Florida is no stranger to storms. If you watch the news, you’ll often find footage of some crazy hurricane, thunderstorm, hailstorm or other extreme weather event in Florida. This can put homeowners in a bind when it comes to insurance claims and home repairs, which can lead to rash decision-making and even falling prey to scams.
Recently, there has been a roofing scam focused on hail damage that insurance companies are warning homeowners about. Roofers will try to persuade homeowners to consider a new roof, and say that if they were able to take a look at the roof, they may be able to find damage, making a roof replacement free. Once they get you to agree, they go onto the roof and cause their own damage to mimic that of a hail storm.
The big problem with this is that they target people in upscale neighborhoods who are new homeowners, or who may be unsavvy. Once you’ve agreed to let them go through with the roof replacement, they make you sign an Assignment of Benefits form, which automatically re-routes your insurance money to them. Then they’ll subcontract the roof job to a smaller company for less money — and often they don’t pay them at all.
You can save yourself from a scam like this one by doing your research before making a decision. First, you should know what damage from different storms looks like. For example, hail damage is characterized by curled-up edges and worn or missing granulars on asphalt shingles. Regularly walk around your home’s foundation to check for broken shingles, and keep up on small repairs to avoid a large, costly job. Then, if you find that you do need a fix or replacement, take your time finding a reputable company that uses good quality materials.
