Roofing expert provides tips to protect yourself after this week's catastrophic hailstorms
Coloradans from Erie to Aurora are going to be needing new roofs soon. If you are one of them, you don't want to get ripped off.
Mike Stephens, has been working in roofing in Colorado for 15 years and says the process can be relatively stress-free if you know what you are doing.
He has seen storms like the ones that blew through Tuesday and Wednesday before and says if you suspect you may have hail damage on your roof, you can do a preliminary inspection before getting a roofing company involved.
"Look at the base of all your downspouts, if there's granules the same color as your roof, there's a good chance you've got damage," Stephens said. "The other piece is if your vehicle has damage on it. Any visible metal siding, aluminum, windows screens, all of that is going to show damage and typically if there's if that's visible, then you may want to get someone involved."
If have damage he says it's important to get an official inspection done as soon as possible.
"The big thing is to document that you did sustained damage because that way your insurance company can't deny it. If you feel that the insurance company is trying to deny anything, you can request an additional inspector... you can request in a third-party adjuster," Stephens said.
He says when you are looking for a roofer make sure to do some research and look out for warning signs that the company may be trying to scam you.
"Verify with your local jurisdiction if they're licensed," Stephens said. "A lot of scam companies will come in and ask for your initial claim check as a deposit to get started working. So that's a big red flag."
He says some companies will ask for money up front to pay for materials, but even then, you can still protect yourself.
"Ask to pay the supplier directly then that way you don't have a loss. You've paid for something but you have received value for it," Stephens said.
He says don't be afraid to use an out of state contractor. Just do your due diligence.
"When a catastrophic storm like this happens, there's not enough roofers here to meet that demand. So there absolutely will be out of state companies coming in. But make sure that they're licensed," Stephens expressed.
He also recommends withholding complete payment until your new roof passes inspection.
