VIDEO: Got Roof Damage? Don’t Let Storm Chasers Catch You Off Guard!

Have you ever been visited by door-to-door roofing repair contractors offering to fix, for example, the shingle damage you incurred in that last storm — and they’re offering a honey of a deal to do so? Are you sure they weren’t … storm chasers? Not familiar with the term? Watch the video below to learn about it before one blows through your neighborhood after damaging weather — and if you learn something, be sure to like and share, and subscribe to the HomeServe YouTube channel for weekly home-maintenance how-to videos!

When we say “storm chasers,” we’re not referring to the kind of storm chasers you saw in the movie “Twister,” where a roving band of ragtag meteorologists drive toward tornadoes for the purpose of extreme scientific study. Instead, we mean the unscrupulous people who drive around after a storm and rip off unwitting homeowners, cheating them out of money by promising repairs that end up being substandard or nonexistent, or running a scam on your homeowners insurance provider.

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Just because the personable guy who knocks on your door is wearing a tool belt and an orange vest — and maybe even has a pencil behind his ear — looks legit, you need to investigate further before doing business with him. Ask yourself these questions if you’re approached by unsolicited roofers who were “just driving around the neighborhood and noticed your roof damage”:

• Did they show you their license and insurance? No? That’s a red flag.

• Did you google their company and not find anything? Yes? Red flag.

• Did they tell you not to mention anything to your insurance agent? Yes? Red flag.

• Did they offer you a too-good-to-be-true price for the work? Yes? Red flag.

• Did they ask for upfront payment in cash? Yes? Red flag.

Home repair scams like these proliferate in the summertime when severe storms are common in many parts of the country. Not only could these unscrupulous so-called “contractors” be scamming you with substandard repairs, oftentimes it’s ruse entirely wherein one person distracts you at the door with their phony offer while another sneaks into your house from the back and burglarizes your home. Elderly people who live alone are often particularly vulnerable to such con artists.

So be on your guard when someone you didn’t call shows up offering any type of home repairs — especially after bad weather blows through. Don’t let storm chasers catch you slippin’!

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