If you're worried about hiring a roofer who will end up scamming you or just do a terrible job on your roof, then this is a crucial section to read. 

These are red flags that will come up early in the process that you can notice long before you sign any contracts: 

• Door-to-door salespeople who insist you need a new roof: If someone knocks on your door and immediately starts telling you that you need a new roof, then be wary. Sometimes it's true, but door-to-door salespeople are there to make a sale. They don't really know what condition your roof is in until they've actually gotten up there and inspected it. There have been cases where they will get on the roof and cause damage, so it's a good idea to monitor them if you agree to let them inspect the roof. This isn't a common scam in the Seattle area, but it can happen anywhere. And again, this doesn't mean that every door-to-door salesperson will scam you, but it's best to be cautious. 
• Using high-pressure tactics to get you to sign immediately: Some roofers will try to pressure you to sign a contract right then and there by offering a deal that expires at the end of the day. Others will start at a really high price and then keep offering you "exclusive" discounts that they have to call their manager about to get approved. If they can knock down a bunch over the course of one conversation, then they were almost certainly overcharging in the first place. No matter what tactic they use, this behavior is meant to pressure you into signing immediately. This is a huge red flag. A trustworthy roofer will make their offer and give you the space and time to make the decision on your own. If you're eligible for any discounts, they will factor that in and let you know right away, rather than making a big show of adding them to drop the price. 
• Claiming insurance will cover it (without seeing your roof first): Whether it's someone you hired or someone who shows up knocking at your door, be wary of a roofer who is really pushy about convincing you to get insurance to cover your replacement (especially if there hasn't been a storm recently or if they haven't looked at your roof yet). There are plenty of valid cases where insurance will cover your roof damage. For example, if a tree or tree branch hits your roof during a storm, or the wind blows your shingles off, that's a valid insurance claim. But if your roofer insists that something should be covered by insurance when it doesn't fall under your policy (like regular wear and tear), trust your gut. They could be trying to pull an insurance scam. If you aren't sure what's covered, pull up your insurance policy or have your insurance agent go over it with you. 
• Refusal to use a written contract: Never agree to a verbal contract. Your roofer should always write a contract that clearly explains the scope of work and cost of the project, along with any other clauses they include. If your roofer doesn't want to write it out, walk away. The written contract protects both you and your roofer.
• Demanding a high deposit before roof work starts: It's normal for your roofer to ask for an initial deposit of around 30% of the job cost after the contract is signed. This helps to fund the first steps of the project (like ordering your roofing materials). If a contractor wants 50% or more of the deposit right away, this could be a red flag. Make sure you read their payment policy carefully and ask any questions you have before signing the contract. In some cases, a roofer might ask for a deposit higher than 30% because they need more money to get your project started. But if your roofer wants a significant chunk upfront, they might just be trying to get your money without having to do any work. 
• Vague timelines and scope of work: If the proposal contains vague language that makes it hard to tell what the roofer plans on doing on your roof, what specific materials they will use, and how much it will cost, that's a very bad sign. The proposal is supposed to explain everything in detail and make everything clear. If the proposal is super vague, then your roofer isn't paying attention to the specific needs that your roof has. 
• Inability to answer your questions: If your roofer consistently dodges your questions or is unhelpful when you try to get clarification about your proposal, you probably should not hire them. A trustworthy roofer will want to make sure that all of your concerns are addressed and that you have a good understanding of what they'll be doing on your roof and why. 

Although you might expect your roofer to do all of their roof work in-house, there are a fair number of companies that hire subcontractors to do it. 

Now, just because a company uses subcontracted roofers doesn't mean that they're automatically bad. Some of them might be great. 

However, there are a few potential factors you might want to consider: 

• Lack of accountability: The subcontractors do not actually work at the company that hired them, so they aren't motivated to uphold the company's reputation or values. Typically, they will be motivated to get the job done so that they can move on to the next one. On the other hand, an in-house crew represents their company and might be more concerned with making sure that everything is done right before they can move on to the next job.
• Poor warranty support: If your roofing company hires subcontractors for their roof work, it might be difficult for them to help you out with repairs, maintenance, or warranty calls later on. Hiring a subcontractor makes sense for a big replacement job, but they might not want to do it for a smaller project like a warranty claim. And if no one at the company is already qualified to help you, then you might have trouble getting help if you need to file a warranty claim.
• They might not be aware of best roofing practices for your local area: The Seattle area is very rainy and humid, which means that moisture control is very important. A lot of roofing materials also tend to grow algae or moss pretty easily. A national company that's based in a completely different state and hires subcontractors might not be aware of the local environmental concerns that impact roofing in your area. 

These are the potential risks that you might face if you hire a roofer who subcontracts roofing jobs.

This is not something that every homeowner cares about, which is fine. But if you are someone who is invested in hiring a roofer that you can trust and has a lot of experience and likes to know who is on your property, then this might be important to you. 

Reading the reviews can tell you a lot about the roofing company that you are researching. Here are some important steps to remember to make the most out of this process: 

1.) Look at reviews on multiple websites: To get the full picture of what people think of this roofing company, don't stop after looking at just one website. You can find reviews for roofing contractors on sites like Google, Better Business Bureau, Angi, and Yelp. 

2.) Read positive and negative reviews: Positive reviews are important for establishing if the community has had good experiences overall. But negative reviews are also important because they can warn you of potential problems. If multiple people write negative reviews describing the same problem, that's worth paying attention to, and might be a red flag.

3.) Check how they respond to negative reviews: Another thing to consider is how the roofing company replies to people who give them a negative review. Do they apologize and try to make things right? Or are they disrespectful and dismissive? These responses are a good way to assess the company's values and priorities.  

A warranty is only worth what the company is worth in 15 years, so make sure to consider what kind of workmanship warranty your roofer gives you.

For example, if the warranty only lasts for 1 to 3 years, then that tells you that the roofer probably doesn't have much faith in the quality of their work (or they're super cheap). 

On the other hand, if a workmanship warranty lasts for a lifetime, then that indicates that the roofer is really confident in the quality of their work and is willing to take responsibility if they made a mistake.

There are two main kinds of warranties that you'll get: a manufacturer's warranty and a workmanship warranty. 

• Manufacturer's warranty: This type of warranty is provided by the manufacturer of the roofing material you chose. Most of the time, this is going to be asphalt shingles. This provides you with coverage in case the shingles you bought turn out to be defective. The warranty describes what is considered defective and what kind of coverage you'll get. Material defects are pretty rare, so you probably will not need to use this. 
• Workmanship warranty: The workmanship warranty is provided by the roofing company that installs your shingles. This provides coverage in case they installed something incorrectly or poorly on your roof, and it starts to cause issues. Workmanship issues are more likely to happen than getting defective shingles. The more trustworthy your contractor is, the stronger their workmanship warranty will be. 

The duration and quality of coverage you get in a workmanship warranty really depend on the roofer that you hire. There aren't multiple options. 

However, a manufacturer's warranty usually comes in a few different levels, ranging from the standard option all the way to premium.  A premium warranty will offer you the best coverage, but there are usually some qualifications that you'll have to meet to be eligible. A standard warranty is usually available to everyone, but it only provides a minimal amount of coverage. 

One of the requirements to get a premium warranty is to hire a contractor who is certified by the manufacturer. If your contractor has that certification, they will let you know and can help you make sure that you're meeting the other requirments to get access to the premium warranty.