Questions to Ask Before Hiring a Roofer (10 That Expose the Bad Ones)
UHBy UsefulHow Editorial Team·Published Jul 31, 2026·Updated Jul 31, 2026·7 min read
Quick AnswerBefore you hire a roofer, ask ten things: license and insurance proof, tear-off vs overlay, who pulls the permit, what's under the shingles, the per-sheet price for rotten decking, crew vs subs, payment schedule, and both warranties in writing. Vague answers to any of them are your answer.
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A roof replacement is one of the biggest checks you'll ever write on your house, and the work is done in a few days by people you'll never see again, 20 feet above your head. You can't inspect the quality from the ground — but you can inspect the roofer. These are the questions to ask before hiring a roofer, grouped by what they're really testing. Good contractors answer all ten without blinking, because the answers are already in their standard contract. Before the meeting, it also helps to know whether the number on the bid is even in the right range — the material, size, and pitch breakdown in our guide to how much a new roof costs gives you that yardstick.
First: Are You Legit?
License, Insurance, and a Real Address- "Are you licensed to roof here, and can I verify it?" A real roofer gives you the license number on the spot. Requirements vary by state — some license roofers directly, some don't — which is exactly why you check rather than assume; how to check if a contractor is licensed walks through the lookup.
- "Will your insurance agent send me your certificates directly?" You want current liability insurance and workers' comp, with the certificate coming from the insurer or agent — not a photocopy produced from the truck. No workers' comp means an injured roofer on your roof can become your financial problem.
- "What's your physical address, and how long have you worked under this name?" A yard, an office, a local history. A P.O. box, a brand-new company name, and out-of-state plates is the storm-chaser profile: here after the hail, gone before the first leak.
The Job Itself
What Actually Goes On Your Roof- "Are you tearing off the old roof, or shingling over it?" Tear-off is the answer you want in almost every case. It exposes the decking so rot gets found and fixed, and many shingle warranties assume it. An overlay hides problems, adds real weight, and usually shortens the new roof's life.
- "Who pulls the permit?" The roofer, in the roofer's name. If a contractor asks you to pull a homeowner permit, walk away — it shifts code compliance and liability from them to you, and reputable companies never ask.
- "Exactly what goes under the shingles?" Listen for specifics: ice-and-water shield at the eaves and valleys in cold climates, synthetic underlayment, drip edge, and a ventilation plan. "We do it right" is not an answer; a layer-by-layer list is.
- "Whose crew is on my roof, and who's my daily contact?" Subcontracted crews aren't automatically a problem — roofing runs on subs — but the company should know exactly who's coming and give you one named person to call while the job runs.
Money and Paper
The Questions That Prevent the Upsell- "Is this price fixed — and what's the per-sheet charge if you find rotten decking?" This is the most valuable question on the list. Decking surprises are where a low bid doubles mid-job, with your roof open and no leverage. A per-sheet price for replacement decking, written into the contract before tear-off, turns a blank check into a known number.
- "What's the payment schedule?" A modest deposit — or payment when materials are delivered — is normal in many states, and some states cap deposits by law. Full payment upfront, or cash only, is neither. Final payment should land after cleanup and a walkthrough, not before.
- "Which warranties do I get, and can I see both in writing?" There are two, and they're different: the manufacturer's shingle warranty and the roofer's own workmanship warranty. Ask how many years the workmanship coverage runs — several years is common, longer is a good sign — and make sure both end up on paper you keep.
The Door-Knocker TestIf a roofer appears at your door after a storm and offers to "take care of your deductible," understand what you're being invited into: inflating or waiving the deductible is insurance fraud in most states, and signing makes you part of it. The same goes for signing anything — especially an assignment of benefits — on the spot, at the door, under time pressure. A roofer worth hiring will still be worth hiring tomorrow.
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Mistakes Homeowners Make in This Conversation
Hiring on price alone. Roofing bids for the same job usually cluster. The bid that's thousands lower isn't a bargain — it's a plan to make it up in decking charges and skipped layers. Getting one quote. One number tells you nothing about the market; the standard advice on how many contractor quotes to get applies to roofs as much as any other big job. Accepting verbal promises. If the tear-off, the decking price, and the warranty aren't in the written contract, they were never promised. Forgetting cleanup. Ask about the magnetic nail sweep, dumpster placement, and protecting your landscaping — a thousand old nails in your yard is the souvenir nobody wants.
The Bottom Line
Ten questions, and the pattern matters more than any single answer. The right roofer treats them as routine — license number, certificates from the agent, permit in their name, decking price in the contract — because that's how they already work. Hesitation on insurance, permits, or the decking charge is the loudest answer you'll get. If the conversation starts to feel familiar, run it against the classic red flags when hiring a contractor and trust what lines up. One timing note if solar is anywhere in your plans: panels sit on a roof for 25 years, so work through our before you install solar panels checklist before signing either contract — replacing a tired roof first is far cheaper than pulling panels off to reroof underneath them later.
How much of a deposit should a roofer ask for?It varies by state — some cap contractor deposits by law — but the healthy pattern is a modest deposit or payment when materials arrive, progress payments on larger jobs, and the final chunk only after the work and cleanup are done. Full price upfront, especially in cash, is the pattern to refuse.
Should the roofer pull the permit, or should I?The roofer, in their own name. Pulling a homeowner permit makes you the legally responsible party for code compliance on a job you're paying a professional to do — which is precisely why a contractor who suggests it is telling you something about themselves.
How long does a roof replacement take?For a typical single-family home, tear-off and replacement usually runs one to three days once the crew starts, weather permitting. Bigger, steeper, or more complex roofs take longer. What you're really scheduling around is the start date — good roofers are often booked weeks out in season.
Is it okay if a roofer offers to cover my deductible?No. Waiving or absorbing your insurance deductible is fraud in most states, and the homeowner who signs for it is exposed too. Beyond the legal problem, think about what it signals: a company that starts the relationship by proposing a small crime has told you how it handles the big obligations.
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UHUsefulHow Editorial TeamWe test home repairs in real houses and write the guides we wish we'd had. Every guide is reviewed against manufacturer instructions and current building codes.