Roofing has a low barrier to entry. Anyone with a ladder, a magnetic sign, and a truck can call themselves a roofer, and after every big wind through Georgian Bay the storm-chasers arrive with clipboards and same-day pricing. When the work goes wrong, the homeowner carries the risk, not the crew that already cashed the cheque and left town. The good news is that a handful of specific questions filter most of them out in a single phone call. Here are the ones that matter, the answer you want to hear, and the answer that should end the conversation.
”Can you show me current WSIB coverage and liability insurance?”
Ask for both, in writing, before anyone climbs on your roof.
WSIB (Workplace Safety and Insurance Board) coverage protects you if a worker is hurt on your property. Without it, an injury on your roof can become your problem, and homeowners have been pulled into claims for exactly this reason. Liability insurance covers damage the crew causes to your house, your neighbour’s property, or the interior when a tarp fails overnight.
Good answer: they send you a current WSIB clearance certificate and a certificate of insurance, both dated, both with the company name that matches their quote. You can verify a WSIB clearance yourself through the WSIB website using their account number.
Red flag: “We’re covered, don’t worry about it,” a certificate that expired last season, or a name on the paperwork that does not match the name on the truck. Vague coverage is the same as no coverage when you need to make a claim.
”Will the quote be written and itemized, or a single lump-sum number?”
A lump sum hides everything. An itemized quote shows you what you are actually buying and gives you a document to hold the roofer to.
You want line items: tear-off and disposal, underlayment, ice and water shield at the eaves and valleys, the shingle (by manufacturer, product line, and colour), flashing, ventilation, and labour. If you want to understand what each line means and why it is there, we walk through it in how to read a roofing quote.
Good answer: a written, itemized quote you can compare line by line against another company’s.
Red flag: a number scrawled on the back of a business card, or a refusal to break it down “because it’s all included.” “25-year shingles” is not a product. “Architectural shingle, [manufacturer], [product line], [colour], high-wind nailing per spec” is a product. If the quote does not name what is going on your roof, you cannot compare bids and you cannot hold anyone to a standard.
”Can I get local references and see your local address?”
Storm-chasers have neither a local address nor a list of nearby homeowners who will vouch for them, because they do not stay.
Ask where the business is based and whether they have worked in your area: Collingwood, Thornbury, Meaford, Wasaga Beach, Stayner, or up in The Blue Mountains. A roofer who works the South Georgian Bay area can tell you how local wind exposure off the Bay and heavy lake-effect snow load change what they install and where.
Good answer: a real address you can find, and homeowners in nearby towns you could reasonably call.
Red flag: an out-of-town number, a company that showed up right after the last windstorm, and references that are all “too busy” to talk. A roofer with no local presence has no reputation here to protect.
”Which manufacturer are you certified with, and who registers the warranty?”
Shingles come with a manufacturer warranty, but that warranty often depends on the roof being installed to specification, and in many cases on the installer being certified by that manufacturer. Registration matters too. If nobody files the paperwork, the coverage you paid for may never exist.
Good answer: they name the manufacturer they are certified with, explain what that certification requires, and tell you they register your material warranty in your name after the job, then send you the confirmation.
Red flag: a shrug about certification, or “the shingles come with a warranty” with no mention of who registers it. An unregistered warranty is a promise nobody wrote down.
”What is the workmanship warranty, and is the term in writing?”
The manufacturer covers the material. The roofer covers the labour. These are two different things, and a leak from a bad flashing install is a workmanship problem, not a shingle defect.
Good answer: a stated workmanship warranty term, written into your contract, with a clear description of what it covers.
Red flag: a verbal “we stand behind our work” with no term and nothing on paper. A warranty you cannot point to on a page is not a warranty.
”What is your deck-repair rate per sheet, and is it agreed before work starts?”
Once the old shingles come off, the crew can see the plywood or board decking underneath. On older homes around Collingwood and the Bay, some of that decking is often rotten and has to be replaced. This is the single most common place a “surprise” charge appears.
Good answer: a stated rate per sheet of decking, agreed in writing before the tear-off, so if two sheets are bad you already know the cost and it is not a negotiation on the day.
Red flag: no rate discussed, then a large decking charge presented mid-job when your roof is open and you have no leverage. Settle this number before the first shingle comes off.
”How do you handle permits and inspections?”
Some roofing work needs a building permit, and a roofer who works locally should know when yours does and handle it as part of the job rather than leaving it on you. We cover the specifics in when a roof job needs a building permit.
Good answer: they tell you whether your job needs a permit, who pulls it, and how inspection fits into the schedule.
Red flag: “You don’t need a permit for a roof” as a blanket statement, or pushing the responsibility onto you without explanation. Skipping a required permit can surface later when you sell the house.
”Who is actually on my roof: your crew or subcontracted day labour?”
The name on the quote is not always the hands doing the work. Some companies subcontract to whatever day crew is available, which means the quality and the accountability change from job to job.
Good answer: a clear statement of who installs the roof, and whether that crew is covered by the same WSIB and insurance you already asked about.
Red flag: a vague answer about “our guys” with no clarity on whether they are employed, insured, and experienced. If the roofer cannot tell you who is on your roof, they cannot answer for the work either.
Put it together
You do not need to be a roofing expert to hire well. You need coverage you can verify, a quote you can read, warranties you can point to on paper, a decking rate agreed up front, permits handled honestly, and a straight answer about who does the work. A capable roofer will welcome these questions because they are the same standard they hold themselves to. The ones who dodge them are telling you something useful.
At Bay & Summit Roofing we carry WSIB and liability coverage, itemize every quote, register your material warranty in your name, put the workmanship term and the deck-repair rate in writing before we start, and use our own crew across Collingwood, Thornbury, Meaford, Wasaga Beach, and The Blue Mountains. If you want a plain, itemized number for a roof replacement, see what goes into roof replacement cost, then get in touch or call us at (249) 499-0101 and ask us every question on this page.