Questions to Ask a Roofing Contractor
For homeowners collecting quotes for a roof repair or replacement and deciding who to hire. The questions follow the order the decision goes in: the company, what the inspection found, materials and method, price and contract, the days of the work, and warranties and storm claims. Each has a note on what a solid answer sounds like and what should send you for another quote.
Want questions from the whole vault instead? Try the random question generator.
The questions
Each question, and why to ask it
The company
Are you licensed or registered to do roofing where I live, and what is the number?
Why ask it
Rules for roofers differ from one state, county and city to the next, and some places ask only for registration. Take the number and look it up yourself with the office that issued it, which often lists complaints as well. If you are told no license is needed, that may be true, so confirm it with your local building department before you accept it.
Can your insurance agent send me certificates for general liability and workers' compensation?
Why ask it
Roofing is work at height, which is the reason to ask about both policies and not only liability. Have the certificate sent to you by the agent with your name and address on it, then read the description of the work covered: a general contractor's liability policy can leave roofing out. If the crew is said to be exempt from workers' compensation, ask your own home insurer what that would mean for you before going further.
Is roofing your main work, and how long has the company operated under this name?
Why ask it
A remodeler who roofs now and then is a different hire from a roofing company. The name matters because a warranty is only as good as the business that wrote it, and a firm that renames itself every few years leaves its old promises behind. You can usually check the registration date of a business name with your state.
Where are you based, and which roofs near me could I drive past?
Why ask it
After hail or high wind, crews travel in from other regions and move on when the work dries up, which makes a later leak hard to get fixed. A local roofer can name streets without looking anything up. Look at a roof they put on several years ago as well as the one finished last month: the older one shows how the ridge, the valleys and the flashing have held.
Who will be on my roof: your own employees or a subcontracted crew?
Why ask it
Plenty of good roofing companies subcontract the installation, so the answer is not a verdict by itself. What you need to hear is who trained the crew, whose insurance covers them and how long that crew has worked for this company. A roofer who cannot say which crew you would get has not answered.
Who is in charge on site each day, and how do I reach that person?
Why ask it
Decisions on a roof come up early and fast: soft decking found at eight in the morning, a skylight that will not go back the way it came out. You need the name and mobile number of someone on your property who can stop the crew and agree on a price, and that is not always the person who sold you the job. An office line that opens at nine is no help with a question asked at seven.
Are you certified by the maker of the shingles you are quoting, and what does that change for me?
Why ask it
Certification mostly matters because some of the longer manufacturer warranties can only be registered by an enrolled installer. Find out which tier they hold and look the company up on the manufacturer's own site. A badge on the truck with no listing behind it is an answer too.
How many roofs like mine have you done: this pitch, this material, this height?
Why ask it
A steep two-story roof, slate, tile and metal each call for different equipment and skill from a walkable shingle roof. Notice whether they describe your roof accurately without being prompted. If the honest answer is 'not many', you would rather hear it now than see it in the valleys.
Can I call two customers from this year and one from five or more years ago?
Why ask it
The recent two can tell you about the crew, the mess and whether the price held. The older one knows whether the roof stayed dry and whether anyone came back when asked. Put the same thing to all three: what would you do differently if you hired them again?
Tell me about a roof of yours that leaked afterward. What happened?
Why ask it
Any roofer with years behind them has had a callback, usually at a chimney, a valley or a pipe boot. The answer to hope for names the cause and how quickly they were back on the roof. Be wary of 'we have never had a leak'.
The inspection
Did you go into the attic, and what did you see from underneath?
Why ask it
Stains on the underside of the decking, daylight where there should be none, damp insulation and mold are only visible from inside. An estimate written from the driveway or from satellite measurements is a guess about everything under the shingles. If nobody went up, ask them to before you compare quotes.
Can you show me photos of each problem you found and where it is on the roof?
Why ask it
Photos let you put the same spots to the next roofer, which keeps everyone honest. A drone or a ladder both work; 'there is a lot of damage up there' with nothing to look at is not enough to act on. Keep the pictures, since they are useful later for a claim or a sale.
Does this roof need replacing, or would a repair buy me several more years?
Why ask it
Say this one outright, because the person answering usually earns more from a replacement. A fair reply tells you what a repair would cost, how long it would probably hold and why it is or is not worth doing at this roof's age. One quote from a company that does a lot of repair work makes a good cross-check.
