{
  "title": "Roofer Knocking After the Storm — Scam or Legit? (Mostly Scam)",
  "description": "The storm-chaser playbook, move by move: the free inspection, the created urgency, the deposit that disappears, the AOB that takes over your insurance claim — and the boring process that beats all of it.",
  "category": "home",
  "vertical": null,
  "tldr": "Nobody legitimate knocks on your door after a storm selling a roof. The playbook: free inspection, 'found' damage, pressure to sign today, a big deposit, or an Assignment of Benefits that signs away your claim. Instead: photograph damage yourself, get an independent inspection ($307–$571), three written bids, and never pay large deposits — California caps them at 10% or $1,000, a good rule anywhere.",
  "who_to_call": [
    {
      "who": "Your insurer's claims line",
      "when": "Real storm damage — before any contractor signs anything. Your adjuster inspects; contractors bid the repair after",
      "not_for": null
    },
    {
      "who": "An independent roof inspector",
      "when": "You want damage verified by someone who doesn't sell roofs — $307–$571, and worth it when a knocker claims damage you can't see",
      "not_for": null
    },
    {
      "who": "Established local roofers (three of them)",
      "when": "Damage is confirmed — three written bids on the same scope, from companies with local addresses and history",
      "not_for": "The bid is from whoever knocked — being first to your door is a sales strategy, not a qualification"
    },
    {
      "who": "Your state attorney general / consumer protection office",
      "when": "Deposit taken and the contractor vanished, or bait-and-switch pricing — home repair fraud after storms is exactly what these offices prosecute",
      "not_for": null
    }
  ],
  "costs": [
    {
      "item": "Independent roof inspection",
      "range": "$307–$571",
      "source": "Fixr",
      "source_url": "https://www.fixr.com/costs/roof-inspection"
    },
    {
      "item": "Roof leak repair (minor–moderate)",
      "range": "$350–$1,500",
      "source": "Fixr",
      "source_url": "https://www.fixr.com/costs/repair-roof-leaks"
    },
    {
      "item": "Full roof replacement (asphalt, ~1,700 sq ft home)",
      "range": "$6,000–$10,000",
      "source": "Fixr",
      "source_url": "https://www.fixr.com/costs/roof-replacement"
    },
    {
      "item": "Full roof replacement (national all-material range)",
      "range": "$7,500–$14,000",
      "source": "Fixr",
      "source_url": "https://www.fixr.com/costs/roof-replacement"
    }
  ],
  "faq": [
    {
      "q": "He showed me photos of damage on my own roof. Doesn't that prove it's real?",
      "a": "It proves someone was on your roof with a camera. Storm-chaser crews are documented showing stock photos, other houses' damage, or damage they created on the spot (lifted shingles, dents from tools). If you didn't watch the inspection, the photos verify nothing. An independent inspector ($307–$571) — or your insurance adjuster — is how damage gets established by someone not selling the repair."
    },
    {
      "q": "What exactly is wrong with signing an Assignment of Benefits?",
      "a": "An AOB hands the contractor your claim: per the NAIC, the third party 'files your claim, makes the repair decision and collects insurance payments without your involvement,' and once signed, the insurer communicates only with them — you can even lose mediation rights. Florida's AOB era showed the end state: inflated work, tens of thousands of lawsuits, everyone's premiums up. You are never required to sign one to get repairs done."
    },
    {
      "q": "How much deposit is normal?",
      "a": "Small or none. California law caps home improvement down payments at 10% or $1,000, whichever is LESS — and that's a sound benchmark even where your state doesn't mandate it. The Illinois AG and III both flag demands for large upfront payment or cash as the signature move of contractors who won't finish (or start). Pay by check or card, in stages, matching completed work."
    },
    {
      "q": "I already signed something at the door. Am I stuck?",
      "a": "Maybe not — act fast. Door-to-door sales commonly carry a three-business-day cancellation right (Illinois, for example, extends it to 15 days for customers 65+). Send written cancellation immediately, keep proof of sending, and call your state AG's consumer line if the contractor argues. The clock is short; today matters."
    },
    {
      "q": "The storm was real and my roof IS damaged. What's the legitimate sequence?",
      "a": "Photograph everything from the ground first (and tarp leaks — that's emergency mitigation, always fine). Claims line. Adjuster inspects. Then three written bids from established local roofers on the adjuster's scope. Repairs run $350–$1,500 for typical leak damage; honest replacement averages $7,500–$14,000 nationally. The whole process survives daylight — which is exactly what the door-knocker's 'sign today' price can't do."
    }
  ],
  "sources": [
    {
      "label": "Illinois Attorney General: Home repair fraud",
      "url": "https://illinoisattorneygeneral.gov/consumer-protection/home-repair/",
      "accessed": "2026-08-11"
    },
    {
      "label": "III: Avoiding scams after a disaster",
      "url": "https://www.iii.org/article/avoiding-scams-after-a-disaster",
      "accessed": "2026-08-11"
    },
    {
      "label": "NAIC: Assignment of Benefits — consumer beware",
      "url": "https://content.naic.org/article/consumer-insight-assignment-benefits-consumer-beware",
      "accessed": "2026-08-11"
    },
    {
      "label": "III: Florida's Assignment of Benefits crisis",
      "url": "https://www.iii.org/white-paper/floridas-assignment-of-benefits-crisis-031319",
      "accessed": "2026-08-11"
    },
    {
      "label": "CSLB: Home improvement contracts (deposit cap)",
      "url": "https://www.cslb.ca.gov/Consumers/Hire_A_Contractor/Home_Improvement_Contracts/What_Is_A_Contract.aspx",
      "accessed": "2026-08-11"
    },
    {
      "label": "Fixr: Roof replacement cost",
      "url": "https://www.fixr.com/costs/roof-replacement",
      "accessed": "2026-08-11"
    },
    {
      "label": "Fixr: Roof inspection cost",
      "url": "https://www.fixr.com/costs/roof-inspection",
      "accessed": "2026-08-11"
    }
  ],
  "updated": "2026-08-11",
  "url": "https://whodoicallfor.com/home/storm-chaser-roofers/",
  "json_url": "https://whodoicallfor.com/home/storm-chaser-roofers.json",
  "recommended_call": null
}