What makes a roofing lead qualified?

Why the word means different things

Lead sellers use "qualified" as a selling word. A roofer uses it to mean "worth a phone call." Neither is a test. ActiveProspect, which sells consent and lead-handling software, does not define the term on its roofing-lead cost page (read October 13, 2026). It does say that intent changes the price: a request to replace a roof after hail is priced differently from a "small leak, maybe next month" request. It also says that bad phone numbers, duplicates, bots and unclear consent language raise your real cost per lead.

So qualify against your own business. A crew that only installs asphalt shingles has no use for a tile lead. A team with one estimator does not want ten leads from ZIP codes an hour away. Write down your own yes and no for each check below, then hold every lead source to it.

The five checks

Authority: owner, renter or association

A homeowner can sign for a roof. A tenant cannot. In a condo, an apartment building or a townhouse community, an owner or a board often controls the roof, so the person filling in a form may have no say.

HomeAnvil's roofing form asks "Are you the homeowner?" and "Which best describes your home?" (house, manufactured home, or condo, apartment or townhouse). An answer of "No" to the first, or condo, apartment or townhouse to the second, shows a message and the form does not advance until the person picks a different answer. Ownership is what the person tells us. We do not check county records, so a call is still where you confirm who decides, and whether anyone else, such as a spouse or a parent, needs to be at the inspection.

Fit: replace or repair, roof material, size and height

Fit is about the job in front of you. The form tells you:

• Replacement or repair. The first question asks the homeowner to pick one. A replacement needs a full inspection and a written estimate. A repair may be a short visit. If you do not take small repairs, tell your seller up front, because the form can carry both.
• Roof material. The homeowner picks asphalt shingles, metal, or other or not sure. "Other or not sure" is common. It could be wood, tile, slate, or a homeowner who simply does not know, so treat it as a question for the call.
• Stories and home size. One, two or three-plus stories, and a size band (under 1,500, 1,500 to 3,000, or over 3,000 square feet). Together they give you a rough scope before anyone climbs a ladder. A home's floor area is not the same as its roof area, so use the answers to set expectations, not to price the job.

Place: ZIP codes and the address

The form collects the address of the roof. HomeAnvil sells leads in the ZIP codes you choose, and a lead whose address falls outside them is credited back (see the credit table on the roofing leads page). If you buy from other sources, check the address against your service area before you spend time on the lead.

Timing: how fast, and how hot

The form's timeline question has three answers: ASAP, within a few months, and just researching. Use them to set your calling order, as described in how to follow up on a new roofing lead. A just-researching homeowner is still a qualified lead if the other checks pass. They are a slower one. ActiveProspect's advice to buyers is to require job type and timeline and to pause sources whose contact rate falls below a minimum you set.

Reachable: a real person who agreed to hear from you

Two things must be true. The number must reach the person. And the person must have agreed to be contacted by the means you plan to use.

Under the FCC's rule, 47 CFR 64.1200, "prior express written consent" is a written agreement signed by the person called. It must list the phone number and say plainly that the signer authorizes automated or prerecorded telemarketing calls. It must also say that signing is not a condition of buying anything. An electronic signature can count where the law recognizes it. The same rule bars telemarketing calls to residential numbers before 8 a.m. or after 9 p.m. at the called party's location, and bars them to numbers on the National Do Not Call Registry. A person can revoke consent by any reasonable method, a reply of "stop" counts, and you must honor the request within a reasonable time, which the rule limits to a set number of days (see the rule text) (eCFR text via Cornell Law School, read October 13, 2026).

On a HomeAnvil lead the homeowner agrees to be contacted on the last step of the quote form, and we record when they agreed. Keep that record with the lead. This section is general information, not legal advice. State rules vary and some are stricter, so ask your lawyer how they apply to your calls and texts.

What the roof's age tells you

Roof age is a clue, not a pass or fail. The form asks whether the roof is more than 10 years old, less than 10 years old, or the homeowner is not sure. Those bands are wide on purpose, because homeowners rarely know the exact year.

For context, InterNACHI's life expectancy chart (read October 13, 2026, no date shown on the page) lists about 20 years for 3-tab asphalt shingles and about 30 years for architectural shingles, and 40 to 80 years for metal. InterNACHI says the numbers assume normal wear and regular maintenance and calls them guidelines only. It adds that hot climates can cut shingle life sharply and that hail and wind can shorten it too.

Read the band like this:

• Over 10 years. Replacement is more plausible, and a repair lead may turn into a replacement once you are on the roof.
• Under 10 years. A problem on a young roof raises questions about the installer's workmanship and a manufacturer's warranty. Ask who installed it before you promise anything.
• Not sure. Ask for the year of purchase of the home, or any paperwork from a past roof job.

What the form does not tell you

Be honest about the gaps so that you plan the call, not assume.

• Insurance. The roofing form does not ask whether an insurance claim is involved. Ask on the call. A claim job and a self-paid job are sold differently: see insurance vs. retail roofing leads.
• Photos. The form does not ask for any. If photos help you triage, ask the homeowner to text a few after the first call.
• Budget. The form asks what matters most (longevity, affordability, curb appeal or other), which shows a preference, not a budget.
• Whether they are talking to other roofers. An exclusive lead goes to one contractor during your exclusivity window, but nothing stops a homeowner from calling other companies on their own. See exclusive vs. shared leads.

Build a simple lead score

You do not need software to be consistent. Give each lead a pass, maybe or fail on each of the five checks.

1. Any fail on authority, fit or place: do not send a crew. Make one polite call, confirm, and log why.
2. All passes and an ASAP timeline: call first.
3. All passes and a few months: call, book the inspection and follow up on a schedule.
4. All passes and just researching: one helpful call, then a lighter follow-up.

After thirty or forty leads, compare the scores with what happened: reached, appointment set, estimate given, signed. The checks that predict signed jobs for your crew deserve more weight. The ones that do not can go. Report the outcomes to your seller as well, since a seller that never hears what happened cannot tune your ZIP codes.

Our terms, in brief

Exclusive leads

Each new lead goes to one contractor only during your exclusivity window; after it, a lead may be offered again, under the terms the homeowner saw.

No contract term

A prepaid balance your card tops up when it runs low. No cancellation fee. Pause or stop any time.

Credits for bad leads

Report a wrong number or out-of-area lead within 7 days, unless your agreement says otherwise. Accepted returns are credited back.

Your ZIPs, your cap

Choose the ZIP codes you serve and how many leads you want each week.

Our full pricing and terms

Frequently asked questions

Where this information comes from

• ActiveProspect, how much do roofing leads cost?, March 2, 2026, read October 13, 2026: intent affects lead price; suggested buying rules (ZIP codes, job type, timeline, duplicates, minimum contact rate); bad numbers, bots and unclear consent raise real cost. ActiveProspect sells lead-handling software, so treat its advice as a vendor's view.
• FCC rule 47 CFR 64.1200, via Cornell Law School's Legal Information Institute, read October 13, 2026: prior express written consent, calling hours, the National Do Not Call Registry and revocation of consent.
• InterNACHI, standard estimated life expectancy chart, read October 13, 2026: roofing life expectancies and the page's caveats.
• HomeAnvil's own roofing quote form (the questions and answers above), as it stood on October 13, 2026.
• The five checks, the pass-maybe-fail score and the reading of roof-age bands are our own, written as a starting point to test against your results.

We will update this page when these sources change, and the date above will say when.