How to Choose a Roofing Company in Austin — Verify, Don't Trust
Choosing a roofer in Austin is hard for one structural reason: Texas has no state roofing license, so anyone with a truck and a card can call themselves a roofing company. The fix is not trusting anyone's word — including ours. It is checking the things that can be checked: a voluntary state license on a public registry, an insurance certificate, background-checked third-party profiles, manufacturer certifications, and a written quote you can verify line by line. This page is that checklist, and every credential Zilker Roofing claims on it links to the registry that can prove or disprove it.
Five Checks Before You Sign With Any Roofer — Including Us
One: the license. Texas does not license roofers at the state level; the RCAT license is voluntary, which makes it meaningful — a contractor chose to be examined and to be checkable. Zilker Roofing holds RCAT Commercial & Residential Roofing License #03-0699, verifiable on the RCAT registry. Two: the insurance certificate. Ask for it before anyone climbs your roof; we provide ours on request. Three: background-checked third-party profiles — Google Guaranteed screening, BBB accreditation, and The Good Contractors List all vet independently, and none of them takes the contractor's word for it. Four: manufacturer certifications. Owens Corning Preferred Contractor and Malarkey Emerald Pro status are granted by the manufacturers, not claimed by us, and both are checkable on their locators. Five: the quote itself. Any written roofing quote — ours or a competitor's — can be walked through a checkpoint-by-checkpoint verification, and a legitimate roofer will not mind you doing it.
Inspection First, Always
We inspect before we recommend. We never suggest a replacement when a repair is the right call. Inspections are performed on-roof by a trained technician wherever conditions allow, every finding is photographed — including the slopes that are undamaged — and the written findings are yours whether or not you hire us. That is the standard we believe you should hold every roofing company to, and it is the one we are willing to be graded on.
Red Flags After a Storm — and What Texas Law Actually Says
How do I spot a roofing scam after a hail storm in Austin?
After hail or wind, out-of-town canvassers work Austin neighborhoods door to door, and two of their most common pitches are against Texas law. Offering to waive, absorb, pay, or rebate your insurance deductible is a criminal offense for a contractor under Texas Business & Commerce Code chapter 707, and the homeowner is required to pay the deductible. Negotiating your insurance claim for you without a public adjuster license is prohibited under Texas Insurance Code chapter 4102 — a roofer can document damage and provide estimates, but the claim belongs to you. Add doorstep pressure to sign anything on the spot, and you have the three-flag test: a legitimate roofer will hand you their credentials, let you run the five checks above, and wait.
What We Won't Do to Win Your Roof
What does Zilker Roofing refuse to do to win a roofing job?
Zilker Roofing is not a licensed public adjuster. We do not file insurance claims on your behalf, negotiate with your insurance carrier, or speak to your insurer without your involvement — we provide documentation and support only. We do not use Assignment of Benefits contracts: the homeowner remains the policyholder in control of their claim at all times. We do not pay, waive, or absorb deductibles. And we do not always find claimable damage — we never suggest a replacement when a repair is the right call. What we do provide is the thorough inspection, photographs, measurements, and a detailed written estimate you own, whichever roofer you ultimately choose.
Start With the Paperwork, Not a Pitch
Run the five checks on us and on everyone else you are considering — that is what they are for. When you want a number, the quote is free, the inspection comes first, and the findings are yours either way.