Pennsylvania's Home Improvement Consumer Protection Act (HICPA) sets rules for every home improvement contract over $500, and roofs are named in the law. This page summarizes the parts that matter for a roof replacement. It is not legal advice.
Three business days to cancel, wherever you sign
An individual signing a home improvement contract … shall be permitted to rescind the contract without penalty regardless of where the contract was signed, within three business days of the date of signing.
That is HICPA § 7(b). It applies whether you signed at the kitchen table or in the contractor's office. The contract itself must include a notice of this right.
What the contract must contain
Under § 7(a), a home improvement contract is not valid or enforceable against the owner unless it is in writing and includes, among other things:
- the contractor's PA registration number;
- the signatures of both parties and the date;
- the entire agreement;
- the contractor's name, address and telephone number (a post office box is not an address);
- the approximate starting and completion dates;
- a description of the work and the materials, and the total price;
- the amount of any down payment, shown separately from the cost of special-order materials;
- the names of any subcontractors, as far as known;
- that the contractor carries liability insurance of not less than $50,000 for bodily injury and property damage;
- the telephone number of the Attorney General's Bureau of Consumer Protection;
- the notice of the right to cancel.
The deposit
HICPA § 9 forbids a contractor to take any payment before the contract is signed, and for a contract over $5,000 to receive a deposit of more than one-third of the contract price, or one-third plus the cost of special-order materials named in the written contract. A request for half the price up front on such a contract is more than the law allows an ordinary contractor to take.
How to read the price lines
A contract for a new roof often lists: removal of existing layers, deck boards to be replaced and at what unit price, the membrane or shingle by name and type, insulation, flashing at parapets and party walls, drains or gutters, the City permit fee, debris removal, and the TP_019_F certificate. See what a replacement includes and what sets the cost.
Paying over time
If a contractor offers financing, get the annual percentage rate and the total cost in writing, separately from the roof contract, before you sign. This site does not arrange or describe loan terms.
When something goes wrong
Violations of HICPA are treated as violations of Pennsylvania's Unfair Trade Practices and Consumer Protection Law (§ 10). Complaints go to the Attorney General's Bureau of Consumer Protection, whose number must be printed in the contract.