Avoid Cleveland’s Roofing Storm Chasers

If you live in the Cleveland area you know that we get violent storms on a fairly regular basis. After one of these storms hit, particularly if there is hail or excessive wind gusts, homeowners and business owners are concerned about the condition of their roofs. After a couple of days of the storm rolling through neighborhood doors start being knocked on, calls start being received, and flyers and business cards from roofing contractors start to arrive. This can bring a feeling of relief because industry professionals are reaching out to you and offering to help you out by assessing your roof and telling you that they can get you a roof for FREE! While many of these are legitimate roofing businesses operating in your community, there are some that follow the storms, roofer gypsies or roofing storm chasers that come in for a time after the storm then move to the next area attacked by a storm.

BBB Complaints

Roofing storm chasers give real roofing contractors a bad name. Roofing contractors lead the 2012 Better Business Bureau inquiries by industry with over 3.2 million people checking on the integrity of their roofing contractors before making the decision of who to hire. As an industry roofing contractors ranked 16th in complaints, with 7.956 complaints last year, only 4.995 of which have been settled. We’ve all seen the stories of consumers who have gotten their insurance money to fix their roof only to end up with no money and no roof repair or replacement.

Licensed Roofing Contractors

Currently Ohio does not have statewide licensing for residential or commercial roofers. The Ohio Roofing Contractors Associations had been lobbying the state legislature to pass a law that would add roofing to the state licensing requirements for commercial work. Once that bill passes, the association will work at having the law extended for residential roofing. Some Ohio municipalities do have local laws that are covered by their local building inspection department. What this means for the Cleveland area homeowner is that they need to do their homework before hiring a roofing contractor to fix or replace their roof after it has been damaged.

What To Look For

So how do you determine if someone is a storm chaser? Here are a few things to look for when assessing if you are dealing with a legitimate roofing contractor or a roofing gypsy.

  • Check the license plate the company representative is driving. If the plate is from another state chances are they are not local people so won’t be there for you if there’s a problem after the work is finished.
  • If they are from out of the area, how far out are they? Workmanship warranties only work if the workmen are available to do any follow-up care.
  • Require that their insurance is current. Ask to see their certificates of workman’s compensation and liability insurance. This protects you should a mishap happen during the roofing process. If they don’t have workman’s compensation or liability insurance and there is any injuries the workers could come after you.
  • If they present themselves as licensed roofing contractors, ask to see their license. The State of Ohio does not current provide Roofing Contractor Licenses, although some licensure may be done at a local level.
  • Research the roofing company. Have they been in business for any length of time? Do they have local references from before the storm hit (and not just for right after the last storm hit)?
  • Ask local lumber yards/building supply vendors if they done business with these contractors. Have they paid for their materials up front? Are they current on any billing?

You are probably dealing with a Roofing Storm Chaser if:

  • They came to your door and tried to get you to sign with them immediately.
  • They used high pressure sales tactics and wouldn’t take no, or let you get back to them, for an answer.
  • They offered you a “Free Roof” or gave you some other offer as a way around paying your deductible.
  • They are unlisted in any phone book or web search.

 

For quality roof repairs or replacement you will want a roofing contractor who has been certified by roofing material manufacturers, such as GAF or CertainTeed Roofing Contractors. Certification shows that the roofing company has been trained to the manufacturer’s specifications for the best application of their products ensuring that the roof that is installed will last.

At Triple Peaks Roofing & Construction our focus is on quality, professionalism throughout the roofing process, and taking pride in our finished work. Call us today to see what we can do for you!