Here’s the quick answer for how to choose a good roofing contractor. A reliable roofer has an active Illinois license you can verify, recent positive reviews from your area, clear pricing, no deposit required, and a 10-year+ workmanship warranty in writing.

If they check those boxes, you’re probably in good hands but, if not, keep looking.

And if it’s your first time hiring a roofer, this guide is designed for you as a homeowner as well.

What Picking a Good Roofing Contractor Looks Like in 2026

Your parents hired roofers by asking neighbors and picking the guy who’d been around the longest. That made sense in 1995.

In 2026, you can verify a license in 30 seconds, read 100 reviews before breakfast, and spot a storm chaser from three towns away.

The information asymmetry that used to favor roofing contractors now favors you. But only if you know what to look for when picking the best roofing company for your home.

The 2026 Roofer Checklist

Print this 2026 roofer checklist out. Use it to screen roofing companies before and during the process. Each item links to detailed guidance below, ultimately helping you find the right roofing contractor.

Before You Call

• What a good roofer’s website looks like
• License verified on IDFPR (active, correct type, no discipline, verify using the IDFPR website)
• Insurance confirmed ($1M+ liability, workers comp)
• Recent Google reviews (recent in the past 12 months, your town)
• Manufacturer certification

During the Call

• Gave license number immediately
• Offered to send insurance (COI) same-day
• No deposit required
• Inspection includes attic
• Full tear-off standard (not layover)

During the Estimate

• Inspected roof AND attic (when safely accessible)
• Took photos
• Explained findings clearly
• Gave honest repair vs. replace recommendation

In the Quote (must be written or a digital copy)

• Itemized line items (not lump sum)
• Full tear-off down to shingles standard
• Decking inspection included, rotted decking replaced (what’s included vs. what costs extra)
• Ice and water shield included (required in Illinois and cold weather states)
• Shingle brand and product line specified
• Workmanship warranty in writing
• Permit and inspection included

Should I Still Ask for References in 2026?

Yes, but be realistic about what you’ll get.

Roofers will only share good references. Some will share friends, family, or fake contacts. And most homeowners don’t have time to play phone tag with a list of strangers who may or may not call back.

If you ask for references, ask for one in your neighborhood that you could drive by. You’ll see the work yourself, verify they actually did a job nearby, and skip the awkward phone calls. A roofer who can’t point you to a recent job in your area probably hasn’t done one.

That’s why asking your neighbors for referrals is still a good idea, assuming they’ve recently replaced their roofs in the past two years. But only if the contractor continued to get good online reviews since working with that particular neighbor.

Trust Score: A Modern Way to Compare Roofing Contractors

The checklist above tells you what to look for in roofing services. But how do you compare three roofers who all seem to check the boxes? That’s why we developed the Trust Score system to evaluate high-quality roofers.

We analyzed over 2,000 reviews across roofing contractors in Chicago’s western suburbs, personally verified every contractor’s Illinois roofing license through IDFPR’s online database, and weighted 11 factors based on what actually predicts quality and reliability.

Trust Score Tiers

Score	What It Means
8.5 – 10.0	Best. Hire with confidence. Verified credentials, excellent reviews, transparent practices.
7.0 – 8.4	Better. Solid choice. May have minor gaps in documentation or fewer recent reviews.
5.5 – 6.9	Minimum. Acceptable but proceed with caution. Get everything in writing.
Below 5.5	Avoid. Too many red flags. Keep looking.

For the full methodology and factor weights, see the Appendix: How the Trust Score Works at the end of this guide. Many of these data points can be used to choose both roofers and any home improvement contractor near you.

Before You Call: Do Your Homework First

Fifteen minutes of research before you pick up the phone can save you thousands of dollars and months of headaches when dealing with local roofing contractors.

What a Good Roofer’s Website Looks Like

Before you pick up the phone, spend five minutes on their website. A contractor’s website tells you a lot about how they run their business. If the basics aren’t there, that can signify bigger problems.

