Within 48 hours of the June 19 hail storm, I drove through a Blaine subdivision and counted eleven yard signs from roofing companies I had never heard of. Eight of them had out-of-state area codes on the sign. By the end of the summer at least three had already left town.
That happens after every big hail event in the Twin Cities, and it is the part of a storm that does the most lasting damage. The hail cracks your shingles. The wrong contractor takes your insurance money, puts a mediocre roof on your house, and is gone before the first leak.
I'm Luke. I have owned Roofs R Us since 2017 and we have been roofing the north metro since 2004. This is what I tell neighbors, in order, about telling a storm chaser from a roofer who will still answer the phone in 2036.
Need this handled? See our storm damage restoration service.
Storm Damage Restoration in the Twin CitiesWhat a storm chaser actually is
A storm chaser is a roofing operation that follows weather. A hail event hits Blaine, Coon Rapids, Andover, and Ham Lake, and within days a company that was in Oklahoma last month has a rented office, a stack of yard signs, a local phone number that forwards to a call center, and a crew of door-knockers on commission. They sign as many insurance jobs as they can through the fall, install them with subcontracted labor, collect the checks, and move to the next storm.
Some of that work is fine. Some is not. The problem is the same either way: the warranty is only as good as the company standing behind it, and the company is not going to be here. When a pipe boot fails in year three, or the insurance supplement was never filed, or the city never got a permit, there is nobody to call.
Minnesota has seen enough of this that the Department of Labor and Industry issues a public reminder after major storms. Here is what they tell homeowners to check, plus what I have seen in twenty years of adjuster meetings.
The nine red flags
1. They knocked on your door. Not automatically disqualifying, but it is the first filter. Established local roofers are booked after a storm. They are not walking neighborhoods. Door-knockers are on commission and their job is to get a signature today.
2. They offer to cover your deductible. This is not a discount. It is a crime. Minnesota Statute 325E.66 prohibits a contractor from paying, waiving, rebating, or absorbing your deductible in any form, including "we'll find a way" or an inflated invoice that hides it. A contractor willing to break that law on the first conversation is telling you how they operate. It can also put your own claim at risk, because it is insurance fraud with your name on the check.
3. They want you to sign something at the door. A "contingency agreement," an "inspection authorization," a "letter of intent." Read the DLI's own words: if you sign a piece of paper, it is a contract. Contingency agreements commonly commit you to that company for the full insurance scope before you have seen a price, checked a license, or spoken to your agent.
4. The truck, the sign, and the contract show different names. A license belongs to a business entity. If the yard sign says one thing, the salesperson's card says another, and the contract has a third LLC on it, you cannot tell who is actually responsible for the roof.
5. There is no Minnesota address, or the address is a PO box or a virtual office. Ask where the shop is. Ask to see it. A local roofer has a physical location with trucks, ladders, and a dumpster out back.
6. They "did your neighbor's roof" but cannot give you the neighbor's name. Or the references are all from this summer. A company that has been here twenty years has references from 2015.
7. They tell you what the insurance company will pay before anyone has been on your roof. Nobody knows that. An honest inspection produces photos and a scope. It does not produce a promise.
8. They pressure you with a deadline. "The adjuster is coming Thursday and we need to be your contractor of record." "Prices go up Monday." You have time. Your policy sets your deadline, and it is measured in months, not hours.
9. They want to be paid in full before the work starts, or paid in cash. A deposit is normal. Full payment before a shingle is delivered is not.
Minnesota law is on your side. Here is what it says.
Three protections, in plain English.
You choose the contractor. Your insurer can recommend someone. They cannot require you to use anyone. Once the claim is approved, the roof is your decision.
Nobody can pay your deductible. Minnesota Statute 325E.66. Covered above, but it bears repeating because it is the single most common pitch at the door.
If the claim is denied, you can walk away. Minnesota Statute 326B.811 gives you 72 hours after a written denial to cancel a storm-repair contract in writing. The contractor must return your money within ten business days. On top of that, most contracts signed in your home carry a three-business-day cancellation right. Both should be printed in the contract. If they are not, that is its own red flag.
