How to Choose a Roofing Contractor

What is the full company name and address?

A company’s office and location can tell you a lot about the company and its day to day operations.  A company that has a temporary office or has only a post office box, for instance, may not be financially stable and is not likely to be found if a problem with your roof should arise.  Collis Roofing, Inc. has 4 locations.  Corporate offices and showroom are located at 485 Commerce Way in Longwood, FL.  Branch offices are located in Melbourne, Lakeland, and St. Augustine.  For driving directions or to schedule an appointment to tour or local facility and showroom, click here.

Does the company carry insurance?
A contractor should carry comprehensive liability insurance and workers’ compensation insurance to protect you in the event of a roofing accident.  This can be verified by asking to see the contractor’s certificates of insurance (workers’ compensation and general liability).  Let the contractor know you want current certificates sent to you by the insurer before the job is started.

Contractors may also carry other kinds of insurance including health, life, and auto insurance.  Bland assurances of insurance coverage may refer to these.  Don’t be confused.  Ask for proof of general liability and workers’ compensation coverage for roofing projects.

Worker accidents- Be aware that if a worker is injured on our property, the homeowner might be held liable for all costs unless the injured individual is an employee and is covered by workers’ compensation insurance.  Hospital bills for serious accidents can be extraordinarily expensive.

Contractors who carry insurance and follow safety guidelines in fall prevention endure higher job overhead costs.  These expenses could be the cause of price variations between contractors who follow the standards versus those who ignore them.Uninsured or underinsured roofing contractors will most likely be cheaper to hire as they do not have the large insurance premiums to pay.  Workers’ compensation premiums can increase wage costs from about 20% to as much as 100%.

There are a variety of reasons shy full insurance may not be carried by a contractor, such as:

  • Not a full-time contractor
  • Operates as a partnership or self-employed without employees
  • New in the business
  • Can’t afford insurance premiums
  • Doesn't stand behind work


It is up to you to determine if it is worth the risk to hire a contractor who does not carry insurance.  Click here to view current copies of Collis Roofing’s insurance, workers’ compensations, and information on our award winning safety program. A certificate of liability and workers’ compensation can be sent to you directly from our insurance company with you listed as a certificate holder upon request.

Is the company a licensed and credentialed contractor?

  • Did you know that it is illegal to hire an unlicensed roofing contractor in the state of Florida?  Make sure that the company has a roofing license and is factory trained and certified to install the materials required for your job.  A business license is a tax requirement only and is not directly relevant to the contractor’s competence. Several roofing manufacturers offer a variety of programs to professional contractors that establish their credentials as a knowledgeable roofing company.  Homeowners can view a contractor’s credentials as another indicator of their degree of knowledge, professionalism, and dedication to the roofing trade.  Collis Roofing, Inc. has established the following certifications for shingle installations:
  • GAF/ELK Master Elite Contractor (GAF/ELK’s highest certification)
  • CertainTeed Select Shingle Master (CertainTeed’s highest certification)
  • Owens Corning Platinum Preferred Contractor (Owens Corning’s highest certification)


Click here to view a complete list of our credentials and certifications.

How long has the company been in business?
Needless to say, longer is usually better.  Less than five years may signal and unstable business or one low on the learning curve.  The failure rate of small businesses in the first 5 years is very high. The size of the company and the length of time that a company has been in business should give you some assurance that the company will still be in business if a problem with your installation should ever arise.  Collis Roofing has been serving Central Florida since 1994 and is currently the the largest residential roofing company in Central Florida. With an average of 1,000,000 square feet of shingles installed monthly, you can rest assured that we are as experienced as they come and will be there for you in the future.

Will the company provide referrals or references from previous jobs?

  • Ask for photos of completed work.


Click here to visit our residential gallery.  If you would like to see additional photos or would like addresses to view roofs in person, please contact your sales representative.

  • Request a list of 6-12 names and phone numbers of recent customers.  It is not always necessary to contact all of them, but you will be able to pick randomly from the list those you do call.
  • Were you satisfied with the job?
  • Did they clean up after themselves?
  • Did they do everything they said they would do?
  • Would you use them again if you had it to do over?


Your Collis Roofing sales representative can provide a reference list of completed projects in your area. 

What is the company’s workmanship warranty?
Typically, contractor workmanship warranties are for one year or more.  Longer warranties are not necessarily more valuable than shorter warranties.  The length of the warranty is less important than the intent and ability of the roofer to stand behind his warranty. That is best evaluated using customer referrals.  The roofing company will warrant their workmanship. The manufacturer, on the other hand, warranties the roofing material against defects in manufacturing.  Thus, two warranties will cover the shingle roof system.  It is important to understand them both.

Because of the factory certifications Collis Roofing has, it is possible to obtain manufacturer backed warranties covering 100% of your installation (both workmanship and materials) for up to 25 years.  Ask you Collis Roofing representative if you are interested in extending the standard warranties given by both Collis Roofing and the shingle manufacturer.  Click on the following links to see and overview of these warranties:

GAF/ELK Golden Pledge Warranty
CertainTeed 5-Star Warranty
Owens Corning Platinum Promise Warranty

What is the company’s track record for solving customer complaints?

  • Is your contractor is a member of the BBB.
  • Are there any or have there ever been any complaints against the company’s license
  • Request a referral from a job that involved a complaint and find out if it was resolved and how it was resolved.


As experienced and professional as the employees of Collis Roofing are, nobody is perfect.  Collis Roofing completes between 8,000 and 10,000 jobs per year and occasionally we make mistakes.  How these mistakes are handled is the reason that Collis Roofing has grown to be the largest residential roofing company in Central Florida and is currently ranked 16th largest roofing contractor in the United States. There is an old saying: “Do a good job for someone and they will tell 1 person. Do a poor job and they will tell everyone they know.” At Collis Roofing, we pride ourselves on being one of the most recommended roofing contractors in Central Florida.  We maintain an A+ rating with the BBB and have been recognized for our professionalism by the Orlando Sentinel and Chanel 9 news.