Re-roof Deposit Payments
Should You Give Your Roofer Money Up-Front As A Deposit Payment?
In another post, we’ve talked about Colorado SB38, also known as The Residential Roofing Bill Of Rights. Many people understand that this law made it illegal for a roofing contractor to pay, waive, rebate, or discount a homeowner’s insurance deductible for roof repairs or replacements. Most people don’t know, however, that SB38 also governs how and when a roofer may collect a deposit payment for a roof job.
What Could Go Wrong With Giving A Roofer Money Up-Front?
The most common way that homeowners along the Front Range get scammed by roofers is by giving them a “deposit” payment up-front.
If you give a contractor a deposit payment up-front and he disappears or refuses to do the work, you’ve lost all that money. Hundreds of thousands of dollars have been scammed out of homeowners in Colorado using this method.
Colorado SB38 states that
The roofing contractor shall hold in trust any payment from the property owner until the roofing contractor has delivered roofing materials at the residential property site or has performed a majority of the roofing work on the residential property.
For your protection, the best course of action is to not give a roofer a deposit payment until he has delivered material to your property. If he complains about this or says his company requires him to collect money up-front, you can either:
- Remind him of Colorado SB38
- Require that the company hold your check in trust
- Find a different roofer who will not collect money up-front
Watch the short Tuesday Tip video below for information about roofing deposit payments.