Where is the water getting in, and how sure are you?
Why ask it
Water often runs along a rafter or the underlayment before it shows on a ceiling, so the stain can be some distance from the hole. A careful roofer names the likely entry point, says how confident they are and tells you what happens if the first fix does not stop it. Leave this out if you have no leak.
If you repair it, will the patch match the rest of the roof, and do you guarantee the repair?
Why ask it
Shingles fade and product lines get discontinued, so new ones set into an old roof usually show, which matters more on the front slope than the back. Find out whether the guarantee covers the same leak coming back or only the spot they touched. Repair guarantees are usually much shorter than those on a new roof, so get the length in writing.
How many layers of roofing are up there now, and how did you check?
Why ask it
The count decides whether laying over the old roof is even possible and how much the tear-off and disposal will cost. It takes a minute to check at the edge of the roof. A quote that assumes one layer and finds two is a classic first-morning price increase.
What shape do you expect the decking to be in, and what is that based on?
Why ask it
Nobody can see all of the wood until the shingles are off, and an honest roofer says so. What they can tell you is what the attic, the feel underfoot and the age of the house suggest. The eaves, the area around the chimney and anywhere under an old leak are the usual soft spots.
Which part of this roof would fail first if I did nothing?
Why ask it
This shows whether they really looked: you should get a place and a reason, such as a cracked pipe boot, a valley packed with leaves or lifted shingles on the windy side. It also tells you how urgent the work is. If the weak point is one small item, a repair now and a new roof in a few years may be a reasonable plan.
Is anything else up there near the end of its life: gutters, fascia, the chimney crown, the skylights?
Why ask it
These are cheaper to deal with while the roof is open and a crew is already on site. A skylight as old as the roof is the common example, because swapping it later means disturbing new shingles. Have each extra priced as its own line so that you can say no to it.
Materials and method
Do you recommend tearing off the old roof or laying new shingles over it, and why?
Why ask it
Laying over costs less, adds weight and leaves the decking and the flashings unseen. Whether a second layer is allowed at all depends on your local building code and on the shingle maker's instructions, so ask how it works where you live. If an overlay is what they propose, find out what it does to the warranty.
Which shingle is in this quote, by manufacturer and product line?
Why ask it
Every brand sells several grades, and 'architectural shingles' could be any of them. With the exact name you can look up the wind rating and the warranty and make sure the other quotes are for something comparable. Have them bring a full shingle, and get the address of a house that has it in your color.
Would another material suit this house better, such as metal, tile or an impact-rated shingle?
Why ask it
Worth raising if you plan to stay a long time or you live with hail, high wind or wildfire risk. A good answer weighs cost, weight, lifespan and what your roof framing can carry without steering you to the most expensive option. Some insurers treat certain materials differently, so call yours before deciding.
What underlayment goes down, and where does the ice and water barrier go?
Why ask it
Underlayment is what keeps the house dry when wind lifts a shingle. Eaves, valleys, chimneys and skylights are the usual places for the self-sealing ice and water membrane, and colder areas often have code rules about how far up from the eave it has to run. Get the product and the locations in writing, since none of it can be seen once the job is finished.
Are new drip edge, starter strip and ridge caps part of the job and part of the price?
Why ask it
Small parts are where a low quote tends to save its money: field shingles cut up to stand in for starter and ridge cap, or old drip edge left where it is. Each one should have its own line in the estimate. If a part is not written down, assume it is not being installed until someone tells you otherwise.
How will you flash the chimney and the walls: new metal, or sealant over what is there?
Why ask it
Leaks tend to begin where the roof meets something else. Sound flashing is metal layered so that water runs over each piece, with the top edge set into the mortar joint or tucked behind the siding, while a bead of caulk or roofing cement is a patch with a short life. If old flashing is being reused anywhere, have them say where and why.
Is the attic getting enough air now, and what would you change about the ventilation?
Why ask it
Air should come in at the eaves and leave near the ridge, so the roofer needs to have looked at both ends: soffit vents buried in insulation and rusty nail tips under the deck are the usual signs of trouble. A plan that was sized can be shown to you as arithmetic or as the manufacturer's chart, and mixing different kinds of exhaust vent can set them working against each other. Shingle makers commonly tie their warranty to adequate ventilation, so check the plan against that brand's requirement.
What happens to the pipe boots, vents, skylights and any satellite dish or solar panels?
