What To Do When a Contractor Knocks on Your Door After a Storm

When your roof, siding, trees, or windows might be damaged, it’s easy to feel like you have to do something immediately. Good storm chasers know that—and they use that urgency against you.

Your rule: you don’t sign anything at the door. Not a “quick authorization,” not a “pre-inspection form,” not a “no-obligation agreement.” If they truly want your business, they’ll let you read and think before you commit.

You’re allowed to:

• Thank them for stopping by
• Take their card, brochure, or website
• Tell them you’ll reach out if you’re interested

What you’re not required to do is sign anything in the moment just because they’re standing there.

If someone knocks and you’re willing to hear them out, your goal isn’t to decide if you’ll hire them. Your goal is to collect clean information so you can check them out later.

Ask for:

• Business name and full legal name (not just “we’re Premier Storm Pros”)
• Phone number, email, and website
• Where they’re based (city / state)
• Whether they use subcontractors or have in-house crews

Pay attention to how they react when you ask for details in writing. Professional outfits expect those questions. Fly-by-night crews often get vague, annoyed, or try to change the subject back to “we can get you a free roof.”

As a homeowner, you should slow the conversation down to facts you can verify later—not pressure and hype you’ll forget as soon as the door closes.

Once they leave your doorstep, the pressure drops. This is where you switch from “storm mode” to “verification mode.”

Before you call them back or let them on your roof, you should:

• Look up their business name and see if it matches what’s on the card
• See if they have a real website, not just a social media page thrown together yesterday
• Check whether their address, phone, and company name line up across places

This is exactly where Minnesota Contractor Check fits in: you plug in the info you collected and use our tools and guides to see if they look like a legit, established business—or just a truck and a ladder.

One of the biggest hooks storm chasers use is the insurance angle:

“We work directly with your insurance.”
“We’ll cover your deductible.”
“We know how to get them to pay for everything.”

Some companies really do understand the claims process and help document damage the right way. Others use this language to push you into gray-area or flat-out shady stuff that can backfire on you.

As a homeowner, you should:

• Be skeptical of anyone who says they’ll “eat” or “cover” your deductible
• Avoid signing anything that gives them full control over your claim without you understanding it
• Make sure you see an actual written scope of work—not just “we’ll handle it with insurance”

Even if the door-knocker seems legit, you should still treat them as one data point, not your only option. Storm work is high-dollar. It’s worth slowing down long enough to get at least one more set of eyes on your home.

That might look like:

• Calling a local company you’ve seen around town for years
• Asking friends or neighbors who they used and actually liked
• Comparing quotes, scopes of work, and warranties side-by-side

You’re not being rude by telling a door-knocker, “We’re going to get a couple of estimates.” You’re doing what responsible homeowners do when real money and safety are involved.

You don’t owe anyone a long explanation for protecting your own house and money. If something feels off—pushy behavior, vague answers, weird paperwork—you’re allowed to shut it down.

Here are simple phrases you can use:

• “We’re not making any decisions at the door. We’ll reach out if we’re interested.”
• “We always get multiple estimates. If we decide to move forward, we’ll contact you.”
• “We’re going to talk directly with our insurance and take it from there.”

You don’t have to argue, defend yourself, or feel guilty. If they respect that, good sign. If they get pushy, upset, or start trying to scare you, that just confirmed you made the right call.