These are the questions roofing owners ask us most, usually in the first ten minutes of a call. The short versions sit in the list above; the sections below add context on the four topics that come up again and again: cost, ownership, storms and consent.
Roofing.Chat is a marketing and consulting service, not a contractor. Nothing on this page is legal advice.
Frequently asked questions
How much does Roofing.Chat cost?
Our work runs on Trades.Agency plans, starting at $1,999 a month month-to-month or $1,499 a month billed annually, in Canadian dollars plus GST/HST by province. Your texting vendor bills its own subscription and message fees directly to you.
Do I have to sign a long contract?
No. You stay month-to-month, and leaving takes 30 days' written notice. Annual billing is optional and simply lowers the monthly rate.
How quickly can we go live?
Instant reply is usually live in two to four weeks. Storm mode takes about four weeks because we rehearse it before the season, and most of the timeline depends on how fast you approve scripts.
We tried an agency before and got nothing. Why is this different?
We're working on a narrow, measurable problem: how fast and how well your company answers the leads it already gets. You'll see response times before and after from your own records, so there's nothing vague to argue about.
Who owns the phone number, the texting account and the message history?
Your company does. We set everything up in your name and you pay the vendor directly. If you stop working with us, the number, account and history stay with you.
Will an automatic text annoy homeowners?
A short, honest text that names a real person and a real time usually reassures people. What annoys them is silence, sales pitches, links from unknown numbers, and promises nobody keeps, so we avoid all of those.
Can you promise more signed roofs?
No, and you should be wary of anyone who does. We can show you exactly where leads wait today and fix that. Whether it turns into more signed work also depends on your pricing, crew capacity and market.
What happens to leads during a big storm?
With storm mode on, every lead gets an immediate reply that sorts active leaks from cosmetic damage and gives an honest wait time. Without it, most roofing offices simply fall behind and leads drift to whoever answers first.
Is it legal to text homeowners in Canada?
Replying to someone who contacted you about their roof is generally treated differently from sending promotions, but commercial texts are covered by CASL. ISED's guidance says implied consent from an inquiry may last as little as 6 months, and every message needs sender identification and an opt-out. Ask a lawyer about anything unusual.
Do you add a chatbot to my website?
No. We work through SMS from your business number. Homeowners already text, and a text thread follows them off your website and back into their pocket.
How do you report results?
Weekly in the first month, then monthly: response time, share of leads reaching an inspection, estimates with a clear answer, and opt-out rate. Storm weeks get their own report so they don't distort the averages.
Are you a roofing contractor?
No. We're a marketing and business consulting service. We don't inspect, repair, replace or sell roofs, and we don't refer jobs to anyone.
Can the texts be in French?
Yes. For Quebec clients we write French-first scripts, and we can write bilingual versions for New Brunswick and other markets. Each version is written by a person, not machine-translated.
Cost and contracts
Most owners want to know two things: what it costs per month, and whether they can walk away. The answers are "from $1,999 a month" and "yes, with 30 days' notice".
Beyond our fee, budget for your texting tool. Vendors charge a monthly subscription and usually a small charge per message, and those vary enough to compare before choosing. We'll help you look at real costs for your expected volume, including a storm week, which can send several times your normal message count.
The full plan table, including annual rates and what the larger plans add, is on the pricing page.
Ownership: why it matters more than people expect
The single most important question in any marketing relationship is who owns the assets when it ends. For texting, the assets are your business number, the texting account and the conversation history.
We set all three up in your company's name. You hold the login, and the vendor bills you directly. That way:
- your number doesn't vanish if you change agencies
- your history of homeowner conversations stays available for warranty questions and repeat work
- you can audit what was sent under your name at any time
If an agency ever offers to "host your number" for you, ask what happens when you leave.
Storm weeks
Storms are where texting earns or loses its keep. A prepared roofing company acknowledges every lead within minutes and gives honest, category-based wait times. An unprepared one falls days behind by the second evening.
Storm-surge mode is built for those days, and the storm triage guide explains the structure so you can use the ideas even if you never hire us. The key rules: switch on early, triage active leaks first, never encourage homeowners to climb, and update the queue regularly.
Consent and trust
Commercial text messages in Canada fall under the anti-spam law the CRTC enforces. ISED's consent page explains implied consent, identification and the 10-business-day limit for honouring unsubscribe requests.
In practice, that's why our setups:
- reply to people who contacted you, rather than blasting lists
- name your business in each message
- honour STOP replies automatically and keep a record
- avoid promotional texts unless you have a clear consent basis
Roofing also carries a reputation problem after storms, so we steer every script away from pressure tactics. The trustworthy storm texting guide covers it in depth.
When the answer is "you don't need us"
Some roofing companies already answer quickly, and we'd rather tell them than sell them something. If your office replies to nearly every lead within a few minutes, your storm weeks are calm, and most estimates get a clear answer, texting improvements will be small.
In that case, your money is usually better spent elsewhere: on reviews, on the quality of your estimates, or on getting more of the right leads in the first place. Our parent agency, Trades.Agency, handles that broader marketing work. We'll point you there if that's where your gap is.
Setup time and your part in it
Most of the timeline depends on you, not us. Script approval is the step that stalls most often, because owners are busy on roofs.
To keep things moving, we send drafts in small batches, by text if you prefer, so you can approve a first reply between jobs. Plan for two or three short review sessions in the first month and one in each month after that.
Still have a question?
Ask it directly. The contact page explains the fastest way to reach us and what to include, and the services overview shows how the pieces fit together.
Sources
- ISED: Getting consent to send email (CASL; covers texts) (2026-10-22)
- CRTC: Frequently asked questions about CASL (2026-10-22)