Why ask it
Everything that pokes through the roof needs a new boot or flashing kit, and each one should be listed. Solar panels usually have to be taken off and refitted by the solar company, which is a separate cost and a separate calendar to arrange early. It is also the moment to confirm that bathroom fans vent through the roof and not into the attic.
Part of my roof is nearly flat. What goes on there?
Why ask it
Shingles rely on slope to shed water and their makers set a minimum pitch for them, so a porch or an addition below it normally gets a membrane or another low-slope system. If the quote shows shingles everywhere, ask them to point to the instructions that allow it. Skip this if your roof is all one pitch.
Price and contract
Can I have the estimate itemized: tear-off, disposal, materials by name, flashing, vents, permit and labor?
Why ask it
One number on one line cannot be compared with anything. Broken into lines, a cheaper quote shows you what it left out, whether that is the ridge vent or the dumpster. A roofer who cannot break the figure down may not have worked it out.
How did you measure the roof, and how many squares are you pricing?
Why ask it
A square is 100 square feet of roof, and it is the unit every quote is built on. Quotes for the same house should land close together; a wide gap means somebody measured wrongly or is pricing a different job. Ask what they added for waste, because a roof cut up by hips, valleys and dormers needs more.
What do you charge per sheet if decking has to be replaced, and how many sheets are included?
Why ask it
Rotten wood is the standard surprise on a roof, so its price belongs in the contract before your house is open to the sky. Older houses can have board decking that is priced by the foot instead of by the sheet, so ask which yours is. Have them agree to photograph each bad piece before it comes out, which gives you a count to check the invoice against.
Apart from bad decking, what could push this price up?
Why ask it
A straight answer is a short list: a second layer nobody spotted, rotted fascia, a chimney that needs a mason. Then get agreement that anything else takes a written change order with a price, signed by you before the work is done. 'Nothing, the price is the price' is welcome, as long as the contract says the same.
Is the price fixed if material costs rise before you start, and how long does the quote stand?
Why ask it
Shingle prices move, and some contracts carry a clause that passes increases on to you. Find that clause and ask for a cap, or for a start date early enough to make it irrelevant. A quote that expires tonight is sales pressure; one that stands for a few weeks is ordinary.
Does this job need a permit here, and will you pull it in the company's name?
Why ask it
Whether roofing work needs a permit, and which inspections come with it, is decided locally, so ask the roofer and then confirm with your building department. Check that the fee is in the price and that someone from the company will be there for the inspector. If it is suggested that you pull it yourself or go without, ask why in so many words, and find out whether a homeowners association has to approve the color.
What deposit do you take, and when is each payment due?
Why ask it
Roofing jobs are short, so the schedule is usually simple: something at signing or when the shingles land on your driveway, and the rest after the job is finished and you have walked around it. Some places cap what a contractor may take up front, so find out what applies where you live. Being asked for the full amount before a shingle comes off is a reason to stop.
Will I get lien releases from your supplier and your crew when I pay?
Why ask it
In many places a supplier or subcontractor who was not paid can make a claim against the house even though you paid the roofer. A signed release handed over with the final invoice is the usual protection, and a roofer who has the form ready has been asked before. Lien rules are local, so check how they work in your state.
Do you offer financing, and what does it cost compared with paying by check?
Why ask it
Financing arranged through a roofer is a loan from a third party, with its own rate and fees and sometimes a higher job price folded in. Have the cash price and the financed price written side by side. Then see what your own bank or credit union would offer before you sign anything on a tablet.
If I sign and then change my mind, how do I cancel and what would I owe?
Why ask it
Read the cancellation clause first, and look for the fee that applies once materials have been ordered. A contract signed in your home may come with a cooling-off period, depending on where you live, so ask how that applies and have it noted on the paperwork. A heavy penalty for cancelling paired with no start date is the combination to walk away from.
On the job
When can you start, and how many days will my roof take?
Why ask it
Many shingle roofs on an ordinary house are done in a day or a few, but get the figure for yours and what would stretch it. The start matters more than the length: ask how many jobs are ahead of you and have a start window written into the contract. A deposit paid against no date at all can sit for months.
What do you do when rain is forecast, or when it starts in the middle of the tear-off?
Why ask it
There are two halves to a good answer: they watch the forecast and strip only what can be made watertight the same day, and they carry tarps big enough for whatever is open. Follow up with who pays if water gets in while the roof is off. The answer you want is that they do, written in the contract and not only said out loud.
