Protect Yourself From These 3 Common Roofing Scams

A house is more than just a place to sleep and store your things! A home should be an inviting and relaxing retreat for you and your family. It’s a financial investment that might be left to your children or sold to fund a comfortable retirement. To protect your home and your investment, it’s vital that you avoid shady contractors and repair scams!

To avoid getting “taken” by unprofessional and untrustworthy contractors, check out three roofing scams that are all too common today. Then you’ll be able to spot a scam without falling prey to these con-men, keeping your home’s roof in good repair. When it’s time for some repairs or even a complete replacement, you can count on the licensed and insured roofing contractors at Elite Remodeling Services for fast, friendly service and expert repairs you can trust.

1. Storm Chasers

As the name implies, storm chasers track severe storms and then go to those areas and knock on people’s doors. They start by telling them that their roof is severely damaged and needs repairs. Storm chasers don’t only present themselves as roofing contractors, which is why some homeowners fall for this scam.

A storm chaser might say that he or she is an insurance adjuster, a home inspector, a roof inspector, and something believable. Whatever their story, they pressure homeowners to hire them or someone they know for roofing repairs.

Remember that a legitimate roofing contractor will typically have homeowners contacting them after a storm. They are far too busy during storm season to proactively inspect random houses, trying to drum up business.

To protect yourself from bad business, hire a roofing inspector or contractor whom you trust to inspect your home after a storm. Never employ the services of someone who knocks on your door randomly at any time, much less after a storm!

2. The Fake Bid

Another common roofing contractor scam involves purposely underbidding on a job and then adding surprise fees and charges after signing the agreement. To carry out this scam, a shady roofing contractor offers a ‘lowball’ bid to a homeowner whom they sense is desperate to have their roof repaired or replaced. They also target individuals who have a limited budget, just to get a foot in the door.

Once hired, the contractor then tells the homeowner that certain materials are suddenly no longer available or that they need funds for more expensive shingles, flashing, and so on. The contractor may say they’re suddenly facing a shortage of workers and need to tack on some additional charges for labor costs so they can hire more people. There are endless excuses, all designed for profit.

Whatever their excuse, the fees continue to rise and, unless the homeowner agrees to pay more, the contractor refuses to continue with the job! The best way to avoid this scam is to search out multiple bids before hiring. Avoid choosing a contractor based on price alone.

Your final contract should offer a fixed, final price, so there’s no room for added fees and costs once the job has begun.

3. The Job’s Not Done

Roofers know that homeowners typically don’t understand each process involved in roof repairs or a new roof installation. They also know that many homeowners are hesitant to examine or even question the work of a contractor. A dishonest roofer might then leave work unfinished or do a shoddy job (like not nailing shingles properly or not sealing corners and flashing completely).

To avoid this scam, ask bold questions of your contractor during a roof repair or new installation job. Have a roofer point out the work they’re doing, walking you through the visuals from before and after. Do a bit of research about the repairs needed for your roof so you more readily recognize a job well done and recognize the signs of shoddy repairs, such as uneven or loose shingles.

While a homeowner does well to educate themselves about these three common roofing scams, the best way to go is to call a roofing company you can trust! For all the roof repairs and new roof installation work you need, call the home renovation and repair professionals at Elite Remodeling Services on (952) 646-2480.