A Roofer Knocked on Your Door After the Storm

Why Are Roofers Knocking on My Door?

Because canvassing hit neighborhoods after a confirmed hail event is how roofers of every kind find damage homeowners can't see from the ground. Storm chasers do it, and so do established local contractors, our reps included after confirmed events. The knock itself is neutral. What happens in the next ten minutes isn't.

After the August 16, 2025 Naperville hailstorm, one homeowner we later worked with described contractors at her door within days and the sinking feeling of not knowing how to pick. She ended up with a legitimate local company for a reason worth noting: the rep explained the process patiently, never pushed a same-day signature, and stayed on the job with her insurer through completion.

That's the pattern to look for. The company that's still here next year behaves at your door like a company that's still here next year.

What Should I Do in the Next Ten Minutes?

Take the card, thank them, and don't sign. Then ask five questions before they leave the porch: their Illinois roofing license number, their office address, who services their warranty and from where, local jobs that predate this storm, and how payment works, including whether the contract is contingent on insurance approval.

A legitimate contractor answers all five on the spot without flinching. Ours are IL #104.017643 and 24 N Hillside Ave in Hillside, and we've held that license and that address since long before whatever storm brought anyone to your block. Evasion on any of the five is your answer.

Once the door closes, spend twenty minutes verifying: look up the license on the IDFPR site, search the office address, and read reviews older than the storm. Our full breakdown of what separates the two kinds of company at your door is here: storm chaser vs local roofing contractor.

One exception to the slow-down rule: water coming in right now. Get emergency tarping handled today as its own small job, and keep the replacement decision separate.

What's a Contingency Agreement, and Should I Sign One?

A contingency agreement commits you to use that contractor if your insurance approves the claim, and it's a standard tool that legitimate contractors use too. Ours works like this: work starts only after your insurer approves the claim, and if the claim is denied and can't be overturned, you owe nothing. No deposit, no cancellation fee.

The problem isn't the document. It's signing one before you've verified the company or gotten independent documentation of the damage. A fair contingency agreement is still a commitment to a specific contractor, so it deserves the same twenty minutes of verification as any other contract.

Three clauses should end the conversation no matter who's offering. Never sign a contingency agreement that requires a deposit, includes an assignment of your insurance benefits, or contains any language about waiving or covering your deductible. The Illinois Attorney General's consumer protection guidance flags these same patterns in its post-storm contractor warnings.

I Already Signed. Can I Get Out?

Generally yes, if you act fast. The FTC Cooling-Off Rule typically gives you three business days to cancel a sale made at your home. Put the cancellation in writing, send it in a way you can prove, and keep a copy of everything.

Read your contract's own cancellation clause too, since it may give you more time or spell out a required method. This is general information about a federal rule, not legal advice about your contract, and the details of your situation matter.

Once you're out, slow the whole thing down. Get an independent inspection with photos before you re-commit to anyone, including us. You'll make the second decision with documentation the first one didn't have.

What About My Deductible?

If any door-knocker offers to waive, absorb, or "eat" your deductible, walk away. That structure is insurance fraud in Illinois, and a company willing to propose it at your door has told you what kind of company it is.

Here's how a legitimate insurance-funded project typically works: your insurer approves a scope, the contractor performs it, and your deductible is generally the only out-of-pocket cost. We disclose one exception up front, and it's the same for every contractor: replacing rotted decking. Crews can't safely stand on rotten boards, and insurers don't always cover the replacement, so we price it in writing before work starts.

A contractor who's straight with you about the deductible and the decking is showing you how they'll handle everything else.

Related Decisions

• Storm chaser vs local roofing contractor: how to tell the difference
• Insurance claim vs paying out of pocket for storm damage
• How to choose a storm damage roofing contractor