Roofing Contractor Payment Issues in New York
Late invoices, disputed draws, and slow-pay homeowners are killing your cash flow. Here's the fix — built by SideGuy Solutions in North County San Diego, deployed for roofers nationwide including NY.
Quick Answer
- NY Prompt Payment Act requires payment within 30 days of approved invoice on most jobs — know your legal leverage
- File a mechanic's lien within 8 months of last work (NY Lien Law §10) to force payment on residential roofing jobs
- Automate invoice follow-ups with AI — reduces 60+ day receivables by 40–70% without chasing
- Use e-signed contracts with draw schedules + automatic reminders so homeowners can't "forget"
Why NY Roofers Get Stuck Unpaid
New York is brutal for roofing cash flow. Insurance claims drag, homeowners wait for depreciation checks, and commercial GCs pay when they feel like it. Most small roofing outfits don't have an office person running collections — so invoices sit. By day 60 the customer's spent the check on something else, and by day 90 you're writing it off or threatening a lien.
The fix isn't hiring a bookkeeper or a collections agency. It's building an AI system that automatically follows up, tracks every dollar, and sends escalating reminders before things go sideways.
📲 Automated Invoice Follow-Up
AI texts and emails your customers on days 7, 14, 21, and 30 with polite but escalating reminders. Links directly to a payment portal. Works while you're on the roof.
📄 Lien-Ready Documentation
Every job auto-logs photos, signed contracts, material receipts, and change orders. If you ever need to file in NY, the paper trail is already there — one export.
What This Looks Like Built
For a roofing contractor, I usually wire up: a CRM that tracks every job from estimate to final payment, SMS/email drip sequences for unpaid invoices, automated Google review requests after paid jobs, and a homeowner portal where they can see draw schedules and pay online. The whole thing runs on tools you already pay for (or cheaper ones) — no new SaaS bloat.
No retainer. $100/hour. You pay for the hours it takes to build, then it runs itself.
PJ
I build the automation that chases payments so you don't have to. Text me what your collections process looks like right now and I'll tell you exactly what to fix first.
Stop Writing Off Unpaid Roofing Jobs
One text. No retainer. $100/hr to build the system that collects while you work.
Text 858-461-8054