Your roof is an important investment, and you wouldn’t leave it in the wrong hands. So, it’s important to avoid scams as much as possible.
Inadequate Repair Work
Roofs are complicated systems, and unscrupulous roofers take advantage of homeowners’ inexperience to sell unnecessary “upgrades” or conduct inadequate repair work that can be classified as merely cosmetic.
They offer impossibly low prices to lure homeowners. By the time homeowners discover their deception, they’d be unreachable.This type of scam is perpetuated by “storm chasers,” who usually make themselves known right after a storm passes the area. Despite being a prevalent scam, this is also one of the easiest to protect yourself from: simply leave storm and hail damage roof repair to local roofing contractors. If your roof was installed recently, we recommend sticking with the same roofer who installed your roof. In addition to keeping your warranty coverage valid, your contractor can help make sure you have everything you need to file an insurance claim.
Unnecessary Repairs
Keep an eye out for roofers who perform too many repairs. Homeowners who are unfamiliar with their roofs are, again, the usual victims here. These roofers would, for example, create exaggerated descriptions of the roofing problem and even create new ones when you’re not looking. They then inflate the repair costs, and, if the homeowner doesn’t accept, they’d end up with a roof that’s in worse shape.Your best defense against such scams is familiarizing yourself with how your roofing system works, identifying the types of roofing damage and conducting regular inspections. Documenting the damage through photos can also be helpful.
Insurance Fraud
An unscrupulous contractor may attempt to commit insurance fraud by submitting two different quotations. Homeowners would receive one with a lower, perhaps the actual, quoted cost. The other would have a higher quoted cost and would be sent to the insurance company. The said contractor may even claim they’re doing this to reimburse your deductible. Don’t get yourself entangled in this type of scam. The contractor should provide the exact same quotation to you and your insurance provider. Getting your deductibles back through unscrupulous means is not worth the trouble of getting prosecuted for insurance fraud.
Scro’s Roofing Company is your leading provider of storm damage roof repair and other roofing services. Give us a call at (919) 461-0937, or fill out our contact form to schedule an appointment.