How will you protect the gutters, siding, windows, plants and air conditioner?
Why ask it
Old shingles come down heavy and full of nails. Expect tarps over beds and shrubs, plywood leaned against windows and the outdoor unit, and ladders held off the gutters so they do not get bent. Walk the yard together beforehand and take your own photos, which keeps any later conversation about damage short.
Where will the dumpster and the delivery truck sit, and what about my driveway?
Why ask it
A loaded dumpster and a truck carrying pallets of shingles can crack or scar a driveway. Boards under the dumpster help, and so does keeping it on the street if your town allows that. You will also want to know on which days the car cannot leave the garage.
How do you pick up the nails, and how often?
Why ask it
Thousands of nails come off with an old roof. The answer to listen for is a rolling magnet over the lawn, the beds and the driveway at the end of every working day, and gutters cleared of grit and scraps at the finish. Press harder on this if you have children, pets or a neighbor's driveway close to yours.
Do I need to be home while you work, and what hours will the crew keep?
Why ask it
Many roofers do not need you there, but they do need an outdoor outlet that works, a clear driveway and a way to reach you once the old roof is off and the decking can finally be seen. Ask what time the first hammer falls, since crews often start early to get ahead of heat or rain, and warn the neighbors. Stay reachable on tear-off morning, when any change to the price will come up.
What should I do inside the house before the crew arrives?
Why ask it
Hammering overhead shakes the whole building. A thoughtful roofer tells you to take pictures and mirrors off the top-floor walls, cover what is stored in the attic and move the cars out before the dumpster lands. Mention pets, babies and anyone who works from home, because the noise carries into every room.
How will you show me that the work was done as quoted?
Why ask it
From the ground you cannot see most of what you paid for. Ask for photos taken as the job goes: the bare deck, any wood replaced, the membrane at the eaves and valleys, the flashing before shingles cover it. Finish with a walk around the house with the person in charge before the last payment leaves your account.
Warranties and claims
What does the manufacturer's warranty cover, and when does full coverage start to shrink?
Why ask it
A word like 'lifetime' usually describes a shorter period of full coverage followed by a shrinking share, and it may pay for shingles but not for the labor to replace them. Read the warranty document for the exact product in your quote, not a one-page summary. Write down the year full coverage ends, because that is the figure to compare between brands.
Is there an upgraded manufacturer warranty, what does it cost, and who registers it?
Why ask it
Enhanced warranties often require the underlayment, starter, vents and ridge caps to come from the same brand as the shingles, and they only exist once they have been registered. Ask to be sent the confirmation by the manufacturer itself after the job. Whether the extra money is worth it depends mostly on how long you expect to own the house.
What does your own workmanship warranty cover, for how many years, and how fast do you respond?
Why ask it
Installation mistakes tend to show up as leaks in the first few years, and a standard shingle warranty generally does not pay for those, so this is the warranty you are most likely to use. Have it written into the contract, including whether damage inside the house from a leak is covered and how many days you would wait for a visit. Its value rests on the company still being there, which is why the company's history sits near the top of this list.
Does either warranty pass to a buyer if I sell the house?
Why ask it
Leave this out if you are staying put. Transfers often come with a deadline after the sale, a fee and a limit of one new owner, so collect the steps in writing now, when nobody is in a hurry. A buyer's inspector will ask how old the roof is, and the paperwork answers for you.
What could cancel the warranty after you have gone?
Why ask it
Typical examples to raise are another trade fixing a satellite dish or solar mounts through the shingles, pressure washing, and storm damage left unrepaired. Once you know, you can warn the next person before they drill. Find out whether the roofer will come back to seal holes made by others, and what that costs.
Have you worked on storm damage claims before, and what is your part in one?
Why ask it
A roofer can document the damage, meet the adjuster on the roof and write an estimate in the form insurers use. Deciding what is covered belongs to your insurer, and negotiating a claim for you may call for a separate license depending on where you live. Call your insurer yourself first, and be careful with anyone who wants to handle everything while you stay out of it.
Is there anything you want me to sign before the adjuster has been, and what would it commit me to?
Why ask it
Some forms presented as permission to inspect are contracts that tie you to that roofer if the claim is approved, or that hand your claim payments over to them. Read it at the kitchen table and not on the doorstep, and take it to your insurer or a lawyer if a clause is unclear. A roofer who expects to win the job on merit will wait a day.