Minnesota also requires residential roofers to be licensed through the Department of Labor and Industry, and licensed contractors pay into the Contractor Recovery Fund, which can compensate homeowners who lose money to a licensed contractor's misconduct. Unlicensed contractors are outside that safety net entirely.
The two-minute license check
Before you let anyone on your roof, do this:
- Go to the Minnesota DLI license lookup, or call 651-284-5069.
- Search the business name on the contract, not the salesperson's name.
- Confirm the license is active and the type is Residential Building Contractor or Residential Roofer.
- Compare the license number to the one on the contract and the truck. They should match.
- Check the Better Business Bureau page for the same business name, and glance at Minnesota court records for judgments.
For the record: Roofs R Us holds Minnesota license BC740619, has been BBB A+ accredited since 2008, and has been at the same Blaine address long enough that our customers' kids are now calling us. Check us the same way you would check anyone.
What a real inspection looks like, so you can compare
A storm chaser's "inspection" is a walk around the yard and a sentence: "Yep, you've got damage, sign here."
A real inspection is a documented walk of the roof. Every slope photographed. Hail hits counted inside a test square. Soft metals checked, because dented gutters and vent caps are how an adjuster confirms hail size at your address. Attic checked for water. Measurements taken. It ends with a report you can hand to your agent, and it takes long enough that you can make coffee.
Our storm damage inspection guide walks through what we look for, and the insurance claim guide covers what happens after.
The order that protects you after a storm
- Write down the storm date. That is your date of loss.
- Photograph what you can see from the ground. Do not get on the roof.
- Call a local roofer you can verify for a documented inspection. Not the first person at the door.
- Read the report before you call your insurer. If there is no real damage, you skip a claim on your record.
- File if there is damage, and have your roofer at the adjuster meeting.
- Sign a contract when you have chosen your roofer, with the license number, the scope, the shingle line, and the cancellation rights printed on it.
Storm chasers depend on you skipping steps three and four. Do not.
Frequently asked questions
What is a storm chaser roofer?
A roofing outfit that follows hail and wind events from state to state, sets up a temporary office, signs as many insurance jobs as it can in a few months, and leaves. Some do adequate work. The problem is what happens after: the warranty is worthless when the company is gone, there is nobody to call when the flashing leaks, and the crews are often subcontractors nobody vetted. The name to check on a truck is the name you want to still be in business in ten years.
How do I check if a roofer is licensed in Minnesota?
Go to the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry license lookup or call DLI at 651-284-5069. Search the business name, not the salesperson's name. A residential roofer in Minnesota needs a Residential Building Contractor or Residential Roofer license, and the license number should be on the contract and the truck. If the name on the paperwork does not match the name on the license, stop.
Is it illegal for a roofer to pay my deductible in Minnesota?
Yes. Minnesota Statute 325E.66 makes it illegal for a residential contractor to pay, waive, rebate, or absorb any part of your insurance deductible, or to promise to. An offer of a free deductible is the single most reliable sign you are dealing with someone who does not plan to be around for the consequences. It can also put your own claim at risk.
Can I cancel a roofing contract in Minnesota if my insurance claim is denied?
Yes. Under Minnesota Statute 326B.811 you have 72 hours after your insurer denies the claim to cancel a storm-repair contract in writing, and the contractor has to return your payments within ten business days. Separately, a contract signed in your home usually carries a three-business-day right to cancel. Both should be printed in the contract itself.
Should I sign anything at the door after a hail storm?
No. Not an inspection authorization, not a contingency agreement, not a letter of intent. In Minnesota, anything you sign is a contract, and a contingency agreement signed at the door can lock you into that company before you have seen an estimate, checked a license, or talked to your agent. Get the inspection report first. Sign when you have chosen your roofer.
Somebody knocked, and you are not sure? Request a free inspection and we will put the real condition of your roof on paper, with photos, before you sign anything with anyone. Our how to choose a roofing contractor guide covers the full vetting list, and our storm damage service page explains how we handle a claim from inspection to warranty.
