After Hurricane Irma tore through South Florida in 2017, our phones at Bentley Roofing rang nonstop. But so did every homeowner’s phone. Storm chasers flooded into Pompano Beach, Fort Lauderdale, and Boca Raton with pickup trucks, clipboards, and promises that sounded too good to be true. Because they were.

We spent months that fall helping homeowners who’d already been scammed. One couple paid $18,000 upfront to a “contractor” who disappeared after tearing off half their roof. Another family signed papers they didn’t understand, only to discover they’d agreed to a financing scheme with 24% interest. These weren’t isolated incidents. In our 18+ years serving South Florida, we’ve seen the same scams recycled after every major storm and during every slow news week in between.

Here’s the honest answer: Florida’s roofing industry attracts more fraudsters than almost any other trade because the stakes are high, the work is expensive, and most homeowners only deal with a roof replacement once or twice in their lifetime. That knowledge gap is what scammers exploit. This breaks down when homeowners know exactly what red flags to watch for and understand how legitimate contractors actually operate.

At Bentley Roofing, we don’t just fix roofs. We spend significant time educating customers on how to spot the warning signs before money changes hands. This article walks you through the exact scams we encounter most frequently in South Florida and shows you the specific protections we’ve built into our process.

The Storm Chaser Who Knocks on Your Door

Within 48 hours of any tropical storm or hurricane, they arrive. Unmarked trucks. Out-of-state plates. Contractors who “happened to be in the neighborhood” and noticed damage to your roof from the street.

The pitch sounds helpful: free inspection, insurance claim assistance, they can start tomorrow. The pressure is immediate. “We’re only in town for three days.” “Your neighbors already signed up.” “If you wait, your insurance claim window will close.”

None of that is true.

In our work with homeowners after Hurricane Ian, we inspected dozens of roofs that storm chasers had “evaluated.” One homeowner showed us photos the contractor took, claiming she needed a $32,000 full replacement. We found three missing shingles and minor flashing damage. Total repair cost: $1,400.

Storm chasers operate by maximizing claim sizes, taking large deposits, then moving to the next county or state before the work is complete. Many aren’t licensed in Florida. Some aren’t licensed anywhere. When problems arise, they’re long gone.

Here’s what we do differently at Bentley: We don’t knock on doors after storms. We respond to homeowners who contact us. We’ve been at the same location in Broward County since 2007, and we’ll be here when your roof needs maintenance in five years. Our license number (CC1328148) is verifiable through the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation. We carry liability insurance that we’ll show you before any work begins.

Legitimate contractors don’t create urgency. Insurance claim windows in Florida don’t close in three days. You typically have at least one year to file a property damage claim according to Floir (Florida Office of Insurance Regulation), Florida Statute 627.70132, and we’ll help you understand the actual timeline.

The Upfront Payment Demand

Florida law is clear: contractors cannot demand more than 10% of the contract price or $1,000 (whichever is less) as an initial deposit for projects under $200,000, according to Florida Statute 489.1425. We’ve met homeowners who paid 50% upfront. Some paid the entire amount before a single shingle was removed.

The scammer’s reasoning sounds logical: “Material costs are high right now.” “We need to secure your supplies.” “This locks in your price.”

What actually happens: The contractor takes your $15,000 deposit, orders $2,000 in materials, stalls for weeks with excuses, then stops returning calls. You’re out the money and still need a roof.

At Bentley Roofing, our payment structure follows Florida statute. We take a legal deposit to begin work. The bulk of payment comes after substantial completion, and final payment happens only after you’ve walked the property with our project manager and approved the finished work. We will not deviate from this structure, even if a customer offers to pay everything upfront. It protects both parties.

The Insurance Assignment of Benefits Trap

This scam is sophisticated and perfectly legal until it isn’t. A contractor offers to “handle everything” with your insurance company. You sign an Assignment of Benefits (AOB) form. Now the contractor can negotiate directly with your insurer, approve work, and receive payment without your involvement.

Sounds convenient. The problem emerges when the contractor inflates the claim, performs unnecessary work, or bills for materials never installed. You don’t see the invoices. You don’t approve the scope. By the time you realize what happened, your insurance company has paid out tens of thousands directly to the contractor, and you’re left with substandard work you can’t afford to fix.

Florida enacted stricter AOB regulations in 2019 specifically because this practice became epidemic in South Florida. But scammers still use it.

We handle insurance documentation at Bentley, but we do it transparently. We’ll meet with your adjuster, provide detailed estimates, and photograph every stage of damage. You remain the primary contact with your insurance company. We work for you, not your insurer. If you want us to communicate directly with your carrier, we’ll discuss exactly what that means and get your explicit approval at each decision point. You see every invoice before it’s submitted.

The Unlicensed “Handyman” Offering a Deal

A neighbor knows a guy. He’s done some roofing. He’ll do your whole roof replacement for 40% less than any licensed contractor quoted. Cash only, no permits, starts Monday.

This isn’t a victimless shortcut. It’s a liability time bomb.

Florida requires roofing contractors to hold a state-certified license for any project over $1,000. Permits are required for all roof replacements in Broward and Palm Beach counties. When unlicensed workers get hurt on your property, your homeowner’s insurance may not cover it. When the work fails inspection or causes damage, you have no recourse. No license means no bond, no insurance, no oversight.

We’ve repaired dozens of roofs initially installed by unlicensed workers. The most common failures: improper flashing that causes interior water damage, missing or incorrect hurricane straps that fail code inspection, and incorrect shingle installation that voids the manufacturer’s warranty. One homeowner in Fort Lauderdale paid $8,000 cash for a replacement that looked fine from the ground. When she tried to sell her house two years later, the buyer’s inspector found zero code compliance. She paid us $24,000 to tear it off and install it correctly.

