What should I do if a roofer knocks after a storm in Florida?

Do not sign anything at the door. Ask for a license number, look it up yourself, and get a written itemized estimate before anyone starts work. If the visit is about an insurance claim, contact your insurer before you sign a contract. A knock after a storm is not proof the person is licensed, and it is not a reason to hire them today.

If water is coming in, handle the leak first: photos, a temporary tarp if you need one, and receipts. That sequence is in the leak FAQ. This page is about the person standing in the driveway, and about the papers they may ask you to sign.

What to do in that moment

1. You do not have to let anyone on the roof. Florida's Insurance Consumer Advocate guide says not to allow a contractor to inspect your property, including your roof, until you have verified that they are a licensed, insured contractor.
2. Get a name and a license number, then check the license at https://www.myfloridalicense.com. See the license-check FAQ.
3. Ask for a written, itemized estimate of services and materials. Florida law does not let a contractor give you an agreement authorizing repairs on a property insurance claim without a good-faith itemized and detailed cost estimate.
4. Get more than one estimate from licensed roofers. DFS tells homeowners to get at least three.
5. If a claim might be involved, call your insurance company before you sign. Roof-repair and replacement contracts are supposed to tell you to do that.

Compare the estimates later, on your timeline. We match Volusia and Flagler homeowners with local licensed roofers. You should still look each license up yourself.

What Florida law does not let the roofer do

Florida Statutes section 489.147 sets rules for residential roof work and roof-claim pitches. Among them:

• •A contractor may not offer a rebate, gift, gift card, cash, coupon, waiver of an insurance deductible, or any other thing of value in exchange for a roof inspection or for making a roof insurance claim.
• •A contractor may not interpret your policy or advise you about coverage, or adjust a property insurance claim, unless that person is licensed as a public adjuster.
• •A contractor may not use certain "prohibited advertisements" that encourage you to file a roof insurance claim without required disclosures. The statute includes written or electronic pitches such as door hangers, business cards, magnets, flyers, pamphlets, and emails.
• •The contract has to include a notice about those gift-and-waiver limits. If that notice is missing, you may void the contract within 10 days after you sign it. That is a limited statutory window, not a general 10-day cancel right on every roof contract.

There is a separate, also limited, cancel path when the contract is signed within 180 days of events covered by a Governor's state-of-emergency declaration, and the house is in that geographic area. In that situation you may cancel without penalty or obligation within 10 days after you sign, or by the official start date, whichever comes first. Official start date includes the date work installing materials that will be in the final roof begins, the date a permit has been issued, or the date a temporary repair has been made in compliance with the Florida Building Code. The cancel notice has to go by certified mail, return receipt requested, or another form of mailing that gives you proof, to the address in the contract.

Florida Statutes section 627.7152 also limits assignment of benefits. For a residential or commercial property policy issued on or after January 1, 2023, a policyholder generally may not assign post-loss insurance benefits. An attempt to assign those benefits under such a policy is void, invalid, and unenforceable, with limited exceptions in the statute, including certain transfers to a later purchaser with an insurable interest. DFS tells homeowners that assignment-of-benefits contracts signed with contractors have been prohibited for those claims since January 1, 2023, and that those assignment contracts are invalid and unenforceable. Ask your agent how that applies to your policy date, and do not sign a paper you do not understand just to get the work started.

One more correction you will see on blogs: Florida Statutes section 489.126 is not a cap that limits a residential deposit to 10 percent or $1,000. If the first payment is more than 10 percent of the contract price, the contractor generally must apply for needed permits within 30 days and start work within 90 days after the permits are issued, unless you agreed in writing to a longer period or the statute's just-cause rule applies.

Red flags worth walking away from

DFS also flags a contractor who wants the insurer not to inspect until the work is finished, and a pitch to create damage so a deductible disappears. That second one would be insurance fraud. See https://www.fraudfreeflorida.com. A high-pressure "sign today or you lose your claim" close belongs in the same pile.

If you already signed something and you are not sure what it is, get the document in front of you, check the dates, and talk to your insurer or an attorney before you assume you can unwind it. This page is not legal advice, and it is not a promise that every contract can be canceled.

Next step

If the roof is leaking, start with the leak FAQ, then come back to the license and the estimate. If you want help finding a local licensed roofer to document the damage, we can match you with one in Volusia or Flagler County. Look the license up, get the estimate in writing, and call your insurer before you sign a claim-related contract.

Call 386-999-4616 or start the quiz on this page.