Do I Have To Sign Anything From a Roofer Doing a Free Inspection?

Remember last month we began a series entitled, 7 Questions To Ask Your Roofer? Well, really, it should more accurately be entitled, “7 Questions To Ask The Roofer You're Considering Hiring,” or even better, “7 Questions To Ask The Roofer Who Is Knocking On Your Door.”

On Monday, June 13^th, there was a huge hailstorm in eastern El Paso County. Homeowners east of Falcon and from Calhan to Ellicott had windows smashed and siding demolished, not to mention the damage that occurred to their roofs. Literally, within 1 hour of the storm, the door-to-door guys were out canvassing those areas.

When your friends and family and neighbors are getting bombarded by the door-knockers, tell them to remember this little saying, “Not every roofer who knocks on your door will rip you off, but every roofer that will rip you off will knock on your door.”

Here's Question #2 You Should Ask The Roofer You're Thinking About Hiring

Question #2: Do I have to sign anything?

This relates to what I call the Dirty Little Secrets of the Roofing Industry. Many of the door-knockers will ask you if you would like to have a “free” roof inspection. If you suspect you have damage, you might tell him to do the inspection. After all, it's “free” right? Then what he does is whips out a form and asks you to sign it. Many homeowners think, at this point, that they are signing a consent form, or a liability waiver. They never suspect that they are actually signing a contract with the roofer. This contract says that IF he finds damage on your roof, or IF you file a claim, or IF the claim is accepted, you HAVE to use his roofing company to complete the work. Remember, this is all even before he has inspected the roof. One lady I know who had this happen to her tried later to back out of the contract because she realized what kind of a scan she had gotten into. Then the roofer began to threaten her with lawsuits and fines.

If you have to sign anything even before the roofer gets on the roof, tell him, “No thank you,” then grab your phone and text all your neighbors to be on the watch for this guy and others like him.