Roofing Subcontractor Agreement

What Is a Roofing Subcontractor Agreement?

A Roofing Subcontractor Agreement is a written contract between a roofing company and the independent crew or company performing installation work on its behalf. It defines scope, payment terms, insurance requirements, quality standards, warranty obligations, and liability allocation — protecting both parties and setting clear expectations before any nails are driven. Many roofing companies operate for years on handshake deals with their subs. This works until it doesn't: a crew does substandard work and disputes who pays for the fix; a sub's employee gets hurt on the job and the insurance question becomes complicated; a payment dispute escalates. A signed agreement dramatically reduces exposure in all of these scenarios. This generator produces a state-specific agreement template covering the critical clauses for your payment structure and subcontractor type.

How to Use This Roofing Subcontractor Agreement

1. 1

   Enter your company name

   The agreement will be drafted with your company as the general contractor. Ensure your legal entity name (LLC, Corp, etc.) matches your licensing and insurance documents.

2. 2

   Select subcontractor type

   A shingle crew agreement differs from a gutter subcontractor agreement in scope, warranty terms, and quality standards. The template will be customized to the work type.

3. 3

   Choose payment structure

   Per-square is the most common payment model for roofing crews. The agreement will include payment terms, hold-back conditions for warranty callbacks, and payment timeline relative to job completion.

4. 4

   Review insurance requirements

   The generated agreement will specify minimum insurance requirements. Verify these against your own general liability policy requirements — your carrier may require subs to carry specific minimum limits or name you as additional insured.

5. 5

   Have an attorney review before using

   This template covers the critical provisions, but subcontractor law has state-specific nuances. Have a construction attorney in your state review the agreement before you put it in front of subs. The cost is typically $200–$500 and provides real legal protection.

What Makes a Good Subcontractor Agreement?

• Clear independent contractor language: The agreement should clearly establish the sub as an independent contractor, not an employee. This affects tax treatment, workers' comp exposure, and labor law compliance. Vague or inconsistent language on this point creates worker misclassification risk.
• Insurance requirements with minimums: Don't just say "subcontractor must carry insurance." Specify minimum coverage limits (e.g., $1M per occurrence general liability, $500k workers' comp) and require a certificate of insurance naming your company as additional insured before work begins.
• Workmanship warranty and callback terms: Define the warranty period for the sub's labor (typically 1–2 years), the process for a callback, and who bears the cost. Without this, every workmanship dispute becomes a negotiation after the fact.
• Payment hold-back provision: Retaining 5–10% of the sub's payment for 30–90 days after job completion protects you if a callback is needed before you've been paid by the homeowner. This is standard practice in commercial construction and increasingly common in residential.