Roofing Storm Chasers are Coming!

As many of you know, not only am I involved in ministry, but I also own an independent insurance agency. Our agency sells a lot of homeowners insurance, and we feel confident that we have insured our clients correctly. We made sure that when we sold our clients, they had all the extra endorsements to take care of wind damage in the event of a major storm.

This weekend, a tropical storm will most likely hit the area. The meteorologists are forecasting that this storm will have some significant hail. Hail can cause major damage to your roof. I want to assure you that we will be there when you need us most!

I also want to warn you about out of town roofing storm chasers. Some of these contractors may be legitimate, but there are always certain individuals that do the most ungodly things to people who have major damage to their property.

Unfortunately, what comes after these storms are roofing contractors from out of town. We call these contractors storm chasers. Please beware of Roofing Contractor Storm Chasers who are not located in Virginia or your state. Be careful who you decide to do business with. If they only have a business card but no office or location that you can confirm is legitimate, I suggest that you do not do business with them.

There are many reasons why I issue you this caution. A few years ago, one of my clients used a storm chasing contractor. I had warned her not to use him because I could not verify him through any local companies. The out-of-town contractor took all of the insurance money and then did a sub-par repair to her roof and siding. He left and was unable to be found. Unfortunately, the insurance company is only going to pay once for storm damages per claim. She came back and wanted the insurance company to issue her a new check, but it was too late. The contractor cashed the check that she wrote him, and the money was gone. She was a victim of an unscrupulous contractor. The insurance company will not pay twice.

Don’t become a victim of being scammed. There are several things that you can do to verify these contractors. To avoid problems, I would only use a Virginia Licensed Contractor is who insured and will issue you a Certificate of Insurance proving they have insurance. You may send me a copy of the certificate and I will be more than happy to verify insurance for your contractor on your behalf. A local contractor who has been in business for years would be my recommendation.

Here are the tips to verify a contractor.

1. Get the Contractors Name and company name. I can call the Commonwealth of Virginia on your behalf to verify if this contractor is in good standing with Virginia. If he or she is not, then I would not use them.
2. Call the company to verify that the person you are speaking with is with that company. Look the company number up on Google. Look at their Google Reviews. If they have a bad review, stay away.
3. Obtain a Certificate of Insurance from the Contractor. If he or she hands you a copy of his or her policy, ask for a Certificate of Insurance be sent from their insurance agent to you listing you as a Certificate Holder. (Remember that I will call the insurance company listed on the Certificate on your behalf to make sure they are really insured.) If they hand you a policy and you do not verify that the policy is in force, then you may have a problem as the policy could be cancelled.
4. Check with the Better Business Bureau to see if said contractor has any complaints. If they do, look at the resolutions done by the contractor. Do not do business with a contractor that has bad reviews with no positive resolutions.
5. If the contractor cannot be verified as legitimate, then please don’t do business with them. As I mentioned before, I would only do business with a licensed Virginia Contractor who is insured.

By doing these simple checks, they can save yourself much grief in case you hire a bad contractor.

Let’s discuss why you need a Certificate of Insurance. By obtaining a certificate, this is a legal document which a licensed insurance agent will issue. This describes coverages. You want a contractor who carries General Liability with Products and Completed Operations. If that contractor puts a sub-par roof on, you may have recourse against the contractor by filing a claim against his insurance. As I mentioned, I will call the insurance company to verify coverage for you. This is a service that I do for all my clients.

I pray that we will not see any significant damages, but if we do, we will be there when you need us most! I will be praying for all my clients and friends.

Written by Joseph T. Lee for Marketplace Evangelism Ministries Inc. Copyright September 22, 2023. All Rights Reserved.