Something is amiss in the roofing industry
I usually do not wear a consumer advocacy hat, but I have on
a few occasions. The first was over Louisiana-Pacific Inner Seal Siding and a
Florida Contractor that was taking advantage of home owners well past the Class
Action Settlement period. The second was the improperly installed plaster
stucco systems in the mid 1990’s where our builders were installing plaster
stucco wall cladding, but calling it a cementicious finish, so they did not
have to meet the building code and the relevant ASTM standards.
Today, I am alarmed at an ever increasing issue that is
occurring. Free roofs! Bought and paid for by our property and
casualty insurance companies (home owners insurance). And encouraged and directed by a duly
qualified and licensed roofing contractor headquartered in South Florida.
A roofing contractor, using their proxies, are traveling
neighborhoods in the Northeast Florida area that are 17-20 years old or older,
where they are looking for single family homes that have not been recently
re-roofed. They politely knock on the door and ask the owners if they would
like a free windstorm roof inspection.
NOTE: Any roof in Florida has a typical life expectancy. A
three tab shingle roof, will last between 15-17 years. An architectural shingle
roof will typically last between 19-22 years.
As asphalt composition roofs age they begin to lose their adhesion to
each other. And when these roofs are at/near the end of their typical life,
they may be in full statistical failure due to the lack of adhesion, and the
risk associated with wind storms.
As these roof inspections are FREE the inspectors are
compensated by a fixed rate or a percentage of the re-roofing costs. Are these guys all qualified and duly
licensed roofing contractors or are they working under someone else’s license? Do
they follow any ethical standard? I
cannot answer those questions. However,
when you do something for free, and your compensation is a direct result of
discovering storm damage, an ethically challenged individual can easily fold
over shingles on an old roof that has lost tab adhesion in a matter of a few minutes.
I don’t know about you, but nobody would mount my roof
unless I knew if they had workers compensation coverage.
The roof inspector will dismount the roof and inform the
owner that they have storm related damage and they will gladly assist in
helping the owner file an insurance claim and select a qualified roofing
contractor to re-single the home. Now, I
am sure these guys will find legitimately damaged roofs, now and again however,
I challenge anyone to justify filing an insurance claim on a 17-22 year old
roof that has already reached the end of its statistical life.
Some home owners will express concern, how can they do this?
They know they have an old roof that has performed for 17-22 years. Is it
ethically and morally the right thing to do?
After discussion with their inspector and an explanation of their rights
as a consumer in Florida and that our homeowner’s policies provide full
replacement value, and that you have paid for this coverage, it’s your
right! It may be your right however, the
unintended consequences of this act may harm you in the future and may harm all
policy holders in Florida, if this practice is allowed to continue.
We must all be responsible for the conditions of our roofs.
If they need replacement due to age then we should replace them. If you have legitimate storm damage, then
file a claim. Don’t file a claim if you have an old roof that has performed for
its lifetime. Don’t fall for the scheme. Tell them to get off of your property.
In my mind insurance is for those events that are unplanned,
unexpected, and not routine.
I have spoken to folks at the Florida Department of
Insurance, The State Department of Consumer Affairs, the Department of
Professional and Business Regulation, and my own insurance company. There are
no easy answers or solutions. It is up
to the business owner to run an ethical business and the home owner to act
ethically. Do the right thing.
