To choose a roofer for an insurance claim in Michigan, hire a local company with an active LARA residential builder or maintenance and alteration license, a certificate of insurance, a line-item scope that matches the carrier's estimate, and a documented process: photos before, during and after, meeting the adjuster on site, and supplements only for items the adjuster missed. Walk away from anyone who offers to cover your deductible or wants an assignment of benefits signed at the door.
"Roofing companies that work with insurance claims" is one of the most searched phrases after a Michigan hail or wind event, and on its own it means nothing. I am Aaron Scott, a licensed Michigan residential builder and the owner of Roofing Army, and our crews work storm claims every season across Southeast and West Michigan. This is a contractor's explanation, not legal advice; for a dispute about your policy, talk to a Michigan attorney or the Department of Insurance and Financial Services (DIFS).
What Should "We Work With Insurance Claims" Actually Mean?
A roofer who genuinely works claims does six things.
- Documents the roof three times. Drone and on-roof photos of every slope before anything is touched, during tear-off when decking and flashing are exposed, and at completion. You get copies.
- Meets the adjuster on site. Adjusters usually inspect once, on a tight schedule. Your roofer should be on the roof with them, and come back for any re-inspection.
- Writes a scope in the carrier's format. Adjusters price claims one component per line, with a quantity and a unit price. A roofer's scope should match that structure so the two compare line for line.
- Supplements missed items, with evidence. On the claims we work, the usual omissions are ice barrier, drip edge, rotted decking found on tear-off, and a slope left off the sketch. Each line gets a photo and, where it applies, the Michigan Residential Code section. Our guide to roof insurance supplements shows a clean one.
- Follows the approved scope instead of inflating it. The roofer builds what the insurer approved plus anything you add at your own cost, and the invoice shows that split.
- Tells you when a claim is not worth filing. Damage near your deductible, or a roof that simply wore out, is a repair or a cash replacement, not a claim. Our guide to what Michigan homeowners insurance covers on a roof explains where that line sits.
It should not mean negotiating the claim for you, promising a free roof, or taking over your insurance payments.
What Is the Roofer's Role at Each Step of a Michigan Roof Claim?
The full timeline, with Michigan's proof of loss and payment deadlines, is in our guide to filing a roof insurance claim in Michigan. Here is who does what at each step.
| Step | Your role | The roofer's role |
|---|---|---|
| 1. After the storm | Photograph from the ground, keep receipts, stay off the roof | Tarp an open roof, photograph the damage and the tarp |
| 2. Opening the claim | Call your insurer, get a claim number, log every call | Nothing yet. You do not need a roofer to open a claim |
| 3. Inspection | Choose a licensed, local company | Drone and on-roof photos, a written report, an honest call on whether to file |
| 4. Adjuster visit | Be home with your photos and the report | Walk the roof with the adjuster, slope by slope |
| 5. Estimate | Read it, ask about anything unclear | Compare it line by line, supplement what was missed |
| 6. Contract | Sign for the approved scope plus any upgrades you choose | Price the approved scope, show your deductible as your payment, pull the permit |
| 7. Tear-off and install | Stay reachable | Photograph decking and hidden damage, supplement the same day if needed, build to the scope |
| 8. Completion | Send the final invoice to your insurer to release held-back depreciation (see our ACV versus RCV guide) | Provide the invoice, final photos and the written warranty |
What Can a Roofer Legally Not Do on a Michigan Insurance Claim?
Three of these are statutes you can read on the Michigan Legislature's website. The fourth has no roofing-specific Michigan law, so we explain how insurers treat it.
- Work without a Michigan license. The Occupational Code requires a license to practice a regulated occupation (MCL 339.601). The small-job exemption covers only projects with a total contract price under $600, and splitting a project to stay under that number is prohibited (MCL 339.2403). Roofing is a named trade on the maintenance and alteration license, which must state the trade it covers (MCL 339.2404). The fine for an unlicensed builder or maintenance and alteration contractor is $5,000 to $25,000 (MCL 339.601). To check a number, go to LARA's website, choose Verify a License, pick the construction category and enter it, the procedure the Michigan Attorney General's office gave storm victims in April 2025.
- Adjust your claim. No one may adjust loss or damage under an insurance policy, or hold themselves out as an adjuster, without an adjuster license (MCL 500.1222). The exemptions cover attorneys and insurer employees, not contractors. A roofer can inspect, measure, write a scope and submit supplements; negotiating coverage or the settlement on your behalf is adjusting, and a roofer who promises to "fight the insurance company for you" is promising something Michigan reserves for a licensed public adjuster or your attorney. Our guide to public adjusters versus roofing contractors draws that line.
- Waive, absorb or "pay" your deductible. We could not find a Michigan statute written specifically about roofers and deductibles, as some states have. The only way a contractor can eat your deductible is to invoice the insurer for the full approved amount while collecting less from you, so the claim file says you paid something you did not. Michigan's fraud statute makes knowingly presenting a claim or statement with false information about a material fact a fraudulent insurance act (MCL 500.4503), insurers treat deductible waiving as exactly that, and the claim carries your name. Suspected fraud goes to the DIFS Fraud Investigation Unit at Michigan.gov/ReportFraud2DIFS or 877-999-6442.
- Lock you in at the door. An assignment of benefits hands the contractor your rights under the claim, sometimes including the payment itself; a contingency agreement commits you to that contractor before you have seen a price. As far as we can verify, Michigan has not passed the assignment-of-benefits limits some states have, so your protection is reading before you sign. If you were signed up at your home, the Home Solicitation Sales Act lets you cancel until midnight of the third business day after the transaction (MCL 445.113), in writing. Our 48-hour hail storm checklist covers how.
What Are the Red Flags After a Storm, and What Does a Legitimate Roofer Do Instead?
