By the Templateez Team · Licensed Attorney · June 2026

Roofing Contractor Intake Forms: What to Capture Before the First Ladder Goes Up

A roofing job that starts without the right information ends with callbacks, scope disputes, and insurance headaches. The homeowner says the adjuster approved a full replacement. Your crew shows up and finds a second layer of shingles nobody mentioned. Now you are tearing off double the material on a fixed-price insurance claim, and the profit margin just evaporated.

A structured roofing intake form captures every detail that matters during the first phone call or site visit. Not after the contract is signed. Not when the crew is already on the roof. Before any of that happens.

Why Roofing Needs Its Own Intake Process

Roofing is not like other trades. Half your jobs may be insurance-driven, which means adjusters, supplements, claim numbers, and approval timelines that do not exist in plumbing or electrical work. Storm damage creates urgency and documentation requirements that a generic service form cannot handle. And scope creep on a roof is expensive in ways it is not on the ground — every change order means more time at height, more material hoisted up, and more safety exposure for your crew.

A good intake form does three things for a roofing contractor: it eliminates surprise conditions on the job site, it documents the insurance situation before you commit to a price, and it gives your office manager a complete record if a dispute arises six months later.

Property Details: The Basics That Drive Everything

Start with the property itself. These fields determine crew size, equipment needs, and material quantities before anyone climbs a ladder:

• Property address and type — residential, commercial, multi-family. This determines code requirements and often the insurance process.
• Roof type — asphalt shingle, architectural shingle, metal (standing seam or corrugated), tile (clay or concrete), slate, flat/TPO/EPDM, modified bitumen. Each material has different tear-off requirements, disposal costs, and installation timelines.
• Number of stories — single-story ranch versus three-story colonial changes your safety plan, equipment needs, and labor hours significantly.
• Roof pitch — a 4/12 walkable pitch is a different job than a 12/12 steep slope that requires harnesses and toe boards. Capture this early because it affects your bid.
• Approximate square footage — or number of squares if the homeowner has a prior estimate. This is your starting point for material calculation.
• Number of roof planes and valleys — complex roof geometry means more flashing, more waste, and more labor. A simple gable is half the work of a hip roof with multiple dormers.

Insurance vs. Out-of-Pocket: Two Different Jobs

This is the fork in the road that changes your entire workflow. An insurance job and a cash job have different timelines, different pricing dynamics, and different documentation requirements. Your intake form needs to branch here.

For insurance claims, capture:

• Insurance carrier and policy number — you will need this for every communication with the adjuster.
• Claim number — if one has already been filed. If not, note that you may need to assist with filing.
• Adjuster name and contact info — the person who controls whether your scope gets approved.
• Has an adjuster inspected? — if yes, get the scope sheet. If no, you may need to schedule a joint inspection.
• Supplement status — has a supplement been filed? Approved? Denied? This determines whether you are working from a firm number or a moving target.
• Deductible amount — the homeowner's out-of-pocket. Confirm they understand their responsibility for this amount.

For out-of-pocket jobs, your intake should capture budget range, financing interest, and whether they have gotten competing estimates. A homeowner who already has three bids is in a different buying mindset than one who called you first.

Storm Damage Documentation

If the job is storm-related, your intake form is also the beginning of your damage documentation. Insurance companies deny claims over insufficient documentation, so capture this at first contact:

• Date of storm or weather event — hail, wind, fallen tree, tornado. The date matters for the claim filing window.
• Visible damage from ground level — missing shingles, exposed decking, granule loss in gutters, dented flashing, cracked tiles. If the gutter system itself needs replacement or repair, a dedicated gutter intake captures material selection, linear footage, and guard options separately from the roofing scope.
• Interior damage — water stains on ceilings, active leaks, attic moisture. Interior damage supports the urgency of the claim.
• Photos taken? — has the homeowner photographed damage? Request they send photos before the site visit so you arrive informed.
• Emergency tarping done? — if a temporary repair was made, document who did it and when. This affects the insurance timeline.

