Roofing Shenanigans?
 

My girlfriend lives in a neighborhood hard hit by the recent hurricane winds. Lots of homes with blue tarps covering their damaged roofs. They all have the same roofing company signs in their yards.

So we just got back to town last week and found she had lost only 12 shingles.

Of course we called the company named on the yard signs and they sent a very nice young man out. Because my girlfriend has a large house he said a new roof would cost between $30,000 and $33,000.

But then he pretty much assured us he could get the insurance company to pay for the entire roof, minus her deductible of $2500.

Should we go with that deal? Or just have 12 shingles replaced?

We'd appreciate your thoughts.

Personally, I would run away from that company.

Search for other threads on here talking about free roof scams for a wealth of information.

Have your insurance company send out an inspector.

Don't sign anything with the roofer.

Then do your homework and choose a reputable roofing company.

Depends on how old roof is IMO and what insurance company says? I wouldn’t go by what roofers says cause most looking to make big bucks, replacing few shingles asinine work to them :shocked:

Especially if starts with A…

These roofers are the ones that have helped drive up our premiums with this scam.
Doesn't it just seem wrong to have your insurance company pay for a roof because of the loss of 12 shingles?
Run away from this shyster......
Call your insurance company.

Insurance does NOT cover the normal replacement for loss of life of the roofing, period. Florida las was supposed to eliminate the "assignments of benefits" documents which is what these companies are using to SUE the insurance companies to cover your new roof. These guys have figured a way around it, RUN from this company. On a side note, several homes in my area lost a few shingles, and I was approached twice by A### to have my roof "inspected" for damage. I had already done a walk around myself, NO missing shingles, no apparent hail damage (no Hail reported), I told them I was not interested.
On a side note, while you might get a "free" roof, you may very well see higher premium for years and remember the insurance companies share this information.

Run away from them

A roofing company knocked on our door twice last week offering free inspection.

Acted like my best friend took forever before he told me why he was there and had to tell him numerous times to go away.

The second one kept asking questions about our lawn and also didnt want to leave

Last year I changed insurers to Kin. As I recall, the policy explicitly prohibits "assignments of benefits".

THIS, because at the end of the day they may or may not pay for it, right?

Oh dear, that's the oldest scam in the books, even the Villages daily sun, notorious for printing nothing negative had an article 2-3 years ago on this, exactly how it works. Summary is, any roofing company's cost is going to be a LOT less than having a long drawn out court battle than can last several years, so they just "roll over". Of course you can see what that does to the premiums of everyone in that company. Don't fall for it, and be very careful when choosing a company to replace the missing shingles; it can range from thousands down to hundreds, so be very cautious. Thought the whole "wind mitigation" can be something of a scam racket too, no always, your friend MAY need to get a WM after the repair, but be SURE to ask her insurance company first ! !

Many states themselves have prohibited that practice now, I don't think Florida is one, but not sure. Just NEVER DO IT, NEVER, more trouble than you ever dreamed you could get into !

It's shark infested waters here ! Some are now parking on the street BEHIND, and bringing a ladder on the easement between homes ! Put the ladder up in the back and the home owner is unaware UNTIL they come around to front door to announce they have just done the UNASKED FOR "inspection". I personally know of this happening two times in our village. Imagine the consequences if an uninsured person fell from your roof ? You might triumph in the end if you can prove you never requested this person, but think of the long court battle and expense of defending yourself against these "carpetbaggers" !

Yes, run VERY VERY fast if you can. And, not only will the person pay for years in future premiums, but so will his/her neighbors ALL share in the additional expense of the new "free" roof. It's a loose-loose for consumers, a win for the scammers and opportunists !

I lost over 30 shingles in the hurricane. Dean from SkyMark roofing came right over and replaced the shingles in 30 minutes for a very reasonable price.

Many of my neighbors including myself got our roofs don't just before Milton and some did not. The few who did not have tarps on their roofs now.
I will tell you my experience we went with a company call Roofing Pro USA LL.
A pretty very young lady who did not seemed dress for the job went up on my roof, came down with her assessment, dealt with the insurance company and The Villages to see what color I was permitted to use. They took care of everything. It was supposed to take two days, but due to rain extended to three.
Now as far as the deductible, it depends which insurance company you're with. As I understand some paid in the neighborhood of $2,000, I on the other hand paid $500.
I am with Farmers, and they are dropping me in 2/20/25 because they are leaving FL.
My neighbor who is with AAA paid $1,500.
I'm not pushing the company that I used but it worked out good for me and when I sign up with a new company, I was told one of the first questions they're going to ask is how old my roof is.

Roof Inspection
 

" I was approached twice by A### to have my roof "inspected" for damage. I had already done a walk around myself, NO missing shingles, no apparent hail damage (no Hail reported), I told them I was not interested."

Amen to that, Tinker! My wife received a phone call from an alleged roofing company (she didn't get the name) who offered a free inspection of our roof to search for missing shingles. When she told me this I tried calling the company back, but the answer from the recorded message was "The person you are calling is on another line,". No company name is given, no way to leave a message and no way to talk to someone on the other end.

Two guys showed up a few days later. There was no company name on their shirts and nothing on the black pickup truck or white SUV to show what company they represented. I told them thanks, but no thanks and shut the door. The roofing scam from a few years ago still stings, especially on insurance premiums.

As many have suggested, contact your insurance company for guidance. They might have people who can replace a few shingles.