Non-Negotiables (If These Are Missing, Move On):

• Illinois roofing license number displayed (starts with 104 or 105)
• Real physical address (not a PO Box or virtual office)
• Phone number that’s easy to find
• Mention of insurance and bonding
• Service areas clearly listed

A website missing any of these is either hiding something or doesn’t take their business seriously. Either way, you don’t want them on your roof.

What Great Roofer Websites Include:

• Owner names and photos (real people, not stock images)
• Project gallery with actual completed work in your area
• Published warranty terms, not just “we offer a warranty”
• Financing options with details
• Reviews page or links to Google, BBB, and other platforms
• Educational content that helps you make decisions
• Process page explaining what to expect
• Pricing ranges or local roofing cost guides
• Certifications displayed (Owens Corning, GAF, BBB Accredited, CRCA Membership)

The best contractors invest in their websites because they’re building a long-term business, not chasing the next storm. A polished site with real information signals a company that cares about earning your trust before they ever show up at your door.

License Verified on IDFPR

Trust Score Impact: 1.1 points (highest weight)

Illinois requires roofing contractors to hold an active license from the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR). No license means no legal recourse if something goes wrong.

How to check: Go to IDFPR License Lookup. Search under “Roofing Contractor.” Type in the roofer’s license number. Look for:

• Status: Active
• License type: starts with 104 (residential up to 8 units) or 105 (unlimited)
• Disciplinary history: None
• Qualifying party: Ideally the owner

The image above of HomeHero’s license shows you what a valid Illinois Roofing license looks like.

Insurance Confirmed

Also called a COI, a roofer’s general liability insurance protects you if something goes wrong during the roofing work.

If a worker falls off your roof and the company doesn’t have workers compensation, you could be liable.

What to require:

• General liability (COI): $1 million minimum, $2 million aggregate preferred
• Workers compensation: Required in Illinois for any company with employees
• Surety bond: Illinois requires $10,000 for Limited licenses, $25,000 for Unlimited

Above is what a roofing company certificate of liability insurance with workers compensation and bonding looks like.

Privacy Notice: We have blocked out the names of our carriers and policy numbers as this is sensitive information we cannot share on a public webpage. If you are a customer or potential customer who would like to verify these details, please contact HomeHero and we are happy to share them with you directly.

Illinois Roofing Contractor License Renewal Date: Roofer licenses in the state of Illinois must be renewed by December 31 of odd-numbered years (the next cycle being December 31, 2027). Each state has a way to verify a roofer’s license is in good standing. In Illinois, you can check using the IDFPR licensing lookup tool.

Recent Google Reviews

Trust Score Impact: Average Rating (1.1 pts) + Review Velocity (1.1 pts) + Review Volume (0.7 pts) = up to 2.9 points

Not all online review platforms are created equal. Some allow businesses to pay for better placement or suppress negative reviews. Our Trust Score weights Google reviews most heavily because they’re the first thing most homeowners see.

Best platforms: Google, Facebook, Better Business Bureau, and NextDoor. Harder to manipulate.

Use with caution: Yelp (some passive pay-to-play filtering), and Angieslist (contractor profiles won’t show up unless they pay).

What to look for:

• Recency: Reviews from the past 12 months show current performance
• Better Business Bureau: A good roofer must be Accredited with no recent complaints and an A+ BBB rating
• Location: Reviews from your town or nearby suburbs
• Patterns: Same complaint repeated = warning sign

Here’s what a great local roofing contractor’s BBB profile should look like.

Manufacturer Certification

Trust Score Impact: 0.7 points

Certifications like Owens Corning Preferred Contractor, GAF Master Elite, or CertainTeed SELECT ShingleMaster aren’t just marketing badges. To earn them, contractors must meet training requirements, carry adequate insurance, and maintain quality standards. They also unlock enhanced warranty options.

Owens Corning, CertainTeed and GAF certificates may require additional safety training or a certain number of material orders to qualify. This is what makes them a valuable filter for quality roofers.

Below is what a preferred contractor certificate from Owens Corning should look like.

Next comes the initial phone call with the roofer. Most good roofers have an online quote form you can complete as well as a phone number you can call to arrange a free inspection.

Fast Responses Signals Good Roofer Fundamentals

A good roofer responds quickly to both online form inquiries and phone calls, within minutes or the same-day is best. If you call them late, next day is fine.