At Bentley, we pull permits for every job that requires them. Our license is active and verifiable. Our team carries workers’ compensation insurance. These aren’t optional expenses we skip to offer lower prices. They’re the baseline requirements that protect you from catastrophic liability.

The Low-Ball Estimate That Changes Later

You get five estimates. Four are between $18,000 and $22,000. One is $11,500. You go with the low bid. Three days into the job, the contractor discovers “hidden damage” that wasn’t visible during the estimate. Now the price is $26,000. You’re halfway through a tear-off. Your old roof is in a dumpster. You have no leverage to negotiate.

This bait-and-switch is deliberate. The initial estimate is intentionally incomplete. The contractor knows most homeowners won’t verify line items or ask about exclusions. Once the project starts, you’re committed.

Here’s what we tell every customer at Bentley who asks why our estimate isn’t the lowest: We don’t lowball. Our estimates include detailed scope, specific materials with manufacturer names, labor breakdown, permit costs, and waste removal. If we find unexpected damage during a tear-off, we stop work, document it with photos, explain the issue and the cost to address it, and get your written approval before proceeding. No surprises become billing line items without your explicit consent.

We’ve lost jobs to lower bids. Some of those homeowners call us back three months later to fix what the cheap contractor broke. The total cost ends up higher than our original estimate. We’d rather lose a bid than win a customer through deception.

Red Flags Every South Florida Homeowner Should Know

In our decades working Broward and Palm Beach counties, these warning signs appear in almost every scam case:

No physical business address, only a cell phone number. No proof of liability insurance when you ask for it. Pressure to sign immediately or “lose the deal.” Request for payment in cash or to a personal account rather than a business account. Unwillingness to provide references from jobs completed more than a year ago.

Legitimate contractors provide written contracts. We include scope of work, materials specifications, timeline, payment schedule, permit responsibilities, and warranty terms. Everything is documented before any deposit is collected. If a contractor refuses to put promises in writing, walk away.

When This Advice Does Not Apply

These scam patterns break down in specific scenarios:

If you’re dealing with a legitimate national roofing company that operates through licensed local franchises, their payment and business structure may differ from ours while still being legitimate. Verify the local franchise license independently.

If you’re handling a minor repair (replacing a few shingles, resealing flashing) rather than a full replacement, the formality of contracts and permits may be reduced. Florida law allows different license types for jobs under certain thresholds.

If you’re working with a contractor you’ve used successfully for previous major projects and have established trust, some of the verification steps we recommend may feel redundant. Trust is earned, but always verify insurance and licensing are still current.

If your property is in a unique jurisdiction with different permit requirements (some municipalities have carve-outs for specific building types), the permit process we describe may not match exactly. Check with your local building department.

Location-Specific Considerations in South Florida

Broward County’s permit process requires more documentation than many other Florida counties. Expect your contractor to submit engineering drawings for any structural work. Plan for at least two inspections: rough and final. The permitting office in Fort Lauderdale moves slower during hurricane season when volume spikes.

Palm Beach County enforces stricter wind load requirements in coastal zones. If your Boca Raton property is within the High Velocity Hurricane Zone, your contractor must use Miami-Dade NOA-approved materials. Scammers often skip this requirement because approved materials cost more. The first major storm exposes the shortcut when your roof fails.

In Pompano Beach and other coastal cities, salt air accelerates corrosion on metal components. Legitimate contractors account for this in material selection (stainless steel fasteners, corrosion-resistant flashing). Cheap contractors use standard materials that fail within five years in coastal environments.

How to Verify You’re Working With Bentley (Not an Impersonator)

We need to address this directly because scammers sometimes use established company names to gain trust. If someone claims to represent Bentley Roofing, verify through these steps:

Call our main office number independently (don’t use the number the person gave you). Ask for our license number and verify it matches CC1328148 on the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation website. Request to see the employee’s company ID badge before any inspection begins. Our trucks display our company name, phone number, and license number. Our uniforms include embroidered name tags.

We will never ask you to pay in cash, wire money to a personal account, or sign paperwork on the spot during a door knock. If something feels wrong, it probably is. Trust that instinct and contact us directly to verify.

What Happens When You Work With Bentley

Our process is designed to eliminate the opportunity for scams at every decision point. When you contact Bentley Roofing, here’s exactly what happens:

You schedule an inspection at your convenience. A licensed estimator arrives in a marked company vehicle with identification. The inspection takes 45-90 minutes depending on roof size and complexity. We document everything with photos you’ll receive. The estimate arrives within 48 hours as a detailed written proposal, not a verbal quote.

If you decide to proceed, we schedule a contract signing meeting where we review every line item and answer questions. We handle the permit application and provide you with copies. We notify you 48 hours before work begins and introduce you to the crew foreman. At project completion, you walk the property with our project manager before final payment.

This isn’t the fastest process. It’s the right process. We won’t compromise steps to match a competitor’s timeline if those steps protect you from risk.

If you’re evaluating any roofing contractor in South Florida and something in their process makes you uncomfortable, call us for a second opinion even if you don’t hire us for the work. We’d rather spend 20 minutes on the phone helping you avoid a scam than see another homeowner become a cautionary story.

The roofing scams in Florida aren’t going away. But informed homeowners who know what questions to ask and what red flags to watch for can avoid them completely. That’s what 18 years in business has taught us: transparency and documentation eliminate ambiguity, and ambiguity is where scammers thrive.