Existing Roof Conditions

What is already up there determines what you are dealing with. These fields prevent the worst surprises:

• Approximate age of current roof — a 10-year-old architectural shingle has different remaining life than a 25-year-old three-tab.
• Number of existing layers — most codes allow two layers maximum. A second layer means a tear-off is mandatory, not optional. This is the field that catches the surprise your crew does not want on day one.
• Prior repairs — patches, sealant, previous leak repairs. These tell you about underlying issues.
• Active leaks — location, severity, and duration. An active leak may require emergency tarping before the full job.
• Ventilation status — ridge vent, soffit vents, turbine vents, power vents, or none. Inadequate ventilation voids manufacturer warranties and should be addressed during the reroof.
• Decking condition — if known. Rotted or delaminated decking is a change-order waiting to happen if you did not account for it.

Material Preferences and Budget

Some homeowners have strong opinions about materials. Others have no idea what options exist. Either way, capture where they stand:

• Material preference — specific product or brand, or open to recommendation.
• Color preference — especially relevant for shingles, metal, and tile where color selection affects lead time.
• Upgrade interest — impact-resistant shingles (insurance discount in many states), cool roof coatings, solar-ready underlayment.
• Budget range — even a rough range helps you present appropriate options instead of quoting a standing-seam metal roof to someone expecting three-tab pricing.

Permits, HOA, and Code Requirements

Permit requirements vary wildly by jurisdiction. Some municipalities require permits for any roofing work; others only for structural changes. Your intake form should capture:

• Permit jurisdiction — city, county, or township. This determines the inspection process.
• HOA restrictions — color, material, and style restrictions are common in planned communities. A homeowner who picks a metal roof in a shingle-only HOA creates a problem you want to catch before ordering materials.
• Historic district — historic preservation requirements can dictate materials and methods.
• Who pulls the permit? — contractor or homeowner. Clarify this at intake to avoid delays.

If you handle general contracting work alongside roofing, the permit and code section becomes even more critical when the roof is part of a larger renovation scope.

Scheduling, Access, and Safety

Roofing has logistics that other trades do not. Your intake form needs fields for:

• Preferred start date and availability windows — especially important during storm season when your schedule is compressed.
• Occupancy status — will the homeowner be home during the work? Vacant properties have different access considerations.
• Gate or access codes — locked gates, gated communities, security systems that need to be disarmed.
• Dumpster placement — where can the tear-off dumpster go? Driveway, street, side yard? Does the municipality require a street permit for dumpster placement?
• Power line proximity — overhead lines near the roof edge are a serious safety concern. Capture this before the crew arrives so you can plan ladder placement and contact the utility if necessary.
• Tree overhang — branches over the roof affect access, safety, and may need trimming before work begins. Note whether the homeowner is responsible for trimming or whether it is part of your scope.
• Parking — space for crew trucks, material delivery, and the dumpster. Tight residential streets create real problems on delivery day if you did not plan for it.

Warranty Information

Set warranty expectations at intake, not at the final invoice. Capture:

• Manufacturer warranty interest — standard versus extended. Extended warranties often require specific installation methods and certified installers.
• Workmanship warranty terms — what your company offers and for how long. Document this in the intake so it matches the final contract.
• Existing warranty status — is the current roof still under warranty? If so, a repair might be covered, changing the scope entirely.

Stop Using Generic Forms

A generic service intake form does not have fields for roof pitch, insurance claim numbers, ventilation type, or dumpster placement. You end up writing this information in the margins, in text messages, or not capturing it at all. Then your estimator arrives on site without critical details, your office cannot answer the adjuster's questions, and your crew discovers surprises that should have been documented on day one.

Roofing-specific intake forms are not overhead. They are the difference between a job that runs smoothly and one that costs you money. At $12.99 for a complete intake and questionnaire set, it costs less than a single bundle of shingles.

If you run a broader operation, the Trade Services Bundle covers 52 trade-specific form sets at a significant discount.