Roofer Wants a 50% Deposit: Is That Normal in Florida?
You found a roofer, the quote seems fair, and then comes the ask: half the money up front, before a single shingle moves. Your gut says that's a lot. Your gut is right to ask.
What a normal deposit looks like
For most Florida roof replacements, a deposit between 10% and 30% is typical. The deposit exists for a real reason: materials get ordered for your specific job, and the contractor wants to know you're committed before reserving a crew. Neither of those things costs half the contract price.
A 50% deposit isn't automatically a scam. Some smaller companies run tight on cash and use your deposit to buy your materials. But that itself tells you something. A contractor who can't front materials is a contractor with thin finances, and thin finances are how homeowners end up with a torn off roof and a crew that stops showing up.
What Florida law actually says
Here's the part almost nobody searching this question knows. Under Florida Statute 489.126, if a contractor collects more than 10% of the contract price as a deposit, they must apply for the building permit within 30 days of receiving your money, and they must start work within 90 days after the permit is issued.
That's not a suggestion. Failing to do it can be treated as misapplication of construction funds, which carries criminal penalties.
So if your roofer has held a large deposit for six weeks and no permit has been filed, you're not being impatient. The law is on your side. You can check permit status yourself through your county's building department website, usually by searching your address.
Questions to ask before you write the check
Ask why the deposit is the size it is. A confident contractor will give you a plain answer, usually tied to material costs. Ask when the permit will be filed and get it in writing. Ask whether the deposit is refundable if the permit never gets pulled.
Then look at the payment schedule as a whole. A healthy schedule ties money to milestones: some at signing, some at dry in, the balance at final inspection. A schedule that front loads most of the money before the work starts puts all the risk on you.
When to walk away
Walk if the contractor wants 50% or more in cash. Walk if they resist putting the permit timeline in writing. Walk if the deposit is large and the contract has vague language about start dates. And walk if they pressure you to decide today, which is its own red flag we've covered in High-Pressure Sales Tactics.
If the worst happens and a licensed contractor takes your deposit and disappears, Florida has a recovery fund that may help. We cover it in What Happens If Your Roofer Walks Off the Job. But the recovery fund is a last resort. The better move is not handing over the money in the first place.
Before you sign anything
The deposit is one line on a contract that probably has twenty. If you want a second set of eyes on the whole thing, the payment schedule, the scope, the fine print, that's exactly what we do. Upload your estimate and we'll tell you what we find. If we don't find more value than you paid, it's free.