Payment red flags
Legitimate contractors use milestone payments tied to work completed.
- 100% upfront demand
- Cash-only with no receipt
- No written contract
Credential red flags
Verify independently — do not accept screenshots at face value.
- No license or expired license
- Cannot provide insurance cert
- No local references
Pressure that only exists in storm week and “today only”
A contractor who needs a huge cash deposit this afternoon, who disparages every other bid without looking at them, or who shows up uninvited after a hail event is selling urgency, not a scope. Legitimate crews are booked; they can wait while you call the license board.
- Door-knock after a storm plus an assignment-of-benefits form is a hard no until you read it
- “We can start Monday if you sign tonight” is a scheduling trick, not a gift
- Refusing to provide a physical address or insurance certificate ends the conversation
Scope that cannot be inspected
“We’ll take care of everything” with no drawing is how waterproofing disappears. If they will not write the membrane, the dumpster, or the paint sheen, they are leaving room to under-deliver. Vague is not flexible; it is unenforceable.
- Cash-only for a permitted job is a tax and lien problem
- A bid that is half the others without a missing-scope story is not a bargain
- Asking you to pull the permit in your name so they can skip licensing is a walk-away