Hiring a Roofing Contractor Checklist: Download Our Questionnaire

Choosing the right roofing contractor is not an easy thing. Nowadays, everybody with a white truck claims to be a roofing contractor. But still, you need an excellent roofing service; after all, your house is by far your most valuable asset. That’s why we created for you a new hiring a roofing contractor checklist.

An investment like roof installation or roof replacement is not a joke (your household wellbeing depends on it).

Few projects have a more significant impact on energy-efficiency, long-term protection, and homeowner peace-of-mind like roofing.

Since you’ll be putting your roof (the structural component that protects your entire home) into their hands, you either are 100% committed to one roofing company, or you can evaluate another option.

We invite you to read the list of the most important questions before hiring a roofing contractor.

And we also created a checklist you can download!

Hiring a Roofing Contractor Checklist:

1. Are You a Licensed Roofing Contractor?
2. Are You Insured? Do You Have Worker’s Compensation and Liability Insurance?
3. Do You Offer FREE & Written Quotes?
4. Do You Guarantee Your Work?
5. Will You Provide at Least Three References for my Research?

Hiring a Roofing Contractor Checklist: Always Ask These Questions!

Are You a Licensed Roofing Contractor?

This is the most crucial question you need to ask a roofing contractor before anything else. That’s why it’s no wonder why we bluntly added this question at the beginning of our list.

So, ask the roofing contractor if he counts on a license that allows him to work in your state. Keep in mind that license requirements vary by state.

If the roofing contractor says he/she is licensed, ask them to show you or send an email with a copy of their current State and Local licenses. A professional roofer will never object to do this.

Once you get the license number, call the licensing office to confirm that the roofer’s license is valid, and it doesn’t have any outstanding violations.

Are You Insured? Do You Have Worker’s Compensation and Liability Insurance?

Liability insurance is the guarantee that your contractor will make its best effort to deliver a professional result according to your needs.

Both parties must put their cards on the table. Proof of insurance will give you the peace of mind you deserve as a homeowner. By knowing that a coverage protects your investment, you won’t have to fear in getting lousy results.

Make sure that your contractor has worker’s compensation and general liability insurance to protect their crew while they are working in your house.

Ask the roofing company to show the certificates and provide a copy to you (whether hard or digital). They must provide proof of insurance to you. This tells you they care for your business. Also, an insurance shows you that they care for you and that they want to play clean.

Make sure to call the insurance carrier to confirm that the certificates are valid and ask the insurance company whether the roofing contractor is at least exceeding the minimum state requirements.

Insurance and licensing give you an extra assurance of a roofer’s skills and expertise as well as their commitment to clients.

Do You Offer FREE & Written Quotes?

It’s important to know that if the roofing company you are considering for the job offers free estimates.

Roofing installation or roofing replacement are costly projects. Of course, 100% of homeowners ask for a free estimate before hiring a roofer.

But here is where everything gets interesting. Did you get your quote over the phone? Or did the roofer come over to see the job site? You’ll prefer to work with someone who visits potential clients and talk to them to address their needs better.

Now, let’s suppose the roofer got to your house. Did the roofer ask relevant questions to know the scale of the roofing project at hand?

Did the roofing company make the proper inspections to determine the cost of the project?

Last but not least, did you get your FREE QUOTE IN WRITING?

Does the free estimate have a detailed breakdown of each expense?

Providing written, accurate, and detailed quotes are something that professional roofers do.

We thought that creating a hiring a roofing contractor checklist was a great idea. This is so because we want that you hire the right company to replace your roof or install a brand new roof for you.

Do You Guarantee Your Work?

We included this question in our “hiring a roofer” checklist because we know how expensive it’s to repair or replace your roof.

We know that in an asphalt roof installation, most homeowners spend between $5,100 and $10,100. And of course, such amount of money would better have some backup.

So, ask the roofer is he/she offers guarantees on their roofs. You don’t want to bet. You want to trust your money to the best local roofing company.

Make sure they back up your roofing project not only through spoken words but with written documents. Some roofers even provide warranties of the roofing products and materials they recommend.

And keep this in mind:

Any reputable roofing company will be willing to stand behind the quality of their work. You want to work with a roofing contractor that holds himself/herself accountable for any mistake or roof repair that might arise on the job site. And obviously, you don’t want to be the one who pays the bill if something is done incorrectly.

That commitment and accountability give you good signs you are choosing an experienced, reliable, honest, and competent roofer.

Will You Provide at Least Three References for my Research?

This is one of the most critical questions of our hiring a roofing contractor checklist. Never forget to ask for a roofer’s references since this can save your investment.

But don’t make it easy on them. The contractor may offer a list of only those customers he knows are satisfied with his work. Instead, change the table in your favor and ask for the phone numbers of the last three clients.

Now that the roofer left your house after giving the estimate, it’s time to call the three contacts you got and ask them:

1. Was it easy to talk to this roofing contractor and his crew?
2. How the roofing project progressed?
3. Did the roofer fulfill his obligations as expected and promised?
4. Were you pleased with the quality of their work?
5. Did the roofing crew clean up the job site before leaving every day?
6. Did the roofing contractor respect your property?
7. Were there any accidents? If so, did the roofing company repair any accidental damages?
8. Did they finish the roofing project on time?
9. Would you recommend this contractor without hesitation?

It’s important to talk to recent clients because their experience is a good indicator of what you can expect.

If you like to go deeper into your research, you can ask for more references. But this time, ask the contractor to provide references from at least two clients with roofing projects that he/she completed three or more years ago.

And you guessed it right. These contacts will give you an unbiased opinion on the roofer and tell you about the long-term quality of their roof systems.

Did the Roofer Show Up on Time for Your Appointment?

Did the roofing contractor show up on time to evaluate your house and give you an estimate?

If, on the first visit, the roofer showed up one or two hours late, this can translate to your roofing project being out of schedule in the future.

Punctuality is the best way to show respect, commitment, and courtesy to others. And punctuality is the result of the proper way of someone managing his/her time.

Time management is vital when it comes to a roofing replacement or roof installation project.

A roofer that shows up late means that he is having a hard time managing his and his crew’s time.

And poor time management in a building contractor means unhappy homeowners due to late results.

What Was the First Impression the Roofer Create?

Now, think back of the moment you first saw the roofer you’re currently evaluating.

And ask yourself the following questions:

• Was the roofer’s appearance professional-looking?
• Did he look clean and neat?
• Did the roofer show up in a well-conditioned truck, branded with his company name?

If the answer is YES to these three questions, that means the roofer will put his heart and soul to do a good job and respect your property.

If the roofer cares about his professional appearance, that means that he/she is someone you can trust.

Download Our Questionnaire, Evaluate & Pick the Best Roofer in Your Area

We took the time to create a printable questionnaire that can be yours. You can download it, print it, and fill it out.

But if you don’t have a printer handy (or if you want to go green and paperless), you can edit our checklist using your phone or tablet. And when you finish editing, you can download it with the answers and info you added.

We wish you luck in choosing the right roofing contractor for your upcoming project.

If you found our hiring a roofing contractor checklist useful, don’t forget to share it with friends and family. See you next time