Roof leaks
Water coming through the ceiling when it rains? Start below the roof, not on it.
Catch the water, protect the ceiling, and photograph everything before anyone climbs up. Then here is what fixing the leak should cost, and the storm sales tactics to refuse at the door.
BestHonestPro is a free comparison resource, not a contractor. There is nothing to sign up for and we do not sell your details. When we begin connecting callers to contractors, we will be paid a referral fee by the contractor, never by you, and this line will say so.
Published cost ranges
What fixing a roof leak should cost
These are national published ranges, not a quote for your job. Use them to judge whether the number in front of you is in the right ballpark.
Leak repair runs $360 to $1,550. Roof repair overall averages $1,173, typically $395 to $1,967.
| Leak repair | $360 to $1,550 |
|---|---|
| Roof repair, typical range | $395 to $1,967 |
| Roof repair, national average | $1,173 |
Source: Angi, roof replacement and roof repair cost, 2026. View source
What moves the price
- Where the water gets in. Most leaks start at flashing, vents, skylights or a damaged section, not the whole roof.
- Pitch. An unusually steep roof adds $1,000 to $3,000 in labour and materials.
- Timing. Winter repairs can cost up to 100 percent more than the same job in season.
Or have us do the legwork
Tell us the job. We will do the checking and send you the shortlist.
Free, and there is nothing to buy. A few taps, and you get the same research we would do for ourselves, written down.
Got it. The clock has started.
We will come back to you within one business day at the email you gave. If it is not there, check the spam folder before assuming we forgot.
What comes back to you
Up to three names we would call ourselves
Licensed for your state and trade, checked on the state board the day we send it, with the licence number so you can check it too.
What we verified on each one
Licence status and classification, how long the business has been registered, and whether anything shows on the state board or attorney general. If something looks wrong, we say so.
What your job should cost where you live
The published national range narrowed with what we can find for your area, so the first quote has something to sit against.
The questions to ask them, for your job
The same seven on this site plus the ones specific to your trade, in the order to ask them.
What this is not. We are not inspecting your property and we are not standing behind anyone's work. This is desk research done properly and handed to you, nothing more and nothing less.
Step one
Where to get your three names
Telling you to compare three contractors is useless if you only have one. These are the five places the three names actually come from, in the order we would use them. None of them involve us.
Your state licensing board
Every US state runs a free public search of licensed contractors, and most let you filter by trade and county. Starting here means all three of your names are licensed before you dial, which removes the single most common problem in one step.
The supply house
Call the plumbing or roofing supply counter nearest you and ask who they would use. They know exactly who pays their bills on time and who does not, they have no stake in your job, and almost nobody thinks to ask them.
Maps, filtered properly
Search the trade plus your town, then keep only businesses with a real street address, a landline, and photographs of actual work. Skip anything with a stock photo and a mobile number only, which is what a lead broker looks like.
Your insurer, if a claim is involved
Most carriers keep a preferred contractor list. Use it as one of your three, not as the only one: the list is chosen partly for the carrier's convenience, and your interests and theirs are not identical.
The neighbour with the same problem
The most reliable source there is, and the least scalable. If someone on your street had this exact job done in the last two years, that is your best single name.
Your three calls
Call three. Ask all of them the same seven questions.
You cannot tell an honest contractor from a dishonest one by looking, and neither can we. What you can do is ask every one of them the same things in the same order, and watch where the answers stop matching. That is a comparison you can run yourself in twenty minutes, and it is worth more than anybody's badge.
Are you licensed for this work in my state, and what is your licence number?
Can you email me a certificate of insurance for general liability and workers compensation?
Who actually does the work, your own employees or subcontractors, and are they covered by your policy?
Will you put the scope in writing before any money changes hands, including what is NOT included?
What is your call-out or diagnostic fee, and does it come off the job if I go ahead?
What is your workmanship warranty in years, and is that yours or the manufacturer’s?