Anything over 24 hours should give you pause.

By the way, any residential roof inspection should be free if a local roofing company is reputable.

During the Call: Questions to Ask

The first phone call is a job interview and a fast response indicates a well run roofing operation.

During your call, ask direct questions and pay attention to how they respond.

Not sure what evasion sounds like? See How to Tell If a Roofer Is Lying.

Gave License Number Immediately

Ask: “What’s your Illinois roofing license number?”

• Good answer: They give it to you immediately, without hesitation.
• Red flag: They don’t know it, have to look it up, or get defensive.

Offered to Send Insurance (COI) Same-Day

Ask: “Can you send me your Certificate of Insurance (or COI) today?”

• Good answer: “Absolutely, I’ll email it this afternoon.”
• Red flag: Delays, excuses, or “we can get that after we sign.”

No Deposit Required

Ask: “Do you require a deposit?”

• Good answer: “No deposit required. You pay when the job is complete.”
• Red flag: Anything over 30% upfront. Large deposits protect the contractor, not you.

Also, ask if they offer financing. Most reputable roofing contractors do.

Inspection Includes Attic

Ask: “What does your inspection include?”

• Good answer: “We inspect the roof and the attic. I’ll take photos and walk you through what I find.”
• Red flag: “I’ll take a quick look from the ground” or no mention of attic.

Full Tear-Off Standard

Ask: “Do you do full tear-offs or layovers?”

• Good answer: “Full tear-off down to the decking on every job. We don’t do layovers.”
• Red flag: “We can do a layover to save you money.” Layovers hide problems and reduce roof lifespan.

During the Estimate: What Should Happen

A proper roof inspection takes time. If someone spends ten minutes on your driveway and hands you a quote, they’re guessing.

Also, timeliness matters. If a roofer is late to an inspection or reschedules multiple times, that’s a yellow flag of a potential unreliable roofing contractor.

Being on time is even more important if they took days to respond to your initial request or phone call.

Inspected Roof AND Attic

On the roof:

• Shingle condition: cracking, curling, missing granules
• Flashing around chimneys, vents, skylights
• Ridge caps and hip caps
• Gutters, fascia, and soffit
• Ventilation: ridge vents, box vents, soffit vents

In the attic:

• Active leaks or water stains on decking
• Mold or mildew indicating moisture problems
• Daylight showing through the roof deck
• Decking condition: soft spots, rot
• Ventilation adequacy

Took Photos

A professional inspector documents what they find. Photos protect both you and the contractor. Furthermore, extensive photo documentation is required for any roof insurance claims resulting from storm, hail or wind damage.

Explained Findings Clearly

The inspector should walk you through what they found, explain what needs attention now versus later, and answer your questions without rushing.

Great roofers make educating homeowners their primary focus during roof inspections. Oftentimes, the best roofers nearby have extensive educational articles for homeowners on their websites as well.

Here are some great examples:

• The most important parts of a roof system
• Why roof sheathing is key to a quality roof
• How do much roofers cost per hour?

Because trust and transparency is even more important in roofing, likely the largest home improvement project you’ll do outside of major remodels.

By the end of your quote, you should know why venting is important in a quality roof system, the types of shingles best for your roof, and the source of any roof leak you may be dealing with.

Gave Honest Repair vs. Replace Recommendation

Trust Score Impact: Honesty Indicators (0.9 points)

The best contractors sometimes tell you that you don’t need a new roof. If they recommend a repair instead of a replacement, that’s a sign of integrity.

We specifically look for “told me I didn’t need” or “recommended repair” language in reviews when calculating Trust Scores.

When it comes to roofers, HomeHero is know as the leading voice on whether you should repair or replace your roof.

In the Quote: What It Should Include

Trust Score Impact: Pricing/Value (0.9 points)

A professional roofing estimate should arrive within 48 hours or within 4 days during peak season. It should be detailed enough that you understand exactly what you’re paying for.

And, always, in writing with a copy shared with you for your records.

