Unfortunately some people try to take advantage of homeowners dealing with storm damage to their homes. Roofing is one of the biggest opportunities out there for scams because there’s no license required for it in the state of Texas.
That means roofing “companies” come out of nowhere after hail storms, looking for a quick buck.
“Anybody can get a bond so you can go into business the next day, and that’s exactly what happens after a storm,” said Kris Kincaid, president of Lubbock Area Roofing Contractors Association and owner of Kincaid Roofing. “Like this week, companies popped up we’ve never seen.”
LARCA is now warning people to be careful when hiring contractors because they said some of them could be a scam. LARCA is dedicated to creating an updated list of reputable roof contractors that have been in the business for at least two years and have insurance.
“When Lubbock gets hit by the big storm, people will be here from Alabama, California, Florida, Mississippi, everywhere and Lubbock’s not going to know what hit them,” said Kincaid.
Because there’s no license required to repair roofs in Texas, Kincaid said anyone thinks they can do it.
“They will put the roof on, but the quality is just awful,” he said. “I’ve seen shingles upside down, the wrong penetrations used, we’ve seen crazy stuff.”
Even worse, some people do it just to scam homeowners after a storm.
“You give them money and then you don’t hear from them again,” he said.
If someone does knock on your door after a bad hail storm, there are several things you should check for:
– Make sure they can give references of previous work
– Be careful if they ask for full payment upfront
– Double check they have insurance
“If someone gets hurt on their property and the contractor doesn’t have insurance, what do you think they’re going to do?” Kincaid said.
But in general, Kincaid said, just use your judgment to best protect your home.
“I’d just say, know who’s on your roof,” Kincaid advised. “Make sure you’ve heard of them. If you haven’t heard of them, there might be a reason.”
CLICK HERE for the LARCA website where you can find a full list of reputable roof contractors.
