A residential roofing contract needs the parties, the scope and materials, the price and how it can change, the payment schedule, the dates, the warranty, a written right to cancel and the signatures. On insurance jobs it also needs a clause that leaves the deductible with the homeowner.
A new roofer on r/Roofing asked what to call the document saying “you agree to have me do this work, and nothing less or more,” and what to call the one setting when he gets paid. Both belong in one contract, with the pay dates as its payment schedule. Roofing Contracts and 1099 Rules: What a New Owner Needs in Writing covers the rest of a new owner’s paperwork. I’m not a lawyer, so have a construction attorney in your state read your version before a homeowner signs it.
Copy this contract and fill in the blanks
Residential Roofing Contract
Contract date ________
- Contractor. Legal name, physical address, phone and email ________. Liability insurer and surety, with contact details ________.
- Owner. Owner ________. Second owner or spouse ________. Property address ________.
- Scope. Contractor will ________ (tear off and replace, repair, or overlay) the roof. Shingle maker, product line and color ________. Underlayment, flashing and vents ________. Cleanup and haul-off ________. Not included ________.
- Dates. Approximate start ________. Approximate completion ________.
- Price. $________, covering the scope above and the damage known on the contract date, as listed in the attached estimate dated ________.
- Decking and added work. Damaged decking found after tear-off is replaced at $________ per sheet. Code-required upgrades cost $________ or go on a change order. Other added work starts only after Owner signs a change order showing its price.
- Payment. Deposit $________, due . Progress payment $, due when . Final payment $, due when ________.
- Deductible. Owner pays the full insurance deductible. Contractor will not pay, waive, absorb or rebate any part of it, decline to collect it, or give a credit that offsets it.
- Insurance claim. Contractor does not act as a public adjuster, adjust the claim for Owner, interpret the policy or advise on coverage.
- Subcontractors and suppliers. Names, addresses and phone numbers attached, updated within 15 days of adding one. Or Owner waives the list: ________.
- Warranty. Workmanship ________ years, covering ________. Manufacturer warranty ________, registered by ________ within ________ days of installation.
- Defects. Owner gives Contractor written notice of any defect and a chance to inspect it and make a written offer to settle before taking other action.
- Right to cancel. [Each cancellation statement the sale requires, in bold, with two copies of the Notice of Cancellation attached.]
- State notices. [Each notice your state requires, at the type size it sets.]
- Signatures. Owner ________ Date ________. Second owner or spouse ________ Date ________. Contractor ________ Date ________.
Roofing Deposits: How Much to Take and What Your State Allows covers the deposit in clause 7. GAF says registering its enhanced shingle warranties is the contractor’s job, within 45 days of installation, so name who registers in clause 11.
Price the damage known at signing, and the decking before tear-off
An owner on r/Roofing wrote that his contracts are “pretty simple and leave room for interpretation,” and said 99% of homeowners are fine with that. The exception was an insurance customer who wanted exact line items and supplement pricing up front, which he could not know yet. Colorado requires a roofing contract to state approximate costs based on the damage known at the time. Clause 5 does the same, and anything found or added later goes on a change order.
A roofing estimator in South Georgia, rebuilding after Hurricane Helene, wrote on Reddit that his bid price holds, but his quotes say “concealed damage will raise the price as now the scope of work has changed.” Clause 6 settles the per-sheet decking price before tear-off, so fill it in at the kitchen table.
Texas, Colorado and Minnesota ban promising to cover the deductible
Texas makes it a Class B misdemeanor for a seller to advertise or promise to pay, waive or absorb an insured’s deductible, or to offer a rebate or credit that offsets it. The law also reaches helping the insured avoid paying it “in any other manner” without the insurer’s consent. Colorado requires the contract to say the contractor cannot pay, waive or rebate any part of the deductible, or promise to. Minnesota bars a residential contractor from advertising or promising to pay any part of it, directly or indirectly.
A roofer commenting on YouTube said he talks with customers about dropping line items when they don’t want to pay the deductible, and called it “a fine line,” especially once he has sent the insurer an estimate covering all the damage. In Texas that can fall under the “in any other manner” language, so keep the contract scope matched to the insurer’s estimate.