What happens if the insurer pays less than your estimate, or more damage turns up later?
Why ask it
The normal route is a supplement, where the roofer sends the insurer evidence of items that were missed, such as decking or work the building code requires. Two things need settling in writing before work starts: whether the contract price is what the insurer approves or a fixed figure, and who pays the gap if a supplement is refused.
How do you handle my deductible?
Why ask it
The plain answer is that you pay it. An offer to cover, waive or absorb it generally means the invoice your insurer sees will not match the job that was done, and in some places the practice is against the law. Ask your insurer how it works where you live, and treat the offer as a preview of how the rest of the claim would be handled.
How to interview a roofing contractor
Practical guidance for the conversation itself
Before the roofer comes
Gather what you already know
Find the age of the roof in your purchase papers or a past permit, and photograph any ceiling stains with the date. Take a flashlight into the attic after rain if you can do so safely. A roofer who is handed facts gives a better quote, and you will notice if their account does not fit what you saw.
Ask three companies for the same job
Describe the work the same way to each: repair or full replacement, tear-off or not, the material you have in mind. Quotes for different jobs cannot be compared, and the first visit often teaches you what to ask the second and third.
Call your insurer first after a storm
If wind or hail did the damage, speak to your insurer before you sign anything with a roofer. Ask how a claim works on your policy, whether there is a deadline for reporting, and whether they need to see the roof before any work starts. The answers differ by policy and by state, so get them from the source.
Split the list by stage
Most of The company can be settled by phone or email before anyone climbs a ladder. Keep The inspection and Materials and method for the visit, when the roofer has just seen the roof. Price and contract and Warranties and claims work best once you have the written estimate in front of you.
During the visit
Watch what gets looked at
Notice whether they go up on the roof or fly a drone, open the attic hatch, look at the soffit vents and measure. A quarter of an hour in the driveway produces a price. It does not produce a diagnosis, and the difference shows up as extras later.
Ask to be shown
Have them point to each problem in a photo and hand you a real shingle and a piece of the underlayment. People who do careful work usually enjoy explaining it. If every answer comes back as 'trust me, it needs doing', you have learned something about how a dispute would go.
Ask what they would do on their own house
It moves the conversation away from the sales script. Some roofers will tell you the mid-range shingle is what they have at home, or that they would repair the one bad slope and wait. Compare that answer with what the quote says.
Do not sign on the day
Take the estimate and the contract indoors and read them without an audience. Check that the product names, the decking price, the start window and the payment dates you were told are the ones on paper. A roof that has lasted this long will last until tomorrow, and a tarp covers a real emergency.
Reading the quotes side by side
Line them up item by item
Write down for each quote: squares measured, layers removed, shingle line, underlayment, flashing new or reused, ventilation, price per sheet of decking, permit and disposal. Gaps in price usually trace back to one or two of those lines.
When one quote is far lower
Look for the missing line before you celebrate. Then go back to that roofer and ask what it would cost to include it. Sometimes the low quote is still the best one after the correction, and sometimes the saving disappears.
Compare the warranties as documents
Put the workmanship warranties next to each other: years, what counts as a covered leak, whether damage inside the house is included, and how you make a claim. A longer term from a company two years old may be worth less than a shorter one from a firm that has been in your town for decades.
Weigh how they answered
The roofer who went into the attic, named the weak spot, priced the decking in advance and told you about a callback has shown you how the job would run. That is worth some money. How much is your call, and it is easier to make once the quotes describe the same work.
Signs to get another quote
A doorstep offer that ends today
Honest roofers do canvass after storms, so a knock is not proof of anything. A price that is only good if you sign before they leave is a different matter. Take the card, check the license and the address, and get your other quotes.
Most of the money up front
A request for the full price, or for cash, before materials are on your driveway leaves you with nothing to hold if the crew never arrives. Tie each payment to something you can see: shingles delivered, a finished roof, a clean yard.
No permit, or 'you pull it'
If your building department says a permit is required and the roofer wants to go without, expect other corners to be cut as well. A permit taken out in your name may also shift responsibility for the work onto you. Ask the department what it would mean locally before agreeing.
A free roof or a covered deductible
Promises that insurance will pay for everything, made before an adjuster has seen the roof, are guesses presented as facts. Offers to make the deductible disappear are worse, for the reasons in the last question on the list. Check both with your insurer.