Multi-Family and HOA Roof Sales: Winning the Board

HOA and condo association roof replacements are a goldmine if you can stomach the approval timeline. The deals are large ($250K to $2M), the work is repeatable, and once you land one community, word travels to neighboring associations. But the sales process has nothing in common with single-family residential. You are selling to a committee, not a homeowner.

How HOA Decisions Actually Happen

A 120-unit townhome community needs a roof. Here is the real path from problem to paid invoice.

1. Board identifies need: Roofs are leaking or at end of life. Triggered by 3 to 5 unit leaks or by reserve study.
2. Reserve study consultation: The community engages a reserve specialist to confirm remaining useful life and budget.
3. RFP issued: Property manager solicits 3 to 6 bids. You submit through the property manager.
4. Proposals presented to board: Board reviews in a private work session.
5. Town hall: Homeowners get to weigh in. Noisy.
6. Special assessment vote: Usually required unless reserves cover it. Need 60 to 75 percent approval from owners.
7. Financing or assessment collection: 30 to 90 days to collect.
8. Contract signed: Scope, schedule, and communications plan locked.
9. Install: 2 to 16 weeks depending on size.

Total elapsed time from first meeting to install start: 6 to 12 months. Plan accordingly.

Building the Board Relationship

The board is usually 5 to 9 homeowners who are volunteers. They are not roofing experts. They are nervous about spending $500K to $2M of other people's money. Your job is to be the trusted expert who makes them look smart.

The Community Education Approach

Offer a free "roof health workshop" for the community. 45 minutes, held in the clubhouse, open to all homeowners. Cover:

• Current condition assessment (with drone photos of their actual roofs)
• Remaining useful life estimate
• Options: repair vs restoration vs replacement
• Pricing ranges for each option
• Timeline and resident impact
• Q&A

This is not a sales pitch. It is education. You leave with 30 to 60 homeowners who now trust you and who will tell the board "we should hire that roofer." Conversion from workshop to signed contract at 12 months: 35 to 55 percent.

Property Manager as Gatekeeper

Most HOAs are managed by a professional property management company. The PM controls which roofers get included in bids. Build the PM relationship first. See property management company roof sales for the full approach.

Multi-Unit Logistics

A 120-unit townhome community is not one roof: it is 30 to 60 connected buildings with shared walls and shared parking. Logistics are a disaster if you do not plan.

The Phasing Plan

You cannot tear off 30 buildings at once. Phase in groups of 4 to 8 buildings (1 to 2 weeks per phase). Your phasing plan should cover:

• Building sequence
• Resident notification schedule (7 days, 3 days, 24 hours, morning-of)
• Parking plan and vehicle relocation
• Dumpster placement and swap-out
• Material staging
• Tarp and weather protection
• Rain contingency

Resident Communication

Each household needs:

• Welcome letter from HOA + roofer introducing the project
• Phase notification (7 days out with date)
• 24-hour reminder
• Morning-of door hanger
• Completion notification

Hire a community liaison. $18 to $28 per hour, 20 to 40 hours per week during the project. This role saves the job from complaints that would otherwise cost you the balance of the contract.

Master Insurance

HOAs carry master insurance policies that typically cover the building envelopes. On storm events, the master policy handles the claim, not individual homeowner policies. This changes your sales approach:

• Single point of contact: the master policy insurer or adjuster
• Single claim, one deductible for the whole property
• HOA board decides whether to pursue a claim
• Supplementing is done by the property manager, not individual owners

Know the insurance carrier for every HOA you target. When storm hits, that is your first call and your wedge into the board.

Pricing Conventions

Multi-family pricing is lower per square than single-family because of volume. Typical ranges in 2027 dollars:

MaterialPer Square (100 sqft)Typical Community Total Architectural asphalt$450 to $650$400K to $1.2M Designer asphalt$650 to $900$600K to $1.8M Metal standing seam$1,100 to $1,800$1M to $3M Tile (S-tile or flat)$900 to $1,400$900K to $2.5M

Gross margins on multi-family average 22 to 32 percent, lower than single-family but with 5 to 20x the revenue per deal.

The Referral Engine

HOAs talk to each other. Board members at one community know board members at 4 to 6 others. Do excellent work, and 35 to 60 percent of your next year's HOA pipeline comes from referral.

Track every HOA prospect in RoofKnockers with a separate pipeline and a 9-month average cadence. The follow-up discipline on a 9-month cycle is what separates roofers who win HOA work from those who give up at month 3.

Staffing for Multi-Family

One dedicated multi-family rep can manage 15 to 30 active HOA prospects at various stages. Comp: $55K to $75K base plus 1 to 2 percent of installed revenue. Expect 2 to 6 signed contracts in year 1, rising to 8 to 15 in year 3 once the referral engine kicks in.

See RoofKnockers pricing for the tier supporting multiple sales pipelines.

FAQ

How do I get invited to bid on HOA projects?

Get on property managers' preferred vendor lists. Most will not invite you to a first bid without 2 to 3 years of commercial history and references from other multi-family work. Start by bidding small repair work to build the track record.

What is the single biggest deal killer on HOA bids?

Poor communication with residents during the install. You can win the contract and lose the final payment if homeowners revolt over parking, noise, or debris. Budget $8K to $20K for a full-time community liaison.

Should I offer financing to HOAs?

No, individual homeowner financing does not work here. HOAs finance through special assessments or association loans (typical rates 6 to 10 percent through specialty HOA lenders). Introduce board members to an HOA lender if financing is a barrier.