Roofing contract template
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Between
Customer name
Scope of work
Describe exactly what is included — and what is not.
Price and payment
Total: $0.00
Deposit (50%): $0.00 before work begins
Balance: $0.00 on completion
Terms
Payment
A deposit is due before work begins. The balance is due on completion. Invoices unpaid after 14 days may carry a late fee of 1.5% per month.
Changes to the work
Anything outside the scope above is a change order, priced and agreed in writing before that work starts. Verbal changes are not binding on either of us.
Access
The client agrees to provide access to the property, water and power where needed, on the agreed dates. If we cannot access the site on a scheduled day, a return visit may be charged.
Weather and delays
Work may be rescheduled for weather or conditions that make it unsafe or would affect quality. We will give as much notice as we can. Neither party is liable for delays outside their control.
Existing condition
We are not responsible for pre-existing damage or for defects revealed by the work. Where we find something unexpected, we will stop and tell you before continuing.
Insurance
The contractor carries liability insurance and will provide a certificate on request.
Cancellation
Either party may cancel in writing before work begins. Deposits cover materials already ordered and scheduling held for you, and may be non-refundable to that extent.
This is a starting point written for small home service work, not legal advice. Contract law varies by state, and some states require specific notices, licence numbers or cancellation language on residential contracts. Have a local attorney read it once before you use it for everything.
The decking clause
This is the one that matters more than everything else combined.
You cannot see the decking until the shingles are off. When you find rot, you are standing on an open roof, the customer’s house is exposed, and you are trying to negotiate a price. That is the worst possible moment to agree a number, and both sides know it.
Put it in the contract before you start:
Decking is inspected after tear-off. Any replacement required will be charged at $XX per 4×8 sheet, carried out only with the client’s written approval. The contractor will photograph all areas requiring replacement before covering.
That costs you one paragraph and removes the single most common source of roofing disputes and non-payment.
Two warranties, stated separately
Customers hear “30-year roof” and believe everything is covered for thirty years.
State them apart:
Manufacturer warranty — name the product, the term, and note that it covers the material only and is subject to the manufacturer’s own conditions.
Workmanship warranty — your term, typically 2 to 10 years, covering installation defects, and explicitly excluding storm damage, damage from work by others, and failure caused by structural movement or inadequate ventilation.
Scope by roof section
On anything other than a simple gable, name the sections. Main roof, garage, porch, dormers. A customer who assumed the porch was included and finds it was not is a customer who withholds the final payment.
Payment that does not finance the job
Deposit at signing to cover material. Progress payment at delivery or tear-off completion. Balance on completion.
Roofing has the highest material-to-labour ratio of the trades on this site, and a back-loaded schedule means you are lending the customer several thousand dollars for a fortnight.
Getting it signed
QuoteIQ at $29.99/mo includes e-signatures from its Beginner plan, so the contract comes back signed the same day. Jobber at $49/mo produces the most professional customer-facing document of the three, which matters when a homeowner is choosing between you and two others they trust equally little. Housecall Pro Max adds a proposal tool for presenting material tiers as options.
Questions operators actually ask
What should a roofing contract include?
The scope by roof section, the exact material and its manufacturer warranty, tear-off and disposal, a stated per-sheet rate for decking replacement, the payment schedule, your workmanship warranty, and the licence and insurance details. Decking is the clause that prevents the worst conversation in roofing.
How do I handle unexpected decking damage?
With a pre-agreed unit rate in the contract: 'Deck replacement, if required: $X per 4×8 sheet, only with written approval.' You cannot know what is under the shingles until it is off, and a pre-agreed number turns a confrontation on an open roof into a signed change order.
What warranties should I state?
Two, separately. The manufacturer's material warranty — name the product and term — and your own workmanship warranty, with its own term and its own exclusions. Customers routinely conflate them, and a failure of one gets blamed on the other.
What payment schedule is normal for roofing?
A deposit at signing covering material, a progress payment when material is delivered or tear-off is complete, and the balance on completion and inspection. Never structure it so you are financing the material for the whole job.
Do I need to state licence and insurance on the contract?
Many states require the licence number on residential improvement contracts, and every customer worth having wants to see the insurance. Put both on the document — it also separates you from the storm-chaser who knocked last week.