Roofing Contractors Association of Texas. Texas does not issue a state license for roofing contractors, so these signals and the references carry more weight here than they would in a state where a license number settles the question.

• What is your physical office address, and how long have you been there?
• Can I speak with three customers whose roofs you replaced in the last year?
• Which trade associations are you a member of?
• If I have a leak two years from now, who do I call?

Who is insured, and for what?

A roof is a dangerous worksite. Ask for a certificate of general liability insurance and confirm it is current, and ask how the workers on your roof are covered if someone is hurt. The Federal Trade Commission advises asking any contractor for proof of insurance rather than taking their word for it. A certificate sent directly from the insurance agent is better than a photocopy handed over at the kitchen table.

Ask, too, who actually does the installation. Many roofing companies, ours included, use installation crews, and that is normal in the trade. What matters is who supervises them, who inspects the work, and whether the company you sign with stands behind it.

What exactly is in the written scope?

The FTC says a written estimate should describe the work, the materials, the completion date and the price. For a roof, that means more detail than a single line reading new roof. Ask to see the specific shingle line and color, the underlayment, how flashing will be handled, what ventilation will be installed, and how damaged decking will be priced if it is found. If two bids differ by a lot, the difference is usually hiding in exactly these items.

Comparing bids side by side is a skill of its own, and the method in comparing three bids that do not match works for roofing as well as remodeling. Put every item in a row and see who included what.

• Brand, line and color of the roofing material.
• Underlayment type and whether ice-and-water shield goes in valleys.
• Flashing: replaced or reused at walls, chimneys and skylights.
• Drip edge, starter strip, ridge cap and ventilation.
• Per-sheet price for decking replacement if rot is found.
• Cleanup, magnet sweep for nails and haul-off of debris.
• Gutters, screens or other exterior items included or excluded.

How does payment work, and when?

Ask exactly when each payment is due and what triggers it. TDI's advice after storms is direct: do not pay in full up front, and do not make the final payment until the work is done. On an insurance job, payment usually tracks the claim, because insurers often release money in stages. Ask how the contractor handles that timing and get it written into the contract.

The FTC also warns about contractors who push their own financing or ask you to borrow from a lender they know. If you need financing, shop it yourself and understand the terms. And never sign a contract with blank spaces; TDI and the FTC both say so, because a blank can be filled in later with anything.

What happens with my deductible and my claim?

This question tells you more about a roofer than any other. The Texas Department of Insurance states that it is illegal for contractors to waive your deductible or help you avoid paying it, and that rebates or credits in the amount of the deductible are also illegal. TDI adds that your insurer can ask for proof you paid the deductible before it pays the full claim. A roofer who offers to cover it is either inflating the estimate or planning to cut corners elsewhere.

Then ask how they work with the insurer. Will they meet the adjuster on site? Will they review the insurer's estimate and request additions for anything missed? Will they follow up when the carrier goes quiet? Those are the things we do on storm work, and I walk through them in our guide to how a hail claim works from inspection to finished roof. Be cautious with anyone who asks you to sign your claim over to them or to endorse your insurance check directly to them before work is done.

Who will I talk to while the job is running?

Ask who your point of contact is from the inspection through the final walkthrough. In a well-run company, the person who inspected your roof and explained the damage is either the person running the job or hands you to a named project manager who knows your file. Our customers deal with me or with a project manager they know by name, not with a call center.

Ask how scheduling works, how much notice you get before the crew arrives, what happens if rain moves in mid-job, and how the yard, pool and driveway will be protected. Good answers here predict a smooth job. If you want to see what an install day looks like before you sign, our guide on how long a roof replacement takes lays out the timeline.

Red flags that should end the conversation

Some answers are disqualifying no matter how good the price looks. The FTC lists warning signs that match what we see after every big storm in Dallas: door-to-door pitches because the crew is in the area, pressure for an immediate decision, demands for cash or full payment up front, and asking you to pull the permits yourself. TDI adds that you should be careful if one bid is a lot lower than the others.

The FTC also notes that if you sign a contract in your home, the contractor must give you a written statement of your right to cancel within three business days. If someone tells you there is no way out of a contract you signed at the kitchen table that morning, that alone tells you who you are dealing with.

• Offers to waive, cover or rebate your deductible.
• Pressure to sign the same day, or a price that expires tonight.
• No physical local office, or a phone number that goes nowhere.
• A contract with blanks, or no written scope at all.
• A request to sign over your claim or your insurance check before work is done.
• Telling you to file a claim before anyone has inspected the roof.

Mistakes homeowners make at the signing table

The most common one is signing an inspection agreement without reading it. Some of these are really contracts that commit you to that roofer if the claim is approved. Read every page, and if a document says contingency agreement or authorization, ask exactly what it binds you to. Several of the other errors I see are covered in our list of claim myths that cost homeowners money.

The second is choosing on shingle brand alone. A good shingle installed with reused flashing and poor ventilation will underperform a modest shingle installed well. The third is letting price be the only filter. The FTC warns not to automatically pick the lowest bidder, and in roofing the cheapest bid is often the one that left items out.

How we answer these questions

When we come out, we start with a free inspection of the roof and exterior. We photograph what we find, explain what is storm damage and what is age, and give you a written estimate that lists the materials and the scope item by item. If there is a claim, we explain the process and the forms and meet the adjuster on site. You can ask every question in this guide, and you should.

We work across Collin, Dallas, Denton, Tarrant, Rockwall and the surrounding counties, on homes and on commercial buildings. Whoever you hire, the right roofer is the one whose answers you understand and whose contract says exactly what they told you in person.

Questions people ask me