Itemized Line Items

A single lump sum with no breakdown hides what you’re getting. Look for separate line items for:

• Tear-off and disposal
• Underlayment
• Ice and water shield
• Types of shingles or applicable roof materials used
• Flashing (including flashing around chimneys and vents instead of just “caulk”)
• Ventilation
• Ridge caps
• Permit and cleanup

The more specific your roofer is on the kinds of roof materials they’ll be using under the shingles, the better. In fact, most roofing manufacturer warranties are voided if you don’t use manufacturer-approved materials like synthetic underlayment, starter strips, or hip and ridge cap shingles.

Includes Full Tear-Off Of Old Shingles

The quote should specify full tear-off of the old shingles down to the decking, not a layover. A layover or re-roof is when you install new shingles directly over the old ones.

Indeed, layovers are cheaper but hide problems, void many warranties, and reduce the average lifespan of your roof.

Decking Inspection and Replacement

This is where surprise charges or hidden fees happen. A good quote spells out:

• Decking will be inspected during tear-off
• What’s included (e.g., “first 2 sheets of plywood included”)
• What costs extra (e.g., “additional sheets at $X per sheet”)

Ice and Water Shield Included

Ice and water shields are required in many municipalities in Illinois and most midwestern states when installing or replacing entire roofs.

Most jurisdictions follow International Residential Code (IRC) or International Building Code (IBC) standards. These state that ice and water shields should be installed in valleys and along eaves.

Likewise, most building codes followed by local towns in Chicago’s suburbs require a non-corrosive metal drip edge flashing along eaves and gables.

If both drip edge flashing and ice and water shields are not in your roof replacement quote, ask why.

Shingle Brand and Product Line Specified

The quote should name exact shingle products:

• Good: “Owens Corning Duration”
• Bad: “Architectural shingles” or “Asphalt Shingles”

Workmanship Warranty in Writing

Trust Score Impact: Warranty Terms (0.9 points)

Two warranties matter in residential roofing:

• Manufacturer warranty: Covers material defects. Usually 20-50 years.
• Workmanship warranty: Covers installation errors. Look for 5+ years, ideally 10 years or more.

Ask about transferability. Can the warranty transfer if you sell the home?

Avoid any roofer that claims to have a lifetime warranty but doesn’t readily share the fine print. Also remember that if they are located out of state, it’s rare that they’ll be able to honor any warranty period, no matter the length.

Here is what a proper 10 year or more workmanship warranty should look like from a reliable roofing company, with full terms explained.

Accordingly, any trustworthy roofer should have it detailed on their website and in any written quote you receive from them.

Permit and Inspection Included

The contractor should pull the permit and schedule the municipal inspection. In Illinois, the contractor’s license number must appear on the permit application and your written estimate.

If they ask you, as the homeowner, to pull the permit, walk away.

What a Reliable Roofer Actually Looks Like

We’ve described what to look for. Here’s what a good contractor looks like in practice. HomeHero Roofing was built around these principles, ensuring the best quality roofing system possible.

Category	HomeHero Roofing
License	#104.019924 / #105.010799, active, owner, (Matt Balducci, is the qualifying party
Insurance	$2,000,000 general liability aggregate, fully bonded, workers comp active
Payment	$0 down, financing available, payment due at completion
Certification	Owens Corning Preferred Contractor
Workmanship Warranty	10 years, transferable to new owners
Reviews	120+ Google reviews, 5.0 average
Service Area	Downers Grove, Naperville, Hinsdale, La Grange, all Chicago western suburbs
Inspection	Roof and attic, photos provided, honest assessment
Address	2333 Wisconsin Ave, Suite 5, Downers Grove, IL 60515
Phone	(630) 827-8732
Trust Score	9.2 / 10

Moreover, HomeHero leads with an education-first approach, ensuring homeowners know their options and what makes for a quality roof installation. Lastly, we pride ourselves on our zero-pressure approach based on 100% transparency. Basically, what you see is what you get with HomeHero, no gotchas or hidden fees.

The only way we can do that is because we narrow our focus to residential asphalt shingle roofing and a few roof related services. Outside of our roof repairs and roof replacement services we only offer service options that act as value adds to a quality roof system like gutters, attic ventilation, skylight repair, and fascia or soffit replacement.

