Roofing Is Where Homeowners Get Burned the Most
Roofing sits near the top of every consumer complaint list. The Better Business Bureau consistently ranks roofing contractors among the most-complained-about trades. And it makes sense: the work happens out of sight, the materials are hard for homeowners to evaluate, and the consequences of a bad job might not show up for years.
In the New York metro area, the problem gets worse after storms. Out-of-town crews flood in, knock on doors, and disappear after collecting payment. Legitimate local roofers spend half their time fixing work done by people who should not have been on a roof in the first place.
Here is how to find a roofer who will do the job right.
Licensing and Registration in New York
New York does not have a statewide roofing license. That surprises a lot of homeowners. Unlike Connecticut, where every home improvement contractor needs a state HIC license, New York leaves licensing to individual counties and municipalities.
In Westchester County, residential contractors must register with the Westchester County Department of Consumer Protection. This is the Home Improvement Contractor registration. It is not a skills test or a competency exam. It means the contractor has filed paperwork and agreed to follow consumer protection rules. It is a baseline, not a guarantee of quality.
Here is how to verify: - Westchester County Consumer Protection: (914) 995-2155 - Online: https://consumer.westchestergov.com/trade-licenses
For Fairfield County (CT), check the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection for an active HIC license: - CT DCP: https://www.elicense.ct.gov/ - Phone: (860) 713-6100
In Rockland and Putnam counties, check with the respective county consumer affairs offices. There is no universal database for NY outside of NYC.
The bottom line: always ask for their registration or license number and verify it yourself. Do not take their word for it.
Insurance: The Non-Negotiable
Every roofer you hire should carry both general liability insurance and workers' compensation insurance. If they do not, you are personally liable for any injury or property damage that happens on your property.
Do not just ask 'are you insured?' Anyone can say yes. Ask for a Certificate of Insurance (COI) and call the insurance company listed on it to verify the policy is active. This takes five minutes and it is the single most important thing you can do to protect yourself.
General liability should be at least $1,000,000 per occurrence. Workers' comp is required in New York for any employer. If a roofer tells you they do not need workers' comp because their workers are 'subcontractors' or '1099 employees,' that is a red flag. Walk away.
What Should Be in the Contract
A roofing contract should spell out everything before work starts. If a roofer will not put it in writing, they are not the roofer you want.
Your contract should include:
Scope of work. Exactly what is being done. Tear-off or overlay? How many layers coming off? What material going on? Brand and product name, not just 'asphalt shingles.' Include underlayment, ice and water shield, flashing, ridge vents, and drip edge.
Timeline. Start date and estimated completion date. Weather delays happen, but there should be a target.
Payment schedule. Never pay the full amount upfront. A common structure is 30% deposit, 40% at material delivery, and 30% on completion and your sign-off. For smaller jobs, 50% deposit and 50% on completion is reasonable.
Warranty details. Both the manufacturer warranty on materials (typically 25 to 50 years) and the contractor's workmanship warranty (typically 5 to 15 years). Get both in writing.
Permit responsibility. The contract should state that the contractor will pull all required permits. In Westchester, a building permit is required for a roof replacement in virtually every town.
Cleanup and disposal. Who handles tear-off debris? Are they bringing a dumpster? Magnetic nail sweeps of your yard?
Red Flags to Watch For
After reviewing hundreds of roofing contractors across the tri-state area, these are the patterns that should make you stop and reconsider:
They showed up uninvited after a storm. Legitimate local roofers are booked. They do not need to canvas neighborhoods. Out-of-town storm chasers do. These crews take your money, do mediocre work, and are three states away by the time you find the leak.
They want full payment before starting. Standard practice is a deposit (25 to 30%) with the balance due on completion. Anyone demanding full payment upfront is either desperate for cash or planning to disappear.
No physical business address. A P.O. box is not an address. A truck with a phone number on it is not a business. Look for a real office or at least a verifiable home base in the area.
They discourage permits. If someone says 'you don't really need a permit for this,' they are either cutting corners or not familiar with local code. Both are problems.
The quote is dramatically lower than everyone else's. If you get three quotes and one is 40% cheaper, something is missing. Cheaper materials, fewer layers of protection, no ice and water shield, skipping the tear-off. The low quote almost always means less work.
They cannot provide references from your area. A roofer working in Westchester should be able to point you to recent jobs in your town or nearby. If all their references are from two hours away, they are probably chasing storms.
Good Signs in a Roofing Contractor
These are the things we look for when evaluating contractors on our platform:
- Five or more years working in the local area, with reviews from people in the actual towns they serve - Manufacturer certifications like GAF Master Elite, CertainTeed SELECT ShingleMaster, or Owens Corning Preferred. Only about 2% of roofers earn these designations - A detailed written estimate that breaks out materials, labor, tear-off, disposal, and permits separately. One lump number with no breakdown is a yellow flag - Willingness to walk you through the job on site before you sign anything - Active online reviews with responses to both positive and negative feedback - Membership in local trade organizations or the Better Business Bureau (not required, but a good sign)
Questions to Ask Before You Hire
- How long have you been doing roofing work in this area?
- You want at least 3 to 5 years locally. A company with a 10-year track record in Westchester is more reliable than one that just set up shop.
- Can I see your Certificate of Insurance?
- They should have this ready immediately. If they need to 'get it to you later,' that is a yellow flag. Call the insurance company to verify it is current.
- Who handles the building permit?
- The answer should be 'we do.' If they want you to pull the permit yourself, that is unusual for residential roofing. It also shifts liability if something goes wrong during inspection.
- What does your workmanship warranty cover?
- Material warranties come from the manufacturer. Workmanship warranties come from the contractor and cover installation errors. Get the length and scope in writing. Five years is minimum; ten years is standard for reputable roofers.
- Will you remove the existing roof or overlay?
- In most cases, tear-off is the right call. Overlaying shingles on top of old ones saves money short-term but shortens the life of the new roof and can void the manufacturer warranty. It also hides damage to the decking underneath.
The Bottom Line
Get at least three quotes from roofers who work in your area. Verify their registration, check their insurance, and read the contract before you sign. A roofing job done right should last 25 to 50 years depending on the material. A roofing job done wrong can cost you twice as much to fix.
If a deal sounds too good to be true, it is. Pay for quality, verify credentials, and hire someone who will be around to honor the warranty.
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Alex runs Trusted Local Contractors, connecting homeowners with vetted service professionals across the tri-state area. He wrote this guide after vetting hundreds of roofing contractors across the region.