15 Questions to Ask a Roofing Contractor Before You Sign

Roofing is one of the largest purchases a homeowner makes, and one of the hardest to evaluate, because the finished product is somewhere you will never stand. Most of what separates a good roof from a bad one gets covered up on the day of installation.

That makes the contractor the actual decision. These are the questions worth asking, and what a real answer sounds like.

Before anyone comes out

Two minutes of checking will disqualify a surprising number of companies:

• Do they have a physical address in the region? Not a PO box, not an out-of-state number that appeared after the last hailstorm.
• How long have they been operating under this name? Companies that dissolve and reappear leave warranties behind when they do.
• Do reviews mention the same crew and the same owner over several years? That is a stability signal no marketing can fake.

Licensing and insurance

1. What is your PA Home Improvement Contractor number?

Pennsylvania requires registration for contractors performing more than $5,000 of home improvement work annually. The number should appear on the contract and on marketing materials, and you can verify it yourself through the Attorney General's office. No number, no further conversation.

2. Can I see your certificate of insurance?

You want both general liability and workers' compensation. Ask for the certificate to be sent directly from their insurance agent rather than as a forwarded PDF — that also confirms the policy is current rather than expired.

3. Are the people on my roof employees or subcontractors?

Either can be fine. What matters is whether the insurance covers whoever is actually up there, and who you call when something goes wrong two years from now.

Questions about the work

4. Is this a full tear-off or a layover?

A layover — new shingles installed over the old roof — is cheaper and it is why some quotes come in low. It also hides the decking, adds weight to the structure, traps heat, and shortens the life of the new material. Ask directly, and get the answer in the contract.

5. What happens if you find bad decking?

The right answer is a stated per-sheet price in the contract. The wrong answer is "we'll let you know" — that is a blank check signed on a day when the roof is already open.

6. What underlayment and ice-and-water protection are you using, and where?

You want synthetic underlayment across the deck and ice-and-water shield at the eaves and in every valley. Pennsylvania winters make that eave protection genuinely load-bearing, not an upgrade.

7. Are you replacing the flashing or reusing it?

Replacing. Step flashing, counter-flashing, chimney and skylight flashing. Reused flashing under a new roof is the most common source of leaks on roofs that are only a few years old.

8. How are you handling ventilation?

A good contractor will talk about intake as well as exhaust, and will have looked in your attic. Ridge vent with no soffit intake does very little, and mixing ridge vent with powered or box vents can short-circuit airflow entirely.

9. Who is on site running the job, and will they be here the whole time?

You want a named foreman, not a salesperson who hands off after the signature.

10. How do you protect the property and clean up?

Tarping over landscaping and siding, dumpster placement agreed in advance, and a magnet sweep for nails at the end of each day. Ask about the driveway specifically if a dumpster is going on it.

Questions about the contract

11. What is the payment schedule?

Pennsylvania's Home Improvement Consumer Protection Act caps a contractor's deposit at one third of the contract price. A reasonable structure is a deposit, then the balance on completion. Be wary of a demand for most of the money before materials arrive, and do not pay in cash.

12. Is the full scope in writing?

Material brand and line, color, underlayment, ice-and-water locations, flashing, ventilation, decking price, permit responsibility, cleanup, timeline, and payment schedule. If it was promised verbally and is not on the page, it is not part of the job.

13. Who pulls the permit?

Requirements vary by township across Bucks, Montgomery, Chester and Delaware Counties. The contractor should know your township's rule and should be the one pulling it.

Warranty questions

14. What are the two warranties, and what does each cover?

The manufacturer warranty covers the shingle. The workmanship warranty covers the installation. Ask for the length of each, whether the manufacturer warranty is transferable if you sell, and — importantly — what would void it. Inadequate ventilation voids more shingle warranties than any material defect.

15. What is your process if I have a problem in year three?

Listen for a concrete answer: who to call, expected response time, whether there is a charge to come look. Vagueness here predicts vagueness later.

Red flags

• Door-knocking right after a storm, especially with out-of-state plates
• Pricing that expires today. A real quote is good for weeks. Urgency is a closing technique, not a business condition.
• An offer to "cover" or "waive" your deductible. This is insurance fraud in Pennsylvania and it puts your claim and you at risk.
• Large cash deposit demands, or pressure to pay before materials arrive
• No written scope — just a number on a page
• Refusal to provide the HIC number or insurance certificate
• Pressure to sign before you have the other quotes
• "We'll just go over the old roof, it's fine" offered as the default

None of this requires you to become a roofing expert. It requires the contractor to be specific, in writing, before money moves. The ones doing the work properly will answer all fifteen of these without flinching — and if you are still weighing the job itself, start with whether you need a replacement at all.

Frequently asked