[harby]

Of course, this will increase your home ins premium as well as your ins.co. will share the info. with other ins. co....this may lead to deny you when you apply for another ins.co. I did learn a harsh lesson when the roofer unnecessarily replaced with new ones and my ins. paid 75% and increased my home ins. premium. Just recalled that Gov. DeSanito did sign a few years ago and makes a law that it s illegal for a roofer or roof investigator to discuss with a homeowner and he/she claims that the ins. will pay. Chas

[kkingston57]

Originally Posted by retiredguy123

OP, why not do it the correct way? If you have homeowner's insurance and you think your roof was damaged by a storm, call your insurance company and file a claim. They will send an adjuster to your house and determine if you are eligible for compensation. If you don't agree with the adjuster's decision, you can appeal it. That is the correct and honest way to do it. Why try to cheat and steal just to get a free roof? You will sleep better.

Great response. Poster may not need a new roof and if roofer puts new roof poster might have to pay the high hurricane deductible.

[kkingston57]

Originally Posted by ouicestmoi

Mike... The Florida roofing scam often involves contractors showing up after a major storm and offering homeowners a “free” roof replacement. Here’s how it usually goes down:

1. Initial Pitch: A contractor knocks on the door and tells the homeowner that their roof likely has damage from the storm and they can get a brand-new roof at no cost. They might even claim that insurance will fully cover it.

2. Fake Inspection: The contractor will "inspect" the roof and may even cause damage themselves or exaggerate any minor issues.

3. Assignment of Benefits (AOB): The contractor convinces the homeowner to sign an “Assignment of Benefits” form. This transfers the homeowner’s insurance rights to the contractor, allowing them to deal directly with the insurance company. In theory, this is supposed to streamline the process—but in practice, it’s often a setup for inflated claims.

4. Inflated Claims: The contractor then submits an inflated claim to the insurance company, sometimes charging for things that weren’t damaged or for unnecessary repairs. If the insurer rejects or questions the claim, the contractor (now with legal standing) might sue them.

5. Lawsuits and Increased Costs: The contractor may take legal action against the insurance company over the claim, which drives up costs. Florida had been notorious for the volume of these lawsuits, leading to higher premiums across the board as insurance companies tried to offset their losses.

Because of the rampant fraud, Florida passed several laws in recent years to crack down on the abuse of AOBs in roofing claims. Homeowners are now advised to be cautious, avoid signing an AOB, and directly involve their insurance company if they suspect storm damage.

Were you in the biz? HIt a home run with this response.

[skip0358]

Check you gutters. If you don't have a lot of stones in your gutters very good chance there's nothing wrong with your roof. Very few home owners will go up and check their own roof. Go in your attic and look around your roof vents or skylights see IF you see water marks or staining. Can't see all these people needing new roofs. Supposed to be 15 or 20 year shingles. Check your contracts. These guys are making a killing in here.

[jimmy o]

Originally Posted by mikempp

I've had numerous people knock on the door claiming I can file a claim and get a new roof for for free. Is this for real? Will it increase my rates? Hurt my chances of my insurance being renewed?

Think about it, of course it will increase your rates, our rates too. But your rates will increase much more than ours. Then you will have a very hard time getting insurance from someone else. Insurance companies know when they’re being scammed and don’t want those scammers as clients. Would you?

[Phil D]

Originally Posted by gatorbill1

Don't let them on your roof or you WILL need a new roof and You will pay for it

If they go on your Roof they will make damage and take a picture of it and the Insurance Company will deny your clam and do not sign anything there might a clause in there that if Denied You Will Pay The ROOF SCUM.

[OhioBuckeye]

Originally Posted by mikempp

I've had numerous people knock on the door claiming I can file a claim and get a new roof for for free. Is this for real? Will it increase my rates? Hurt my chances of my insurance being renewed?

Nope not necessarily true they’ll be about $5,000. out of pocket. Now you know why the Insurance Companies aren’t broke. Check it out!!!

[Deden]

If you need a roof, then yes, your Ins. does pay for it. But I would NOT TRUST anybody knocking on your door. Call Insurance company. Here in Florida anyway. Tree fell on my roof during the hurricane, Inspector came out and confirm along with the roofing company that they do replace if needed. Don't know if my insurance will go up or not, but we did have water damage coming in our back rm. Good Luck.

