I asked a roofer for an estimate and he gave me proposal papers to sign..ie...i can't send it to my insurer

Question

without having to sign and go with him...is that common?.i only asked for an estimate.....can i send the "proposal" estmate to the insurance co. unsigned?..

Answer 1

Unless your insurance company asked you for an estimate - you don't need to sign that estimate and send it to them. The insurance company adjuster will come out and inspect your roof. The adjuster will also write their own estimate based on the going rate. I don't usually pay attention to an estimate from a roofer.

Writing an estimate on a roof is pretty simple. Unless, its a roof that I can't get on - I don't need anything from a roofer.

Most roofers will give you an estimate and not require you sign anything. At least that's how it works in my area. I would just tell that roofer to keep his estimate for now  -- that you want to speak to your insurance company first. The adjuster will be able to give you the names and numbers of roofers in your area that they have heard good things about.

Once you get the adjusters estimate - call the roofer you think you want to use and show him the adjusters estimate.

Answer 2

Are you saying that the roofer asked you to sign a blank estimate, which allows him to negotiate with the insurance company?

Roofers do it all the time- it's to ensure that you don't get any competitive bids. If you sign it, expect him to charge as much money as possible, for as little work as possible. Expect problems.