12 questions to ask before hiring a roofer
Roofing has the highest variance of any home service in contractor quality. A great crew installs a 30-year roof; a bad crew installs a 5-year disaster. These 12 questions cut through the noise.
Licensing and insurance (questions 1–4)
1. Are you licensed as a roofing contractor in this state? (Mandatory in most states; check the state board.) 2. What's your general liability insurance and worker's comp coverage? (Get certificates, verify with insurer.) 3. How long have you been licensed under THIS company name? (Storm chasers often operate under multiple shell companies.) 4. Are you a manufacturer-certified installer for any specific shingle brands? (Allows extended warranties.)
Warranty and workmanship (questions 5–8)
5. What's your workmanship warranty? (Reputable: 5–10 years on labor.) 6. How is the manufacturer's material warranty registered? (Some require manufacturer-certified install for the full warranty.) 7. What's your process if a leak appears within the warranty period? 8. Will the warranty be in writing, by name, signed?
Project details (questions 9–11)
9. Will you do a full tear-off or overlay? (Tear-off is almost always the right answer for re-roofs.) 10. What underlayment and ice-and-water shield will you install? (Should be specific, not 'whatever's required by code.') 11. What's the timeline and what's the weather contingency?
Payment (question 12)
12. What's the payment schedule? Standard: 0–30% deposit, balance on completion. Reputable contractors NEVER require full payment upfront. Storm chasers often demand 50%+ deposits and then disappear.
These 12 questions take 15 minutes and rule out 80% of bad operators. Combine with checking state license + BBB + Google reviews from the last 12 months (not older). Skipping due diligence on roofing is the most expensive mistake in home services.