[lawgolfer]

Originally Posted by ouicestmoi

Mike... The Florida roofing scam often involves contractors showing up after a major storm and offering homeowners a “free” roof replacement. Here’s how it usually goes down:

1. Initial Pitch: A contractor knocks on the door and tells the homeowner that their roof likely has damage from the storm and they can get a brand-new roof at no cost. They might even claim that insurance will fully cover it.

2. Fake Inspection: The contractor will "inspect" the roof and may even cause damage themselves or exaggerate any minor issues.

3. Assignment of Benefits (AOB): The contractor convinces the homeowner to sign an “Assignment of Benefits” form. This transfers the homeowner’s insurance rights to the contractor, allowing them to deal directly with the insurance company. In theory, this is supposed to streamline the process—but in practice, it’s often a setup for inflated claims.

4. Inflated Claims: The contractor then submits an inflated claim to the insurance company, sometimes charging for things that weren’t damaged or for unnecessary repairs. If the insurer rejects or questions the claim, the contractor (now with legal standing) might sue them.

5. Lawsuits and Increased Costs: The contractor may take legal action against the insurance company over the claim, which drives up costs. Florida had been notorious for the volume of these lawsuits, leading to higher premiums across the board as insurance companies tried to offset their losses.

Because of the rampant fraud, Florida passed several laws in recent years to crack down on the abuse of AOBs in roofing claims. Homeowners are now advised to be cautious, avoid signing an AOB, and directly involve their insurance company if they suspect storm damage.

Assignment of Benefits (AOB) by which a homeowner transfers his right to make a claim against his insurer, are now illegal in Florida. This, along with several other new laws, were part of the "reforms" enacted by the Legislature and signed by Governor DeSantis in 2023.

By eliminating AOB's as well as the automatic award of attorney's fees, the legislature has prevented the fraudulent activities of certain roofers and their unscrupulous attorneys in which a roofer would sign up the homeowner; take an AOB; replace the roof before the insurer even knew of the claim; and, file a lawsuit in which the roofer would be paid and the attorney receive a fee award that would exceed the amount awarded the roofer.

Since 2017, because of these fraudulent activities, ten homeowner insurance companies have been forced out of business in Florida, five alone in the worst year, 2022. Several multi-state insurers have pulled out of Florida or severely limited the number of policies they will write in Florida. Every homeowner's insurer in Florida has been forced to raise its premiums by significant amounts.

I'm confident that the reforms enacted by the Legislature will, eventually, restore order to the insurance market in Florida and reduce the premiums or, at least, reduce further increases in the premiums. Unfortunately, this will not happen overnight. For one thing, some of the reforms may not be retroactive, and there are still thousands of pending lawsuits brought by the roofers and their attorney's.

[jimjamuser]

Originally Posted by villagetinker

This is a scam, yes your rates will go up.

Plus, I assume every ones rates will go up a little because of this SCAM. They take advantage of disasters, that should be illegal. And an article warning people should be in the Daily Sun.

[OrangeBlossomBaby]

Originally Posted by SaucyJim

That’s a big assumption about the character of the OP. You know what assumptions do, right?

Simple question. Answer with simple respect. Better yet, answer as if you are standing with that person in real life.

If I was standing with that person in real life, my answer would be:
"Seriously?"

and then I'd just shake my head sadly and walk away.

[Chee-Chee]

This has happened to me before and all I can say is don’t believe it. I’ve had them show up and say I need a new roof and then the inspector shows up and says oh you don’t need a new a new roof. There are many companies out there. Ask around someone has had experience with the company and can give you some advice.

[RRGuyNJ]

Originally Posted by SaucyJim

That’s a big assumption about the character of the OP. You know what assumptions do, right?

Simple question. Answer with simple respect. Better yet, answer as if you are standing with that person in real life.

Excellent reply! I wanted to express exactly what you said. Trouble is, I can't do it as tastefully as you did when it comes to these rude know it alls. Thanks again for a great reply!

[Lea N]

Originally Posted by mikempp

I've had numerous people knock on the door claiming I can file a claim and get a new roof for for free. Is this for real? Will it increase my rates? Hurt my chances of my insurance being renewed?

Roofers are too busy to knock on doors to get business these days. Fly-By-Night comes to mind.

[Dcbper]

Careful. Our friends fell for this. The contractor did not pay for the material and our friends ended up with a contractor lien on their home.