Most Common Roofing Scams in Michigan

The BBB describes the classic storm chaser: a contractor who just happens to be in the area after a storm. Not everyone knocking is a scammer, but the pitch works best on a homeowner who signs before checking anyone.

The BBB suggests looking at the vehicle for a business name and in-state plates, and getting at least three quotes. Ask for the Michigan residential builder license number and look it up on LARA's site.

A roofer who wants most or all of the money before starting, especially in cash, leaves you with nothing to hold back if the work never gets done. The BBB flags demands for full or large payment up front, and the Attorney General says to pay for only part of the work up front (generally about one-third of the contract price should suffice), never pay cash, never pay in full up front, and use a credit card so you have dispute rights. DIFS lists payment in advance, in cash or by peer-to-peer app as a warning sign.

Paying by check or card also leaves a record, and in Michigan that record matters: proof of payment is part of what protects your home from a supplier's lien later.

The pitch is a free roof: the contractor "covers" your deductible. The only way that usually works is by telling the insurer the job costs more than it does. Knowingly presenting, or helping prepare, a false statement in support of an insurance claim is a fraudulent insurance act under MCL 500.4503, and a felony punishable by up to 4 years and a $50,000 fine plus restitution under MCL 500.4511.

Your deductible is yours to pay. If a contractor's price for the insurer and its price for you aren't the same number, walk away.

Residential roofing jobs of $600 or more need a licensed residential builder or an M&A contractor licensed for roofing. DIFS lists refusing to show a license or ID as a warning sign, and the Attorney General warns to be wary if a contractor asks you to pull the building permit, since that is often a sign the contractor is unlicensed or unwelcome at the local building department.

Contracting without a license is a crime in Michigan: a first offense is a misdemeanor with a $5,000 to $25,000 fine and/or up to a year in jail, with mandatory restitution. That's no comfort once your money is gone, so check before you sign.

The BBB warns that some storm chasers fabricate damage, for example by tearing off shingles to fake wind damage. You can't see most roofs from the ground, so a stranger's photos are hard to argue with.

If someone says your roof is damaged, get a second inspection from a local roofer you chose, and talk to your insurer. The Attorney General's storm advice starts with the same step: check your coverage and deductible with your insurer first.

The story changes (shingles left over from a job down the street, a crew that happens to be free tomorrow, a price good only today), but the point is always to get you to decide before you check anything. The Attorney General says to resist "now or never" pitches, and DIFS lists rushing you to sign as a warning sign.

An honest roofer will leave a written estimate and let you take a few days. The Attorney General suggests getting two or three written estimates before choosing.

Some contractors bring a form to the first visit and call it just a way to get started or to deal with your insurance. Read it. The Attorney General warns about blank spaces and check-boxes in form contracts (one might grant a lien, for example) and about arbitration clauses, which can affect your rights and remedies.

Don't sign anything on the spot that gives a contractor the job or a say in your insurance claim. Your insurer can answer questions about your policy directly.

DIFS lists claiming to work for "the government" or for specific insurers all the time as a warning sign. The claim is meant to make a stranger sound approved.

If a contractor says your insurer sent them, call the insurer and ask.

DIFS is plain about this: insurance claims adjusters work for, and are paid by, the insurance company and should never ask homeowners to pay for services the policy covers.

If someone calling themselves your adjuster asks you for money, stop and call your insurer.

Michigan's Home Solicitation Sales Act gives you three business days to cancel most sales made at your home (details below). There is one exception: you lose that right if you asked for immediate emergency work, the seller in good faith substantially began the work, and you gave a separate, dated, signed, handwritten statement describing the emergency and expressly waiving your right to cancel.

Storm chasers may push homeowners to write that statement. Unless water is actually coming in and you asked for the work, don't write it.