Just Say NO to a Free Roof Inspection
Roofing scams tend to occur after a big storm or natural disaster. In our little corner of the world, we had a major tornado just 4 months ago. So guess what? We’re seeing lots of people offering “free” roof inspections to check for storm damage. It’s happening with our own customers (and even our own staff…YIKES) with increasing frequency and severity. This post explains how the free roof inspection scam works, offers several real-life examples pulled from our own customers and lists red flags to watch for.
How the free roof inspection scam works
The scam often starts with unknown people showing up at your front door. They say something like this..
“I’m with X Company and we just happen to be working on roofs in your neighborhood and would like to inspect yours for storm damage. It’s a totally free inspection.”
*Keep in mind their main goal is to replace the ENTIRE roof, since the company makes way more money on a full replacement than a partial replacement or repair.
If you say Yes to the inspection, the inspector climbs on the roof for a look. And here’s where it gets wild- if the roof doesn’t have any damage, the inspector creates enough damage, such as tearing off shingles, to “qualify” for a full roof replacement.
You’re probably thinking- no way this could happen. But it DOES. Read on for a real-life example.
Here’s a real-life example of the roofing scam
Our insured turned in a claim for roof damage. During the course of the claim investigation it was discovered that the roof inspector had damaged the roof so seriously that rainwater was able to get inside and damage the interior. So now the customer has both a damaged roof and partially damaged interior. And a complete nightmare to deal with. And FYI- these claims may be DENIED by the insurance company, so YOU get to pay for all repairs yourself.
Not to mention what can happen to your homeowners insurance if you turn in too many claims. At a minimum, this is FRAUD and at worst, criminal damaging.
Another example from a different client
One of our clients had a leaking window so he called a roof inspection company, thinking that perhaps the leak was stemming from a roof issue. The roof inspection company climbed up on the roof and automatically said he had wind and rain damage to the roof (RED FLAG).
They also provided our customer with a template email full of questions to forward to the insurance company/agent (RED FLAG). Some examples of the questions included:
Do i have an ACV/RCV/RPS policy?
Are there any exclusions written in my policy that might affect the results of a storm damage claim?
The only reason the roofing company wants to know the answers is to figure out the likelihood of insurance paying the claim and how much might be paid. The overall goal is to steal as much money as possible from the property owner for work never completed or from the insurance company via exaggerated or over-priced estimates or for work that doesn’t exist.
The contractor also said insurance companies are required to replace the entire roof should the shingles no longer be available, per state law (RED FLAG). This is incorrect. The law that talks about matching is as follows:
The Ohio Administrative code, Rule 3901-1-54(I)(1)(b) states: b) When an interior or exterior loss requires replacement of an item and the replaced item does not match the quality, color or size of the item suffering the loss, the insurer shall replace as much of the item as to result in a reasonably comparable appearance.
There is no mention of matching nor requirement to replace an entire roof due to materials no longer being available.
One final story- this happened to one of our agents
A few months back, Carrie answered her front door. There were 3 people on the porch and the lead guy said, “We know there was hail in this area and we’re offering a free roof inspection to see if you have any damage.”
She replied, “There hasn’t been any hail damage around here and my roof is fine. By the way, I’m an insurance agent so I know what you’re saying is a lie. You need to leave or I’ll call the police.” You never saw people get off a front porch so fast…….
Free Roof Inspection Red flags
Show up or call without warning.
Just “happened” to be in the area and noticed the roof needed repairs (on a side note, unless there’s an obvious problem, like a gaping hole in the roof, how can you notice damage from the street?).
Unwilling or unable to share details of roofing business including location, phone number or other identifying information.
Does not want you to witness them getting on roof and looking around.
Shows pictures of damage that is not yours. So have an idea of what your roof looks like so you can identify FAKE photos.
Says entire roof MUST be replaced and doesn’t offer any option for partial replacement or repair.
Provides you with language to provide to your insurance company- you can just “copy and paste”.
How to Protect Yourself
Ignore “knock on door” contractors. Legitimate roofing companies don’t go door-to-door offering “free inspections.”
Don’t panic when they say you have storm damage (remember, this is part of the scam).
Don’t let them get on the roof.
After you’ve declined, watch them leave your property. Yes, the damage could still happen because they’re mad you said no.
If you are concerned you might have roof damage, call a LOCAL, reputable roofing contractor to take a look. They may charge a minimum fee to come, BUT it’s pretty small in comparison to a denied claim.
Anyone showing up to your house unannounced offering a free roof inspection is NOT there to help you and only out to get your money. Just Say NO to a free roof inspection and save yourself a lot of stress and heartache.
You can read a related article- How your roof affects home insurance and claims payout– to see how insurance companies are buckling down on writing new policies, renewing existing policies and paying claims based on the age of a roof and/or roof material.
