Short answer: confirm the scope matches the estimate, the payment schedule is reasonable, change orders require your written approval, and you are not signing an assignment of benefits without understanding it. Never sign anything on a first visit under time pressure.
Scope
The contract should carry the same itemized scope as the estimate. If the estimate said new flashing and the contract says roofing work as discussed, that is a problem. Everything specific should survive into the signed document.
Payment schedule
A reasonable structure is a deposit to lock materials and scheduling, then the balance on completion. Be cautious about large upfront cash payments before materials are delivered to your property.
On insurance claim work there is typically no upfront deposit at all, because the job is funded from claim proceeds. Our financing page explains how payment usually works on both retail and claim jobs.
Change orders
Decking replacement is the common one. The contract should say the per sheet price and that additional work requires your approval. Without that language you can be presented with a number after the fact.
Assignment of benefits
This is the one to read carefully. An assignment of benefits transfers your right to deal with your insurance carrier to the contractor. In some situations that is convenient. In others it means a company you just met controls your claim.
You are not required to sign one. If a contractor presents it as routine paperwork on a first visit, slow down and read it.
Cancellation rights
Texas provides cancellation rights for certain contracts signed at your home, and insurance related roofing contracts have specific provisions. Read what the contract says about cancelling, and be wary of anything that makes cancelling expensive.
Warranty language
Look for a stated duration on the workmanship warranty, whether it is transferable, and what voids it. A verbal lifetime warranty that is not in the document does not exist. Our warranty page covers how manufacturer and workmanship coverage differ.
Things that should make you pause
- Blank spaces anywhere in the document
- A price that only holds if you sign today
- Any deductible waiving language, which is illegal in Texas
- No start or completion window
- No certificate of insurance attached or offered
- A lien provision you do not understand
Take it inside and read it
A legitimate contractor will hand you the contract and expect you to read it. Nobody doing honest work needs a signature in the driveway before you have had a chance to think.
Talk to us or call (210) 245-4125. We put everything in writing before anything is signed.
