What are the biggest red flags when hiring a roofer?

Roofer red flags cluster around the storm-chaser playbook and around fall-risk insurance gaps. The downsides are paying for damage that didn't exist, signing away your insurance claim to a contractor who vanishes, and being personally liable when an uninsured roofer falls off your roof.

Out-of-state license plates and door-knocking after a storm. Within days of a hailstorm or windstorm, vehicles with out-of-state plates start canvassing neighborhoods offering "free inspections." The operators are typically based in Texas, Oklahoma, or Florida and follow the storm map. They are not licensed in your state in most cases (they may claim to be), and they will be gone before warranty claims arrive. See the roofer-storm-chaser-scam topic for the full playbook.

"Free inspection" that finds dramatic damage. The roofer climbs up, comes down with photos of damage that you cannot verify from the ground, and pitches a full replacement. Sometimes the damage is real. Often it's a previous storm's damage repackaged, hail-pattern fabrication using a marble or ball-peen hammer, or normal aging framed as storm damage. Always get an independent second opinion BEFORE you sign anything — ideally from a roofer who didn't door-knock you.

"We'll handle your insurance claim, just sign here." This is an Assignment of Benefits (AOB) form in most states. You're signing over your insurance proceeds to the contractor, who will then negotiate directly with the insurer for the highest possible payout — and pocket the difference between what they charge and what they actually deliver. Florida has had to pass legislation restricting AOB because of this pattern. NEVER sign an AOB. File the claim yourself, get the insurance adjuster's estimate, and then hire a roofer separately.

Large upfront deposit. California caps roofer deposits at 10% or $1,000. Anything above 15% upfront in any state is a red flag, especially from a door-knocking contractor.

No permit. Roof replacements require permits in nearly every jurisdiction. A roofer who skips the permit shifts the permit-fail and insurance-denial risk to you.

Missing workers compensation. Roofing is the highest-fall-risk trade in residential construction. If the roofer has no WC and a worker falls on your property, the worker can sue YOU personally. Always verify the WC carrier directly (call the insurer) — a PDF certificate can be canceled three weeks before the work starts.

Manufacturer warranty claims that don't check out. The roofer claims to be a "Master Elite" (GAF), "SELECT ShingleMaster" (CertainTeed), or "Platinum Preferred" (Owens Corning) installer. These are verifiable at the manufacturer's website. Most door-knockers are not actually certified — and the manufacturer warranty often requires certified installation to be valid.

Lowest bid by 30%+. If three contractors quote $15,000, $16,000, and $9,500, the $9,500 quote is either using shorter nails, fewer fasteners, no ice-and-water shield, or cheaper underlayment — and the warranty claim will fail. Discard the outlier.

Missing license in license-required states. California C-39, Florida CCC, Arizona C-42. In no-license states (Texas, Colorado), the fallback checks become Secretary of State entity registration, court records (fraud judgments), and OSHA fall-protection citation history.

Groundcheck (earthmove.io/trust) verifies state license, runs phoenix-company detection, and flags out-of-state operators with no in-state license history. It does not verify roof damage authenticity — get a second opinion before any large scope.