Roofing Scams (paint, installed, cleaning, cost)

[BOS2IAD]

I didn't want to hijack the thread about roofing costs, so I thought it would be best to start a new thread.

The homes on our street are almost 20 years old. A few months back, we had a home inspector take a look at our roof and give his assessment. He said that it was doing fine and barring any unusual event, should last another 5 years.

Given the age of the homes on our street, lately we've had roofing contractors showing up trying to get us all to buy new roofs. One day, we were cleaning out the garage when a man approached us. He told us that his company just installed a new roof on a nearby street. Then he mentioned the age of our home and offered to give a free inspection right then and there. We declined and he gave his spiel about the roof's age, etc. Then we told him we had it looked at already and it is fine. What we didn't tell him is that we knew if he looked at our roof, he would come down from the ladder and insist that there is a problem.

Last month, we noticed about a half dozen neighbors were getting new roofs. One of those neighbors asked our next door neighbor if he wanted to get his done at the same time. He said "no". Next door neighbor asked some questions and what he found out just didn't sit right with him and after he explained it, it didn't sit right with us either.

It seems that the contractor who did those roofs told the customers that their roofs had hail damage. And as a result, he would get in touch with the homeowners' insurance companies to have them pay for the cost minus the deductible. The thing is, we've never had a hailstorm that caused any damage at all to our roofs. We rarely get hail and when we do, it is very small---not near large enough to cause any damage. To us, it sounds like the homeowners and the roofing contractor were colluding to defraud the insurance companies.

Are we and our next door neighbor reading the above scenario correctly? Do homeowners and roofing companies ever get in trouble in this situation?

To us, it seemed really sleazy and shady. As a result, we didn't want any part of it.

[bande1102]

We had a similar incident in our neighborhood only it was with siding. A siding company had their rep come thru our neighborhood and tell everyone that they could get their siding replaced and the insurance company would pay for it. They even had the date of the hailstorm to put on the claim for the insurance company..

I didn't use this company. Many of my neighbors did and, not surprisingly, the job was not done correctly. Worse, they didn't realize it until weeks or months later.

Regarding the insurance company: the insurance companies did send adjustors out to verify the damage. As far as I know, my neighbors just gave them the date of the hailstorm. There really was a hail storm on that date in my area.

I called my insurance company and had them come out. They did find evidence of a lot of hail damage. I did not notice the damage until they (insurance company) pointed it out and showed me pictures. I did replace my siding, but not with the company who went door-to-door. I did my own research and chose another company. And insurance did cover it.

[ShaneSA]

Insurance companies will check on weather history for hail reports in an area. If hail was reported, the adjuster will look to verify.
Those roaming contractors follow the hail reports and scare people with damage reports that the insurance company will look at according to local hail storm reports.
The problem stems from the roaming scam contractors doing an inspection with a ball pein hammer in hand crating hail damage. A roof or siding needs very little and minor damage to need complete replacement. The damage can be minor and spread out so that all the roof or siding needs to be replaced as recommended by the contractor. The homeowner frequently doesn't see the damage being created. One person keeps the homeowner busy while the inspector checks things out with his hammer. The inspector then returns and tells the homeowner and contractor about the damage.
You were smart and savvy to have the insurance company look first. The scammers do it backwards.

[teqp]

Sounds shady to me. I would never use any type of contractor or service that approached me first. Especially by going door to door. I would only use a contractor that i have vetted and also get multiple quotes from other companies.

In my area we get the extermination companies doing this. I just tell them no thank politely and they leave.

[BobMcD]

Storm chasers will follow the storms and knock on doors following a major storm or tornado ripping through the area. Legitimate roofing companies may also send reps to knock on doors to get more work.

The best way to tell a storm chaser from legitimate roofing company with good reputation is by doing your research and checking the company out online with online review and reputation databases such as www.AngiesList.com, www.BBB.com, www.Yelp.com, www.Porch.com and www.150Points.com

[wit-nit]

There are several band of gypsies, some called the 'Travelers' that roam the country going door to door with these scams. Many prey on retirement communities taking advantage of the elderly and those who are not familiar with roofing materials and roofs in general.
The Travelers like to tell people their roof needs re-coating and they can do it for 1/2 price since they are in the neighborhood, then they spray an aluminum paint on it that washes off the next rain.
For roofing work contact your BBB, state registrar of contractors, or someone knowledgeable that you can rely on.