What HomeHero Doesn’t Do

HomeHero is a residential roofing company. We don’t do commercial work or roof layovers. Commercial roofing requires different crews, insurance structures, equipment, and business operations than residential, and we’d rather do one thing exceptionally well than spread ourselves thin. While we’ve installed metal, slate, cedar shake, and tile, our specialty is asphalt shingle roofing, which covers 80% of homes in the western suburbs.

We also focus exclusively on roofing and roof-related work: roofs, gutters, fascia, and soffit as well as gutters and gutter guards. That’s it. No siding, no windows, no general contracting. And we don’t do public adjusting. Some companies offer to handle your insurance claim and do your roof, which creates a conflict of interest and, in many cases, crosses into insurance fraud territory under Illinois law.

We’re roofers. If you need a public adjuster, hire one separately to avoid potential conflicts of interest.

Does Company Age Actually Matter in 2026?

Some checklists flag HomeHero as a “newer company.” That’s technically true. HomeHero was founded in 2023. But here’s the question worth asking: does company age actually predict quality?

Remember, the years in business of a roofer tells you when the business entity was registered. It doesn’t tell you how much experience the owners and crews have, whether the company will honor your warranty, or how well they’ll treat you.

Better questions to ask a roofer:

• “What’s your Illinois roofing license number?”
• “Who is your qualifying party, and are they still actively involved?”
• “How many roofs have you completed in my town in the past 12 months?”
• “What happens if you go out of business before my warranty expires?”
• “Can I see recent reviews from homeowners in my area?”

Appendix: How the Trust Score Works

For homeowners who want to dig deeper, here’s the methodology behind our Trust Score system.

We developed this framework after analyzing over 2,000 reviews across roofing contractors in Chicago’s western suburbs. We personally verified every contractor’s Illinois roofing license directly through IDFPR’s online database, checking license type, expiration date, and disciplinary history.

A Note on Local Weighting

The core Trust Score factors remain consistent, but we adjust weights slightly based on local market conditions. For example, our Downers Grove analysis weighted physical address verification more heavily because the June 2021 EF-3 tornado brought an influx of storm chasers to that area.

Different towns have different risks. A suburb with recent storm damage may have more fly-by-night operators. We adjust accordingly while keeping the overall scoring framework the same.

Trust Score Factors

Factor	Max Pts	Why It Matters
License Verified	1.1	Legal compliance and accountability
Average Rating	1.1	Customer satisfaction baseline
Review Velocity (2025-2026)	1.1	Recent reviews show current performance
Negative Review Patterns	0.9	Recurring complaints are warning signs
BBB Status	0.9	Dispute resolution track record
Warranty Terms	0.9	Long-term protection commitment
Honesty Indicators	0.9	Told customers they didn’t need work
Pricing/Value	0.9	Fair pricing, no surprise bills
Review Volume	0.7	More data = more reliable picture
Payment Flexibility	0.7	No deposit and offer financing
Manufacturer Certifications	0.7	Training and quality standards
Total	10.0

You can see how we applied this methodology in our Naperville roofer comparison guide.

Ready to Put This to the Test?

You’ve got the checklist. Put us to the test. HomeHero roofing offers free roof inspections with a zero-stress and 100% transparent approach guaranteed.

We take the time to inspect your roof and attic, take photos, explain what we find, and give you an honest assessment. No pressure, no obligation. Just peace of mind you can rely on during one of the biggest home improvement decisions you’ll make.

Here are a few more reasons homeowners love working with HomeHero Roofing as a good roofer reference.

If we don’t meet every standard on this page, don’t hire us.

• Our Homepage: https://homeheroroofing.com/
• Phone: (630) 827-8732
• Free Online Quotes/Inspections: https://homeheroroofing.com/free-quote/
• Physical Office Address: 2333 Wisconsin Ave, Suite 5, Downers Grove, IL 60515
• Hours: Open Mon-Sun 6am-9pm

A portion of every roofing project completed by HomeHero is donated to local, west suburban Chicago veterans organizations and charities to help everyday heroes who served our county.