TDI After a Storm: Get Three Bids, Never Waive a Deductible

Storm season pressure invites bad contracts

After wind or hail hits an East Texas roof, door-knockers show up soon after. The Texas Department of Insurance’s how to avoid contracting scams checklist is blunt: get more than one bid (at least three), watch what you sign, skip large upfront payments, and never accept an offer to waive your deductible.

Bids should be on company letterhead with a phone number and address. Keep copies of agreements and warranty terms. Your insurance adjuster can help you sanity-check what a repair should cost—but the contract is still your responsibility to read.

Red flags TDI flags by name

• Blank spaces in a “estimate” or “release” just to get on the roof—scammers fill higher costs later.
• Language that says you agree to repairs “for the value of insurance proceeds”—the contractor can then claim every penny of the check.
• A large or full down payment before work starts; after a disaster, TDI notes it is against the law for out-of-town contractors to ask for a down payment before they start.
• Any offer to waive your insurance deductible or work it into the bid—TDI says find a new contractor and you can report it to the Texas Attorney General at 800-621-0508.

TDI’s companion page Roofing and insurance: Know the law adds that Texas does not allow a roofer to act as a public insurance adjuster on the same job they are repairing, and that contracts of $1,000+ involving an insurance settlement must notice that you pay the deductible. Insurers may request proof the deductible was paid.

Practical East Texas checklist

1. Photograph damage before work.
2. Collect at least three written bids.
3. Read every line; refuse blank fields.
4. Pay your deductible yourself—do not accept a “we’ll cover it” pitch.
5. Call your carrier before permanent work when the claim is open.

East Texas Roof Quotes passes each quote request to one local roofer. It doesn’t handle insurance claims, and this article doesn’t invent coverage that is not in the policy. Questions for TDI: 800-252-3439.

Takeaway: Three written bids and a clean contract beat the fastest door-knocker. Deductible waivers and blank “estimates” are warnings—not shortcuts.

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