When can you start, and what is the most likely thing that would delay it?
Ask all three the same questions in the same order. The spread in the answers tells you more than the spread in the prices. Two quotes cannot tell you who is wrong. Three can.
The comparison sheet
Screenshot this, or copy it onto paper before you dial. Fill one column per contractor while you are still on the call, never afterwards from memory.
Swipe the table sideways to reach columns two and three.
| Pro 1 | Pro 2 | Pro 3 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Licence number (and did it check out) | |||
| Certificate of insurance received | |||
| Own crew or subcontractors | |||
| Written scope, with exclusions | |||
| Call-out fee, credited or not | |||
| Workmanship warranty, in years | |||
| Earliest start date | |||
| Total price |
Before you say yes
Five things to check yourself
You can verify all five without a single phone call to us. That is the point. An honest contractor will hand you every one of these without being asked twice.
State roofing licence, looked up by you
Roofing is separately licensed in several states. Illinois licenses roofing contractors under 225 ILCS 335 with a free IDFPR lookup. Florida defines roofing contractor as a licensed category under 489.105(3)(e), searchable at MyFloridaLicense.com.
General liability and workers compensation certificates
The FTC's advice is to ask for proof of insurance and to confirm the licence with your state or county. A verbal assurance is not proof.
Manufacturer certification, checked on the manufacturer's site
GAF Certified, Certified Plus and Master Elite; CertainTeed SELECT ShingleMaster; Owens Corning Preferred and Platinum Preferred. These are real programmes and only certified contractors can offer the enhanced warranties. Verify on the manufacturer's own site, never on the contractor's.
A written scope before any money moves
The FTC is blunt: get a written contract. Illinois requires one for home repairs over $1,000.
Two warranties, separated in writing
Manufacturer material warranty and contractor workmanship warranty are different things. CertainTeed notes contractor workmanship warranties typically run one to five years, so a 25 year workmanship figure only exists when a manufacturer programme is standing behind it.
Warning signs
Three things that should end the conversation
Each of these is documented by a regulator, a state agency or a consumer protection body, not by us.
Door knocking, free inspections and pressure to sign today
The Illinois Attorney General lists exactly this as storm repair fraud. You also have cancellation rights: in Illinois, three business days when you signed after a visit to your home, plus five days after an insurance denial or 30 days after proof of loss.
An offer to handle or negotiate your insurance claim
In Texas this is illegal. Insurance Code 4102.163 bars a roofing contractor from acting as or advertising as a public adjuster for any property it is roofing, licence or no licence. Minnesota 325E.66 bars a residential contractor from interpreting your policy or adjusting your claim.
An offer to waive or absorb your deductible
Minnesota 325E.66 prohibits advertising or promising to pay any part of an insurance deductible, with a private right of action for you and enforcement by the state.
Why waiting costs more
A roof leak left alone stops being a roof job. The EPA's guidance is that if wet materials are dried within 24 to 48 hours, in most cases mold will not grow. Past that you are buying remediation on top of the repair, and neglected damage escalates a $395 to $1,967 repair into a $5,900 to $12,900 replacement.
Source: US EPA and Angi 2026. View source
How this works
Free for homeowners. No sign-up, nothing to buy.
Know the number first
Every page publishes the national cost range for that job with its source named and linked, so the quote in front of you has something to sit against.
Call three, ask the same seven things
The questions are written out, in order, with what a real operator says and what the tell sounds like. Fill the comparison sheet while you are on the call.
Verify it yourself, in five minutes
Licence number on the state board, certificate of insurance from the insurer, written scope with the exclusions named. Nobody has to take our word for anything.
Three names, seven questions, five minutes of checking
That is the whole method, and you can run it this afternoon without us.
BestHonestPro is a free comparison resource, not a contractor. There is nothing to sign up for and we do not sell your details. When we begin connecting callers to contractors, we will be paid a referral fee by the contractor, never by you, and this line will say so.