DIFS said it plainly during Contractor Fraud Awareness Week in May 2026: contractors should never ask for cash in advance or pressure you to quickly sign a contract, and you should verify credentials and contact your insurer before hiring anyone.
| Red flag | What a legitimate roofer does instead |
|---|---|
| Knocks on your door the day after the storm with a clipboard | Comes when you call, and needs no signature to look at the roof |
| Out-of-state plates, a temporary office, reviews that all appeared this month | Has a Michigan address you can drive to and a license that predates the storm |
| "Free roof" or "we will take care of your deductible" | Tells you the deductible is your share and puts the real price in the contract |
| Assignment of benefits or contingency agreement to sign on the spot | Leaves the scope and contract with you to read overnight |
| Wants a deposit or the first insurance check before materials arrive | Gets paid when the work is done |
| "We will fight the insurance company for you" | Documents, meets the adjuster, submits supplements, leaves negotiation to you or a licensed public adjuster |
| "The adjuster missed a lot, we will add it," with nothing to show | Supplements only items with a photo and, where it applies, a code section |
The long version is our storm chaser red flags checklist.
What Ten Questions Should You Ask Before Hiring a Roofer for a Claim?
Our general questions to ask a roofer before you sign cover the roof itself; these ten are specific to the claim.
- 1. What is your Michigan license number, and whose name is it in?
- 2. Will you send a certificate of insurance for liability and workers' compensation, naming me as certificate holder?
- 3. Will you meet my adjuster on the roof, and who from your company will be there?
- 4. How do you document the roof before, during and after, and do I get the photos?
- 5. If the adjuster's estimate misses something, how do you handle it?
- 6. Will your price match the carrier's approved scope, and what happens if the insurer approves less than your estimate?
- 7. Do you require a deposit, or the first insurance check, before work starts?
- 8. Is there any assignment of benefits, contingency or direction-to-pay language in your paperwork?
- 9. Who installs the roof, your employees or a subcontracted crew, and who is on site each day?
- 10. What is your workmanship warranty, and how long have you been at your Michigan address?
What Documents Should You Have Before Work Starts?
- License number, verified on LARA, in the name that is on your contract.
- Certificate of insurance for general liability and workers' compensation, sent by the contractor's agent with you as certificate holder. Call the agent to confirm it is current.
- The adjuster's estimate and your claim number.
- The roofer's inspection report and photos, with copies for you.
- A line-item scope that matches the carrier's estimate, with any upgrades priced separately.
- A signed contract with the total price, your deductible as your payment, payment due on completion, and no assignment of benefits or contingency language.
- The permit, pulled by the contractor under the contractor's license.
- The workmanship warranty in writing, with the term in years, plus the manufacturer warranty registration.
- After completion: the final invoice and photos your insurer needs to release recoverable depreciation.
DIFS also recommends contacting your insurer before you hire anyone. If the claim is denied or comes back short, see what to do when a Michigan roof claim is denied, and our roof insurance claim calculator gives you a number to hold against the adjuster's estimate.
How Does Roofing Army Handle Insurance Claims?
The way we are telling you to expect from anyone. We hold Michigan Residential Builder License No. 262400936, which you can verify on LARA before we come out (see our company information page). The storm damage inspection is free. We take drone photos before, during and after, meet your adjuster on site, write supplements only for what was missed, and build to the approved scope. We never take a deposit, our crews are in-house, a project manager is on site for every job, and every full replacement carries a 50-year workmanship warranty. If the roof is open right now, emergency tarping comes first.
We work claims for homeowners in Oxford, Shelby Township, Rochester Hills, Plymouth and Jenison and the communities around them. Read how other homeowners' claims went in our reviews.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a roofing company waive my insurance deductible in Michigan?
Not safely. We could not find a Michigan statute aimed specifically at roofers and deductibles, but the only way a contractor can absorb your deductible is to invoice the insurer for the full approved amount while collecting less from you, so the claim file states you paid something you did not. Michigan's insurance fraud statute (MCL 500.4503) treats knowingly presenting false information material to a claim as a fraudulent insurance act, and insurers treat deductible waiving as exactly that. The claim carries your name, so walk away from the offer.
Can a roofer negotiate my insurance claim for me in Michigan?
No. Under MCL 500.1222, adjusting loss or damage under an insurance policy, or holding oneself out as an adjuster, requires a Michigan adjuster license, and contractors are not among the exemptions. A roofer can inspect, document, write the scope, meet the adjuster and submit supplements for the work. Negotiating coverage or the settlement on your behalf is the job of a licensed public adjuster or your attorney.
What license does a roofer need for insurance work in Michigan?
A Michigan residential builder license or a residential maintenance and alteration contractor license that lists roofing as the trade, issued through LARA. The small-job exemption only applies when the total contract price is under $600, and splitting a job to stay under that amount is prohibited (MCL 339.2403). Verify the number on LARA's website under Verify a License, and confirm the name on the license matches the name on your contract.
Do I have to use the roofer my insurance company recommends?
Usually not. A carrier's preferred contractor program is a convenience the insurer offers, and most policies pay for the covered repair rather than dictating who performs it; check your own policy language to be sure. Get a quote from the recommended company and from a local licensed roofer and compare the scopes line by line. Whoever you choose, verify the license on LARA and get the certificate of insurance before signing.
What if I already signed with a roofer who came to my door after the storm?
If the contract was signed at your home, Michigan's Home Solicitation Sales Act (MCL 445.113) generally allows you to cancel until midnight of the third business day after the transaction. Send written notice to the seller at the address on the cancellation notice in your contract, keep a copy, and do not rely on a phone call. If that window has passed, read the contract for assignment of benefits or contingency language and consider talking to a Michigan attorney before work starts.
