Roofing Contractors in Schaumburg: Questions to Ask First
Hiring a roofer in Illinois gets much easier once you know the one check that matters. Illinois licenses roofing contractors through the Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR), and licensed Illinois roofers are expected to show their license number on bids, contracts and ads — ask for it. That single check removes most of the bad actors before you have asked anything else. Here are the rest of the questions, in the order we'd ask them.
The questions
1. What is your Illinois roofing license number?
Not "are you licensed" — that gets a yes from everyone. The number. Take it and look it up on the IDFPR license lookup before you sign; the search shows whether the license is active and any discipline. Then ask your village's building department whether the roofer has to be registered there.
A roofer who hesitates, gives a number that does not come up, or says the license belongs to "a partner" is not someone to hand $15,000. A roofer worth hiring hands the number over without being asked twice. This guide applies the same rule to referrals: we only use roofers licensed by the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation — ask for their state license number.
2. Can I see your insurance certificates?
General liability and workers' compensation, on a certificate issued by the insurer, naming you as the certificate holder, sent before the crew arrives. Without workers' comp, a roofer who falls off your house has a claim against you. Call the agent on the certificate if anything looks off.
The paperwork
3. Will the contract be in writing, and does it include the consumer rights pamphlet?
Illinois has consumer rules for home-repair contracts (a written contract, a consumer-rights pamphlet, cancellation rights on some contracts) — check the current rules with the Illinois Attorney General's office or an attorney before you sign. The contract should show the total price, the scope, the materials by brand and product line, and the start and end dates. The Illinois Attorney General publishes consumer guidance on home repair and handles complaints.
4. What exactly is in the scope?
Read for these lines. If any is missing, ask:
- Number of layers to be removed
- Underlayment type (synthetic, not felt)
- Ice-and-water shield: how many feet up from the eave, and whether it is in the valleys and around penetrations
- Decking: how many sheets are expected and the price per additional sheet
- Flashing: new, or reused
- Ventilation: what is being added and whether the soffits will be opened
- The flat section, on a split-level, and what membrane goes on it
- Permit: who pulls it
- Cleanup: haul-away and a magnetic nail sweep
Two quotes with the same total can be very different roofs. The cost page explains what each line costs.
5. Will you pull the permit?
Check with the Village of Schaumburg (or your village's building department, or Cook County for an unincorporated address) whether the job needs a permit and an inspection; most roofers pull it as part of the job. A roofer who suggests skipping it to save a fee is skipping the inspection, which is the only third-party check on their work.
The work and who does it
6. What is the workmanship warranty, in writing?
The shingle manufacturer covers the shingle. It does not cover the installation. Ask for the contractor's own workmanship warranty — length, what it covers, in writing. Two years is common; five or ten from a company that has been around a while. A "lifetime" workmanship warranty from a company with no fixed address is worth the paper.
7. Who is actually on the roof?
Employees or a subcontracted crew? Subs are common and not a problem in themselves, but the license and the insurance have to cover whoever is on your roof, and the person who sold the job should be reachable during it.
8. How do you handle the insurance claim?
A good answer: they inspect, give you a written estimate, and leave the claim decisions to you and your insurer; whether they are there when the adjuster comes is your call. Warning signs: an offer to waive or cover your deductible (be wary — it can put your claim at risk; ask your insurer or an attorney), a request to sign an assignment of benefits so they can deal with your insurer directly, or a contingency agreement before the adjuster comes. Only a public adjuster licensed by the Illinois Department of Insurance can negotiate a claim for you. For cancellation rights on a contract tied to a claim, check with the Illinois Attorney General's office or an attorney. See the storm damage page.
9. How will you protect the house and the yard?
Tarps over the landscaping, plywood over the AC unit, a dumpster placed where it will not crack the driveway, and a magnetic sweep at the end of each day. Ask where the dumpster goes and who pays if the driveway is damaged.
10. What happens if you find rotten decking?
The answer should be a per-sheet price already written into the contract, and a promise to show you the bad sheets before they are covered. "We'll see when we get up there" leaves the number open.
11. What is the payment schedule?
Usually a deposit, then the balance when the job is done and you have walked it. Be careful with a large deposit long before the start date, and don't pay in full before the work is finished. Ask whether lien waivers from the roofer and the material supplier come with the final payment.
12. Who do I call during the job, and after?
A name and a cell number for the person running the crew, and an office number for warranty calls later. Get both written on the contract.
13. Can I see roofs you've done nearby?
Addresses of recent jobs in your part of town let you look at the work from the street. A crew that showed up from another state after a storm may not have any.
How to compare the answers
Put two or three roofers' answers side by side on one sheet. Price matters, but so do the license number, the insurance certificate, the decking rate, the written warranty and how clearly each one explained your roof. The best quote is often not the cheapest and rarely the most expensive. It is the one where every line is filled in.
Storm-chaser tells
After a hailstorm the northwest suburbs fill with out-of-state trucks. The tells:
- Knocked on your door unprompted.
- Cannot produce an Illinois license number, or gives a number that is not theirs.
- Offers to cover the deductible.
- Wants a contract signed today, before the adjuster.
- A magnetic sign on the truck, a phone number from a different area code, no local address.
- Says the whole roof is totaled without going in the attic.
A note on the free inspection
A free inspection from a company that only sells replacements tends to find a replacement. A paid inspection with a written report from a company that also does repairs is $150–$350 and often pays for itself the same afternoon. The repair-or-replace guide explains how a fair roofer decides. And searching "roofer near me Schaumburg" on a phone will show you a map of companies; the license lookup is the second search, and it takes a minute.
Common questions
How many quotes should I get? Two or three is plenty for most roofs. Past that, the comparison gets harder, not easier. What matters is that each quote covers the same scope.
Is the cheapest roofer ever the right choice? Sometimes, if every line on the quote is filled in and the license and insurance check out. A low price with missing lines is the one to question.
Should I ask for references? Yes, and call two of them. Ask whether the job finished on schedule, whether the price matched the quote, and how the roofer handled anything that went wrong.
Need roof work in Schaumburg?
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