What should I check before signing a roofing contract?

A roofing contract is worth reading closely because it decides what happens on the bad day, not the good one. The things that matter are boring: exactly what shingle, exactly how decking repair is priced, exactly when each payment is due, and exactly who warrants the labor. If any of those are vague, the vagueness will not resolve in your favor later.

The company itself

• The legal business name, physical address, phone number, and license number — on the contract, not just on a business card.
• The license verified with your state or local authority, by you, from their website. Two minutes.
• A certificate of insurance for both general liability and workers' compensation, sent to you by the insurer or agent rather than handed over by the salesperson. If a worker is hurt on an uninsured crew, that can land on your homeowner's policy.
• How long they've operated under this name in your metro. A company that rebrands frequently is leaving something behind each time.

The scope

• Manufacturer and product line of the shingle, plus color. Not "architectural shingle."
• Number of layers being torn off, and what happens if they find more than expected.
• Underlayment type, and where ice and water shield is going.
• New flashing, or reusing existing? Chimney, valleys, wall abutments, and step flashing should each be addressed. Reused flashing on a new roof is a common way to make a bid cheaper and a leak likelier.
• New pipe boots and vents, or old ones reinstalled.
• Drip edge, ridge vent, and what happens to existing attic ventilation.
• Decking replacement priced per sheet, with the number written down.
• Cleanup, magnet sweep, and debris removal — including who is responsible for damage to the driveway or landscaping.

"Repair or replace as needed" is not a scope. It's a blank line you're signing.

The money

• Total price as a fixed number, not an estimate range.
• Deposit as a dollar amount, and what it covers.
• The payment schedule, tied to milestones — not dates. Milestones you can verify; dates arrive whether the work does or not.
• Final payment due after completion and, where applicable, after the permit's final inspection passes.
• Change orders required in writing and signed before the work. This is the clause billing disputes turn on.

The warranties — there are two of them

The manufacturer warrants the shingles. The contractor warrants the labor. They are separate documents from separate companies, and they fail in different ways. Problems in the first several years tend to be workmanship rather than material.

• Manufacturer warranty: which product, what term, and whether registration is required — some require it within a window after installation.
• Workmanship warranty: how many years, what it covers, what voids it, and what the process is for making a claim.
• Whether the workmanship warranty transfers if you sell the house.
• Whether the contractor is a certified installer for that manufacturer. Enhanced manufacturer warranties usually require it.

The insurance clause to watch for

After a storm, contracts often appear that are contingent on your insurance approving a claim — sometimes called an AOB or an assignment of benefits, sometimes just a contingency agreement. Some of these hand your contractor the right to negotiate with your carrier and to be paid directly. Some obligate you to use that contractor for whatever the carrier approves, at whatever the carrier's number turns out to be.

That is a significant thing to sign in your driveway on the day someone knocks. Read it, take it inside, and don't sign it under time pressure. Several states have restricted or reshaped these agreements specifically because of how they were used.

Before the pen touches paper

1. No blank spaces anywhere on the document.
2. Every verbal promise the salesperson made is written into it. If it isn't in the contract, it doesn't exist.
3. Read the cancellation clause, including any right-to-cancel window your state requires for a contract signed at your home.
4. A signed copy for you, on the day you sign it.

Questions people ask next

Can I cancel a roofing contract after signing?

Often yes, within a short window, if you signed at your home rather than at their office — many states require that right to be disclosed in the contract. Check the cancellation clause and your state's rules, and put any cancellation in writing.

What is an AOB in roofing?

An assignment of benefits transfers some or all of your insurance claim rights to the contractor, letting them deal with your carrier and get paid directly. It's not automatically bad, but it's not a formality either, and it's the kind of document to read at your kitchen table rather than sign on your porch.

Should a roofing contract include the shingle brand?

Yes — manufacturer, product line, and color. The warranty follows the specific product, and "architectural shingle" describes a category containing very different products at very different prices.

What if the contract doesn't mention rotten decking?

Then get it added before you sign. Nobody can see the decking until the roof comes off, so the contract can't fix the quantity — but it absolutely can fix the price per sheet. Without that number you'll be negotiating with an open roof over your head.

Written for homeowners by Most Recommended Roofers, which measures which roofers AI assistants actually recommend in 34 U.S. metros. Nobody can pay to be on those lists. How we measure.