How to hire a flat roofer you won't regret

What should you check before anyone gets on your roof?

Hiring well is mostly verification. Every item below takes minutes and costs nothing.

How do you verify a roofing license in Florida?

Search the contractor’s name or license number on the Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR) site or app. Confirm three things:

1. Status is current and active. Not delinquent, inactive or revoked.
2. License type is roofing. Florida has two kinds. A certified roofing contractor holds a state certificate and can work in any Florida jurisdiction. A registered roofing contractor met local competency requirements and can contract only where that local license is held. Certified roofing license numbers typically begin with “CCC” and registered ones with “RC.”
3. The names match. The business on your contract should match the business the license qualifies. A licensed person “renting” a license to another company is a warning sign.

Roofing in Florida includes waterproofing and roof coatings sold to protect or extend a roof’s life, so a “coating company” doing restoration work needs a roofing license too. If you can’t verify a license, DBPR takes reports of unlicensed activity at 866-532-1440.

What insurance should a flat roofer carry?

General liability. Florida’s licensing rules set a floor for roofing contractors of $100,000 in public liability and $25,000 in property damage coverage. That minimum is low for a roof job, and many established roofers carry far more. Ask for the certificate to come directly from the insurance agent, with you as certificate holder, and check the dates. Ask whether the policy excludes any of the work in your contract.

Workers’ compensation. In Florida construction, employers need coverage once they have one or more employees, counting corporate officers and LLC members. Owners can file exemptions for themselves, which is why a small company may show an exemption rather than a policy. Look the company up in the state’s Proof of Coverage database (dwcdataportal.fldfs.com). Exemptions cover only the owners, not crew.

Who should pull the permit?

The roofer. A contractor who asks you to pull an owner-builder permit is asking you to take on the legal role of contractor. Under Florida’s owner-builder rules you must supervise the work yourself, and anyone you use who isn’t a licensed contractor is treated as your employee for tax withholding and workers’ comp. Other permit basics in Florida:

• A Notice of Commencement must be recorded and filed before the first inspection when the direct contract is over $5,000.
• Don’t make final payment until the final inspection passes.
• Before final payment, ask for lien releases from the roofer and its suppliers, and the contractor’s final payment affidavit. Florida law lets unpaid subcontractors and suppliers lien your home even if you paid the roofer in full.

See our Florida permits and rules guide for the details.

What should a written estimate include?

A good flat roof estimate is specific enough that a second roofer could price the same job:

• System and product: manufacturer, product name, thickness (for example 60-mil TPO) or number of plies, and the Florida Product Approval or Miami-Dade NOA number.
• Tear-off: how many existing layers come off, and disposal.
• Insulation and cover board: type and thickness, and any tapered insulation or crickets for drainage.
• Deck repair: a unit price per sheet or per square foot for rotted decking, since nobody knows the quantity until the old roof is off.
• Details: edge metal, wall and curb flashing, drains, scuppers and penetrations.
• Permit, inspections, cleanup and schedule.
• Payment schedule tied to milestones.
• Warranty terms, both workmanship and manufacturer.

Florida contracts for residential work over $2,500 must include a notice about the Florida Homeowners’ Construction Recovery Fund. For roof work connected to an insurance claim, the contract must also advise you to confirm coverage with your insurer before signing. If those notices are missing, ask why.

What warranty types will you see?

Ask whether the warranty is transferable, whether it must be registered, what maintenance it requires, and what it excludes. Common exclusions include ponding water, wind above a stated speed, and damage from other trades’ penetrations.

What are the red flags?

• No license number on the estimate or truck, or a name that doesn’t match DBPR.
• Pressure to sign today, or a “this price expires tonight” deal.
• Full payment up front, or payment in cash, gift cards or wire transfers only.
• A vague one-line estimate (“replace flat roof, $X”).
• Coating offered over a roof with soft, wet areas or active leaks.
• Reluctance to pull a permit, or a request that you pull it.
• Blank spaces in the contract. The FTC specifically warns against signing one.

How do storm-chaser scams work, and how does Florida law help?

After hurricanes, out-of-area crews and door knockers arrive within days. Common patterns are free “inspections” that find damage everywhere, offers to cover your deductible, and requests that you sign over your insurance check or claim. Florida has rules aimed at each:

• No inducements. Contractors can’t offer gifts, cash or deductible waivers in exchange for a roof inspection or claim, and can’t interpret your policy or negotiate your claim unless they also hold a public adjuster license (s. 489.147).
• Right to cancel. A roof contract signed within 180 days of a declared emergency, for a home in the declared area, can be canceled without penalty within 10 days of signing or by the official start date, whichever comes first.
• No assignment of benefits on property policies issued on or after January 1, 2023.
• Felony penalties for unlicensed contracting during a declared state of emergency (s. 489.127).

Our hurricane prep and storm damage guide covers documenting damage before any roofer arrives. This page is general information, not legal advice. For contract or claim questions, talk to your insurer, a licensed public adjuster or a Florida attorney.