It is hard to call it a scam when you get a free roof.

I still believe that replacement of roofs by insurance companies should be pro-rated for age or wear.

Just curious…did you sign an assignment of benefits with the roofing company?

If your roof is in good shape otherwise, just have the missing shingles replaced.
I live in a new area, lots of new homes going up. This area had its share of missing shingles. New roofs haven’t settled in yet to ‘glue in’. All that was done to any of them was to replace the missing shingles.

The insurance company owes to replace the 12 shingles of the roof is in repairable condition. Unless you have an older roof, it is most likely repairable. I would call a local roofer out and have them look at it and give you an estimate. Most likely it will be under your deductible. If not, then turn in a claim. Somone knocking on your door is trying to scam the system.

Would be a scam if replacing the roof wasn’t necessary………

It may be unethical and immoral but if it doesn't violate the law or is subject to a successful lawsuit then it is legal. It is more like exploiting loopholes that should be eliminated. One idea would be to prorate the insurance payout based on the age of the roof.

If it was a scam then the insurance company wouldn't have paid for it.

Probably scammers. #1 reason is that damages were probably caused by a hurricane and the deductible is a % of the insured value of your home. IE if insured value is 300K and deductible is 2% deductible is 6K. #2 if some missing shingles roof probably should not have a leak necssitating a blue tarp. Scam roofers make $$$ on these tarps.

You need to call your own insurance company

FLorida now has a law prohibiting AOB contracts. I bet roofers have figured out a way to get around the new law(s)

Never, ever do business with anyone who initiates contact. It’s a simple rule that has served me well.

Roof repair
 

Find a good handyman, replacement of a few shingles is very easily accomplished, I did my own.

Depends on age of roof, what insurance company? Most likely insurance will only pay for repair, which is less than your deductible. If roof is less than 10years, repair out of pocket and move on.

Been there
 

When you file a claim, the insurance company sends out an independent inspector. He than reports back to the insurance company. You may choose your own roofer. The roofer talks to the insurance company and agrees on a price. No scam involved. Don't sign anything until your insurance company approves.

First off, that deductible doesn't look right. That looks like the standard deductible which is less than a hurricane event deductible. First mistake you made you call your insurance company FIRST not a roofer.

Secondly, this isn't really a scam, it's Florida 'tradition' I learned this one many years ago, and you can blame the old people for it. The Florida thing was to let the roof go to crap and wait for a storm that was a recorded event (hurricane, tornado, hail) then they would have the insurance company replace the entire roof. for practically nothing.

In the past few years the insurance companies have woken up and are now aware of this. So they are more inclined now to replace what was damaged, even though some figure it out wrong, that is still what they want to do. So you have to ask yourself (and much of this really depends on color of shingle) if you want a noticable patch on your roof or not, how long - if at all- will it blend in. Reason I say that is that this doesn't effect your insurance or roof, it effects what your insurance could care less about - how your house sells. Face it a noticable patch will give you some resale problems.

Consider everything, some of these roofers will recommend calling an attorney to work with the insurance company, start with your insurance agent that is what they are there for. If you choose attorney you better be shopping for new insurance.

Buyer beware
 

Check with Seniors vs Crime to see if any company you are looking at has any complaints against them. Operative phrase "any company"....for any work you're looking to have done.

Seniors vs Crime in The Villages

I thought a friend of ours was being scammed, but her insurance company sent an inspector out to check out the roof after she had a roofing company use a drone to inspect it. The roofing company had been referred to her by a neighbor who had recently had their roof replaced. This was before the hurricane so her deductible was only $1,000. Total cost is $25,000 for around 2,000 sq ft home with large double garage and a golf cart garage. I told her they might raise her insurance rate in the future. At her age though, she could pay an extra $1,000 or even $2,000 a year and would still come out ahead unless she lived well into her 90's.

Maybe it is just my view but "How old is the roof?". Replacing a few missing shingles is probably a good investment for a newer roof, however for an older roof it may just be a "Patch" and some insurance companies will say that it is normal wear and tear for an older roof and may not pay for replacing 12 shingles. Also consider, your "out of pocket deductible may be most of the cost with the insurer paying very little.

Scamming is not a crime, unless someone does something that is illegal like intentionally damaging a roof.

Shingles
 

Replace ! Fine match to them. And would call other roofing companies. I went with Batterbee Roofing. 352-748-6300.

Get a general home inspector - who is not a roofer - to take a look...It cost about $75...Then get an insurance company appraisal.

First, maybe buy cheap binoculars or a drone to inspect your roof from the ground. A neighbor flies a DJI and inspected everyone's roof for free and emailed a report to everyone. I am sure he will become very fat after all the treats people will give him this holiday season.

There are a lot of vendors who just walk away from the "bottom feeders" when demand outstrips supply. There is a lot of that here because of TV fast growth and limited service provider growth.

Amen to that one. I'd bet over 50% of the door-knockers are not from Florida (CO license plate), no insurance even on their vehicle, no business license in FL, and no biz insurance of any kind.

I thought it was against TV rules for door-to-door solicitations ???

And why does everyone have free access to our gated community ???

This topic has been discussed in great detail.

https://www.talkofthevillages.com/fo...munity-303294/

Guy knocked on my door went thru his BS line. Told him I wanted nobody on my roof. Oh we use a drone to inspect. Goodbye get off my yard!