When your home and roof suffer damage from a storm, it’s a chaotic time, and many families are desperate to find an Orlando roofing contractor to repair storm damage. Unfortunately there are also a lot of unscrupulous companies that are known as “storm chasers”, and descend on areas hit by storms, but might not provide you with the best quality work or long-term support for your roofing in Orlando. Here are some tips to spot the “storm chasers” so you can pass them by for a more reputable company.

Get Referrals from Friends & Family

The best way to find any company, especially for roof repair in Orlando, is to talk to others who have hired someone in the past. If you don’t have any friends and family who can give you a referral, check online reviews and ask companies for customer referrals so you can discuss their service and workmanship with someone who has had the company do repairs on their home. A quality company will be able to provide you with several good referral sources.

Check the Address

Just because a company advertises that they do roofing in a certain city doesn’t make them local—in fact, sometimes a company will send people out to storm-ravaged areas from a headquarters office in a totally different part of the country, which can make ongoing repairs, inspections, and other follow-up work difficult if you need it. Make sure the company has a local office so you truly get the service you deserve.

Inspect the Licensing

Another thing you need after storm damage in Orlando is to have an unqualified roofing contractor make the problem worse. Before you hire anyone to fix your roof, make sure they have the proper licensing through the state of Florida to perform roof repairs. You can also call the Better Business Bureau to check for complaints or other problems so you can avoid companies with a track record of customer complaints.

Insurance Matters

Finally, make sure the company has the proper insurance coverage, which includes both general liability insurance and worker’s compensation. Without insurance coverage, if something happens to your home, your neighbor’s home, your property, or even an injury to one of the employees or a member of your family as a result of the roof repair work, you could be liable to pay for the damage or medical bills—an added expense you don’t need.

Finding a local company, with proper licensing and insurance, that has a long line of satisfied customers can ensure that you get quality work and great service when you need roof repairs.