Do Not Make These 7 Mistakes When Choosing a Roofing Contractor After a Hurricane

By Chip Merlin on Posted in Insurance Claim

Hurricane Michael and Hurricane Florence are the most recent hurricanes which have left policyholders facing one of the most important decisions they can make—who will fix my roof? How do you go about choosing a roofer to fix a hurricane damaged roof? Are there common mistakes policyholders make when choosing a roofing contractor?

There are 7 mistakes you should avoid to protect yourself and help you pick a quality roofer following a hurricane.

This is what the National Roofing Contractors Association has information about selecting a roofer following a natural disaster:

“Often following a natural disaster, unprofessional contractors will try to take advantage of unsuspecting homeowners. If it is necessary to hire a roofing contractor, you should keep a healthy skepticism about the lowest bid. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Price is only one criterion for selecting a professional roofing contractor; professionalism and quality workmanship also must be considered. Take some time to evaluate potential contractors before any reroofing work begins.”

The Florida Roofing and Sheet Metal Contractors Association has the following warning:

 

Here are Chip Merlin’s Seven Mistakes To Avoid Picking The Wrong Roofer Following a Hurricane: 

1. Pick only a Licensed Contractor. (While in North Carolina only requires $30k roof jobs for a license, still require the roofer to show a license because the best roofers have that license.)

2. Accept only a contract based on a written proposal with a full detailed written explanations of the materials, costs of permits, and detailed description of the work to be done with a price.

3. Only accept a roofer with evidence that they show you, not just say, of industry professionalism, manufacturer certifications, association memberships and training of workers.

4. Only accept work from those with a permanent business address and being in the business long enough to show financial stability.

5. Only accept a contract with warranties backed up by a manufacturer.

6. Only accept a contract from a roofer that can show you in-state references, call the references and do a google search about the company. Never get pressed to sign a contract right away.

7. Do not sign with those that demand money up front before the materials are on site, say permits are not needed, cannot show proof of insurance and who fail to pass all 7 of these points when you show it to them.

Roofing construction is a tough business. It is easy to make money by doing shoddy work for unsuspecting customers who have no idea how demanding it is to build or repair a roof properly. Quality roofers are in high demand. Do not settle for less and do not let your insurance company off the hook for paying the cost of a quality roof repair or replacement. 

 

Thought For The Day 

Price is forgotten long after quality is still being appreciated. 

 

Rene Sigman Appointed to Committee Determining Model Disaster Litigation Case Management Orders

By Chip Merlin on Posted in Hurricane Sandy, Insurance

Rene Sigman – Head of Texas Litigation

Rene Sigman of Merlin Law Group has been appointed to an elite group of attorneys and judges working on Model Case Management Orders designed to streamline insurance cases following natural disasters. The Institute for the Advancement of the American Legal System issued a press release which stated in part:

IAALS, the Institute for the Advancement of the American Legal System, with the support of a grant from the American College of Trial Lawyers, is leading a new initiative to expedite this recovery process for everyone involved—the victims seeking recovery, the insurance industry, and the legal system. Together with nationally renowned attorneys from all perspectives— including plaintiff and defense, FEMA, the Texas U.S. Attorney’s office, and state and federal judges—IAALS is developing streamlined, pattern protocols for discovery in first-party insurance cases arising from disasters, both natural and man-made. Continue Reading

Florida Department of Insurance Says Anybody Hired By a Licensed Public Adjuster Can Participate in Preparing an Insurance Claim By Writing the Insurance Estimates of Damage

By Chip Merlin on Posted in Consumer Protection, State Legislation

The Florida Department of Financial Services (DFS) has issued an email authorizing Florida licensed public adjusters to hire anybody to make estimates of damage. This email corrects my latest two blogs which indicated that the OIR wanted to prevent those not licensed from working on insurance claims by determining valuations of loss and estimates of damage. Continue Reading

Writing Estimates or Aiding in the Preparation of a Hurricane Michael Claim Requires a Public Adjuster License

By Chip Merlin on Posted in Consumer Protection, Insurance, State Legislation

Florida Insurance Commissioner David Altmaier

Florida Attorney General Candidate Sean Shaw and I collaborated and drafted language that made people making the values, numbers, scopes of loss or directly or indirectly, helping determine an insurance claim amount, have an attorney license or a public adjuster license. We wanted to better protect consumers and help stop allegations of or actual insurance fraud from occurring. Continue Reading

Is Cryptocurrency covered by Insurance? It Depends, Is Cryptocurrency “Money” or “Property”?

By Kesha Hodge on Posted in Insurance

It is estimated that approximately 8% of Americans own some form of cryptocurrency.1 Although cryptocurrency first appeared in 2008, it is still in its early stages. In fact, what is meant by a cryptocurrency is still evolving. It was not until March of this year that Merriam-Webster Dictionary first codified a definition of cryptocurrency, which it defined as:

Any form of currency that only exists digitally, that usually has no central issuing or regulating authority but instead uses a decentralized system to record transactions and manage the issuance of new units, and that relies on cryptography to prevent counterfeiting and fraudulent transactions.2

Continue Reading

Idaho Denied or Delayed Property Damage Claims

By Jonathan Bukowski on Posted in Bad Faith, Insurance Claim

During the recent Summer 2018 RMAPIA Conference, Larry Bache and I had an opportunity to discuss regulations and remedies available to first party policyholders within the RMAPIA states. Continuing that discussion, this post will review the legal remedies available to Idaho policyholders enduring the frustration of a delayed or denied insurance claim. Fortunately, Idaho provides several remedies to assist policyholders in their efforts to recover insurance benefits due and owing under an insurance policy. Continue Reading

Are Insurance Scores and Credit Scores the Same Thing?

By Kay Morgan on Posted in Insurance

The short answer to the question is “No, not exactly.” Credit scoring is specifically related to the loan of money and paying bills. The objective in credit scoring is to discern the likelihood of an individual paying off borrowed funds on time and over a period of time. To determine the “creditworthiness” of an individual prior to making a loan, lenders will apply several money-borrowing factors such as the individual’s total amount of debt, type of credit utilized, length of credit history and payment history. Continue Reading

It’s Rain, Not Flood, Why Isn’t My Water Damage Covered?

By Jennifer Van Voorhis on Posted in Insurance

The photos from Hurricane Michael show catastrophic loss from not only the storm surge, up to fourteen feet in some areas, but from winds and rain as well. For those that live far enough inland where surge and flood was not an issue, but still sustained water damage from rain, you may think your homeowners policy will cover you. There is however an exclusion in most policies, commonly called the “wind driven rain exclusion” that insurers will use to disclaim coverage. Continue Reading

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