You should not accept a roofer’s offer to pay, waive or rebate your insurance deductible. To cover it, the roofer usually bills your insurer more than the real cost, which can be treated as insurance fraud and can put your claim and your coverage at risk. Your deductible is your share of the claim, and an honest roofer includes it in the written price.
Why roofers make this offer
After a big hailstorm, some contractors knock on doors offering a “free roof.” The pitch is simple: they will take whatever the insurer pays and you will not pay your deductible. To make the numbers work, they either inflate the estimate sent to the insurer, cut corners on materials, or add a fake “discount” line that the insurer never sees. None of those help you.
The risks to you
- Your insurer may deny or reduce the claim if it finds the numbers were inflated
- You may be asked to return money or lose coverage
- Cheap work to make up the difference can leak and void material coverage
- The contractor may disappear when problems show up
What Arkansas law does protect
Arkansas has specific rules for insurance repair contracts. Under Arkansas Code 4-88-903 and 4-88-904, a contractor must give you a written notice of your right to cancel. You can cancel within three business days after your insurer denies all or part of the claim in writing. The contractor cannot start work before that window passes and must refund your payments within ten days if you cancel, except for emergency work. A violation is treated as an unfair and deceptive practice. This is general information, not legal advice.
How we handle deductibles
You pay your deductible. We never pay it, waive it or hide it in the price. We document the damage honestly, give you a written price, and the claim stays between you and your insurer. See roof insurance claim help and how to spot storm chasers after hail.
Why do storm chasers offer to cover the deductible?
It is a fast way to sign homeowners after a hailstorm. The cost does not disappear, it gets moved into a higher bill to the insurer or into cheaper work on your roof. Read how to spot storm chasers in Arkansas.
Is it legal for a roofer to offer a discount on an insurance job?
A genuine discount the insurer knows about is different from hiding your deductible inside a higher estimate. The problem is misleading the insurer about the real price. When in doubt, ask your insurer before signing.
What should an honest insurance roof estimate include?
An itemized list of the damaged areas, materials and labor, the same price the insurer sees, and a line showing your deductible as your share. Ask for photos of the damage. See our hail damage claim steps.
Deductible questions
Is it illegal in Arkansas for a roofer to waive my deductible?
Arkansas has no single statute that spells it out, but billing an insurer more than the real cost to cover your deductible can be treated as insurance fraud, and it puts your claim at risk.
Can a roofer give me a discount?
A real discount is fine if the insurer is told the true price. What causes trouble is hiding the deductible inside a higher estimate.
What if my deductible is too high to pay?
Ask about payment timing, and check repair programs on our help paying for a roof repair page.
How do I report a contractor who offered this?
You can contact your insurance company or the Arkansas Insurance Department’s consumer services.