Avoiding Roofing Scams

Peter Mosca

Investors beware!

As Mother Nature rears her ugly head throughout the nation, others hoping to cause some damage will soon follow — like the roofing scammers. To follow are questions for you, as an investor, to ask before signing a contract, taken from the nonprofit Metal Roofing Alliance, so you do not fall prey to roofing scammers:

10 Questions to Ask Roofers

Is the company licensed, and are the employees bonded and insured?
How long has the company been in business? Insured?
What types of roofing materials does the company offer?
Will the contractor provide a written, final estimate?
Can the new roof be installed over the existing roof?
What are the environmental considerations of the new materials and disposal of the old roof?
What company manufactures the roofing material the contractor will use? How long with will the new roof last?
What does the warranty cover?
Will the company use subcontractors? If so, how will they be managed/supervised?
Is there pending legal action against the company?
Can you speak with former customers?

The roof is arguably your real estate investment's most important feature, and it is one that when well maintained will prevent significant structural deterioration, expense and loss of investment value.

However, as with nearly every other profession, there are roofing contractors that offer professional and efficient service and those that offer frustration, immense expense and even owner liability issues.

Also, be aware of this…

“With the economy having taken a hit in recent months, there will likely be more weekend warriors trying to get into the business. “In tough economic times, when it is hard to find a job, people who feel they have any experience in the past think they can go ahead and handle roofing. A lot of these guys will ask the customer to purchase the materials and say, “Just pay me for the labor.” Then they don't do a very good job and leave a lot of cleanup behind.”

Roofery.com is exactly correct about the “pay me for labor” guys with and that investors we need to be diligent in our repairs and make sure we avoid getting scammed.