These types of contractors typically descend upon a neighborhood or area in the wake of a severe storm. Especially one involving hail and/or wind damage.
The process usually works like this. You hear a knock at your door, and a stranger is there claiming to be a roofing contractor. This person or persons will often tell you that they are in the area looking at other homes. That is when they ask for permission to climb up on your roof to inspect it for any “storm damage”.
Most often, these contractors are not locally based. That means that they have come from another city or part of your state strictly to look for work that they might perform. If the contractor is not locally based, they will typically be unfamiliar with your area.
They just come to your door on the off chance that you might have roof damage. If you do have damage, it may not necessarily be from the most recent storm that brought them there in the first place. It could have been from a previous storm, and that may present a problem with your insurance company.
Insurance companies usually pay for damage from the most recent storm to hit your neighborhood. And they will also do their due diligence by checking things like weather and news reports. However, it can be exceedingly difficult to determine whether any roof damage you have was due to the most recent storm, or a previous one.
The contractor will always tell you or your insurance company that the damage they found was from the most recent storm. That is the only way they can get paid by your insurance company for performing any repairs.
Most insurance companies will require that an adjustor come out to your home to inspect the roof themselves. If you are unable to climb up on your roof with the adjustor, you will want to find someone to do that for you. Insurance adjustors have been known to miss things, and it is important that they see all the damage. That way they will pay for everything, and not just the things they saw.
What Types of Danger Should I be Aware of?
Shady storm-chasing contractors prefer to get as much money upfront as possible before they begin any work. It is not advisable that you pay in full for any work prior to it being completed. Some shady contractors will abscond with any money you pay them, whether it be partial or complete. In cases like these, it can be difficult to recoup your money. And you may be left without a completed roof repair, and without money at the same time.
You should be aware that the contractor will be the one who orders all materials needed for the repair to be delivered to your home. You may not have control over the manufacturer or brand name of the shingles they order. This means that they could be using shoddy materials or subpar shingles to repair your roof. If shoddy materials or shingles are used, the repair usually will not last for a long time.
Shady contractors may perform shoddy work and may end up leaving your home more damaged than it was before. You do not want to end up worse off than you were before. This is another situation that you will want to avoid.
What Can I do to Avoid These Dangers?
The best way to avoid these dangers is to do your due diligence on the contractor. Here are some suggestions for due diligence.
- Research the contractor and their background.
- Check with the Better Business Bureau.
- Ask for references and check with them.
- Look for online customer reviews.
- Check to see if the contractor is licensed in their home state. The caveat here is that not all states require construction contractors to be licensed.
What is the Upshot of All of This?
In any business, most of the time it all comes down to trust. So, you should ask yourself this question: Can I trust the contractor who I am conducting business with? We think that if you were to choose to do business with Rusco Windows, you will be able to answer yes to that question. Rusco has been in business for decades and is a trusted contractor who specializes in a wide variety of construction.