Vigilance, a calm attitude and quick assessment of the situation are the probably the three things that you need to avoid roofing scams. Unfortunately, these features are the hardest to achieve when the roof over your head has been devastated by the most recent storm and you are desperate, so here are a few practical things to pay attention to when an uninvited roofer shows up at your doorstep:
- The request to make a down payment – asking for an advance payment is not a common practice among decent roofers, so beware of any roofer that asks you for money before completing the work;
- High-pressure tactics – self-respecting, honorable roofers never push their prospective customers to commit, so don’t let anyone force your hand to enter a contract that you haven’t had the time to read and understand;
- Products or services offered for free – while many decent roofers, like those at https://www.losgatosroofing.com/, offer free roofing estimates, all the other services they provide come for fees and they also sell products for money, so if someone starts by telling you they work for free, you can start becoming suspicious;
- Out of state license or the unwillingness to provide proof of license – roofers are licensed in the state where they work, so don’t trust anyone who shows you a license from a different state or no license at all.