When a storm damages your home, you want it fixed as soon as possible. Unfortunately, con artists and scammers know what you want also, and they have a number of tricks to make a quick buck on residential roofing. Read on to find out what you should watch out for, and how you can avoid the opportunist storm-chasers.
Residential Roofing Scams to Avoid
The Bait
Scammers usually try to entice your interest with what sounds like a great opportunity. You might have a “roofing expert” tell you that he’s just completed a job for one of your neighbors, and since he has leftover material, he’ll do a job for you at a hefty discount. This sort of crew will likely use shoddy materials and poor workmanship. Your new roof won’t even last half as long as it should.
Or you may have a grifter tell you that he sees damage to your roof that you can’t see yourself. If you walk away, these people may even quickly cause damage to your roof themselves! In this scenario you may end up paying for a new roof that you didn’t even need.
Other swindlers will present you with an extremely low bid which undercuts legitimate businesses. However, once you hire them, they will keep adding on to the price. By the time the final bill is settled, you’ll pay more than if you’d hired a reputable company to start with.
There’s no need for you to fall victim to these residential roofing scams, however. Keep reading to see the simple ways you can spot scammers a mile away.
Protecting Yourself
- Ask to see licenses, insurance, and safety records. This step will protect you from many scammers who are just chasing an easy payday and shoddy outfits who wouldn’t have provided you with good quality work.
- Compare their estimate to the quotes from local residential roofing companies. If the numbers are much higher, or much lower, you know that something suspicious is going on and you should beware. You should also make sure that you do not pay more than 20% of a quoted price as a down payment.
- Pay attention to how they communicate with you and how they present themselves. If they do not communicate in a professional manner, hold themselves accountable, or have the tools and materials to actually do the job, then you can be sure that you need to avoid that crew.
Hire the Residential Roofing Experts
With these tips you’ll be ready when residential roofing scammers try to capitalize on the situation after a storm. If you’ve already been in communication with local roofing companies ahead of time, then you will know what good pricing and work crews look like. So be prepared and call Home Crafters today.