A roofer knocked on my door after a storm in Virginia Beach. Should I trust it?

A roofer knocked on my door after a storm in Virginia Beach. Should I trust it?

This guide is an independent referral service, not a contractor, and it is not the roofer who knocked on your door. Virginia's Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation, the state board that licenses contractors, publishes its own consumer alert about contractor fraud after storm damage. DPOR's alert does not say every unannounced roofer is a scam. It says to check specific things before you decide, rather than judging by the knock alone.

How to tell if a roofer is lying, by DPOR's own checklist

DPOR's storm damage alert lists red flags worth watching for: a sales pitch that is unusually friendly, an offer good "today only," a claim of material left over from a job nearby, and prices that escalate as you talk. None of those prove fraud by themselves, but DPOR says to treat them as reasons to slow down. The alert also tells homeowners to get at least three estimates before choosing anyone, and to confirm a contractor holds the right license class and the right specialty for the work, not just any Virginia license.

Check the license yourself, not the card they hand you

Ask for the license number, then look it up yourself on DPOR's License Lookup rather than trusting a printed card or a truck decal. Virginia licenses a roofing contractor under a Class A, B, or C classification scaled to the size of the job, with roofing added as its own Residential Building Contracting or Commercial Building Contracting specialty. A number that does not show up, or that does not carry that roofing specialty, is a reason to stop before you sign anything.

What the contract should not ask for

DPOR's alert is specific about money: do not pay cash, never pay for the entire job up front, and limit your deposit to 10 percent down or $1,000, whichever is less, or up to 30 percent of the contract if the job needs custom-made or special-order items. Insist on a written contract and do not sign until you understand the terms, do not let payments get ahead of the work, and do not pay 100 percent of the bill until the work is 100 percent complete. A roofer who wants the full price, or most of it, before touching your roof is asking for something DPOR itself warns against.

You may still be able to cancel, even after signing

If the roofer solicited you in person at your home, without an appointment you set up in advance, and you signed an agreement to buy right there, Virginia's Home Solicitation Sales Act generally gives you until midnight of the third business day after you sign to cancel. You cancel with written notice to the seller at the address in the agreement, and a notice counts as given once you mail it. The law carves out a narrow exception: if you asked for the work without delay because of an emergency, signed a dated statement saying you understand you are waiving the right to cancel, and the seller in good faith already made a substantial start on the work, you cannot cancel. Read anything handed to you before you sign it.

Before you decide anything

Get a second, independently verified estimate rather than relying on the person already standing at your door, and confirm with the city what permit the job will need before any work starts. A legitimate roofer will not object to you taking the time to check their license and get another number first.