Red Flags to Look For in Roofing Companies

Red flags to look for to know what roofing companies to avoid and how to find a good company you can trust.

Not all roofing companies are the same and it pays to be selective and to shop around before you hire the first roofing company that you encounter. There are a lot of different ways to tell if a contractor is good or not good before you sign anything or give away any checks. The biggest red flags can be found in the scammers who troll neighborhoods looking for victims. Legitimate roofing companies do not drive through neighborhoods, knock on doors and tell whomever answers that their roof is in dire need of repair and they can do it on the cheap. 

Some common red flags to be aware of if you are looking for a roofing company included red flag number one- cold calling. Legitimate roofing contractors do not cold call clients. Roofing companies, just like any other business advertise their goods and services but they do not cold call consumers to drum up business. Anyone doing the door to door trolling is not a contractor you should be doing business with.

Another red flag to look for is contractors who attempt to assess your roof repair or replacement needs from the ground. Any roofing contractor who doesn’t go up to your roof to look at the job should be avoided. How can anyone tell what type of damage you have or how extensive your roofing repair needs are without looking? A good roofer will always go up on the roof and examine the roof to check for damage and decide if you need a new roof or just repairs and patches down.

Finally a third red flag when it comes to roofing companies is any contractor that wants to be paid 100% up front. You should expect a contractor to ask for half up front and half when the job is completed. The up front money is intended to pay for the contractor’s roofing supplies for your home. If you encounter a bad business man /roofing contractor that needs all of the money up front to do your job, it’s a good indicator that he hasn’t been paying his bills on past jobs and needs your money to get caught up. A good contractor is up to date on his bills and paying his employees. Don’t ignore this red flag or it will come back to bite you.

As easy as it is to spot the red flags it is also easy to find a good roofing contractor. Check with your states online contractor board and find out if there are any liens against the contractor’s license. You can also find out if there have ever been any complaints filed and their outcome. You can also do a basic reference check with the roofing companies you are interested in and call the references they provide. Is the client happy with the job the company did and would they use them again and would they refer them to a friend? If the answer is yes, you found a good roofer.

Article Tags: Roofing Companies

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