My roofer wants me to sign over my insurance check. Should I?
Short answer. Endorsing an insurance check so your roofer can be paid for contracted work is common, but signing over your claim, or the whole check before work is done, is risky, and in Georgia a contractor taking an assignment of your insurance proceeds within one year of a declared natural disaster is an unfair practice. Pay against a written contract and keep the claim in your name.
Endorsing versus assigning
- Endorsing a check: you sign the back so the funds can be deposited. If you endorse it to the roofer, you are paying them that amount.
- Assigning benefits: you transfer your rights under the claim to the contractor, who can then negotiate with or sue the insurer in your place. Under Georgia's SB 201, effective July 1, 2025, a contractor taking such an assignment within one year of a declared natural disaster is an unfair practice.
Safer ways to pay
- Deposit the check yourself, after the mortgage company endorses it if it is named.
- Pay a reasonable deposit if your contract requires one.
- Pay the balance after the work is complete and you have looked it over.
- Pay the recoverable depreciation when it is released.
Red flags
- Pressure to sign over the check before a contract or before work starts
- A contract that gives the roofer authority to settle your claim
- An offer to cover or rebate your deductible, which is illegal in Georgia
- Requests to have the check made payable only to the contractor
If you already signed
Read what you signed. Georgia law lets you cancel a roofing contract that depends on insurance if the claim is denied, within the window stated in the contract. If you think a contractor broke the law, you can contact the Georgia Office of Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner or the Consumer Protection Division of the Georgia Attorney General's office.
Related: assignment of benefits in Georgia, storm chaser scams, and deductible rules.