Texas and Minnesota keep roofers out of adjusting the claim
A Texas contractor may not act as a public adjuster on a property it works on or may work on, even with a public adjuster license or a power of attorney from the homeowner. Minnesota bars a residential contractor from interpreting the policy, advising on coverage or adjusting the claim without a public adjuster license. What a Roofer Can Legally Do on an Insurance Claim, From Deductibles to Contingency Agreements covers the rest. If a downloaded template authorizes you to negotiate the claim for the homeowner, take that line to your attorney before you use it.
A sale made at the homeowner’s house carries a federal right to cancel
The FTC’s Cooling-Off Rule covers sales of $25 or more made at the buyer’s home, in every state, including visits the buyer invited. The contract you leave must carry a 10-point bold statement that the buyer may cancel “at any time prior to midnight of the third business day,” with a Notice of Cancellation attached in duplicate.
If the homeowner cancels, refund within 10 business days. A homeowner facing a genuine personal emergency can give up the three days only with a separate dated, signed statement in their own handwriting, so a pre-printed waiver won’t do. The FTC has the rule under review on its 2026 agenda, so check the current text at ecfr.gov before you print.
Texas has its own three-day right for sales you solicit away from your place of business, with the bold cancellation statement next to the signature line. Colorado requires a clause letting the owner rescind within 72 hours and get any deposit back in full. Date every contract the day it is signed.
Texas adds three bold notices, and a lien needs signatures first
On a job you reasonably expect to be paid wholly or partly from a property insurance claim, priced at $1,000 or more, a Texas contract needs this notice in at least 12-point bold type:
Texas law requires a person insured under a property insurance policy to pay any deductible applicable to a claim made under the policy. It is a violation of Texas law for a seller of goods or services who reasonably expects to be paid wholly or partly from the proceeds of a property insurance claim to knowingly allow the insured person to fail to pay, or assist the insured person’s failure to pay, the applicable insurance deductible.
A contract to improve an existing homestead needs this one in at least 10-point bold, and leaving it out is actionable under the Deceptive Trade Practices Act:
IMPORTANT NOTICE: You and your contractor are responsible for meeting the terms and conditions of this contract. If you sign this contract and you fail to meet the terms and conditions of this contract, you may lose your legal ownership rights in your home. KNOW YOUR RIGHTS AND DUTIES UNDER THE LAW.
The Residential Construction Liability Act covers repairs to an existing home, and a contract under it needs a 10-point bold notice that opens “This contract is subject to Chapter 27 of the Texas Property Code.” Without it the homeowner can recover a $500 civil penalty, so copy the full wording from the statute.
To keep lien rights on a homestead, you and the owner sign a written contract before any labor or material is furnished, both spouses sign if the owner is married, and the contract is filed with the county clerk. The owner holds back 10% of the price during the work and for 30 days after completion, so build that into the final payment in clause 7.
Texas also wants the state’s disclosure statement in the homeowner’s hands before signing, and the clause 10 list before work starts unless the owner signs the waiver line. Get every signature, the spouse’s included, before materials drop.
Colorado and Florida each require their own contract language
Colorado requires a written contract signed by both sides before any roofing work. Clauses 1 through 5 cover most of what it must state, and clause 13 has to carry its cancellation and deposit refund policy. Colorado also has you hold any payment from the owner in trust until you have delivered materials to the site or done a majority of the work, so don’t spend a signing deposit early.
Florida requires any contract over $2,500 to repair or improve a home to carry a notice headed “FLORIDA HOMEOWNERS’ CONSTRUCTION RECOVERY FUND.” Leaving it out can bring a fine of up to $500 for a first violation and $1,000 for each later one, so copy the wording from Florida’s statute into clause 14.
Check these before a homeowner signs
- Every blank filled, the per-sheet decking price included.
- The price tied to a dated estimate.
- On insurance jobs, the deductible clause and a scope that matches the insurer’s estimate.
- The cancellation statement in bold, with two Notice of Cancellation forms.
- Your state’s notices in clause 14.
- Every signature dated before materials arrive.
Before a homeowner signs any of this, they have to find you, so check where you show up when one searches. Run the free Google Maps heatmap: pick your Google profile and a search, and in a few minutes you’ll see your rank at 49 points around your office.