Roofing Ethics & Integrity
Be careful, do your homework, & practice due diligence when hiring a contractor to make repairs to damage on your property that results in an insurance claim
When a homeowner accepts a low bid with the expectation of saving their deductible or pocketing any difference between that low bid & the amount listed by the insurance company on a depreciated claim they are in most cases mistaken. The insurance company will simply reduce the final payment to match the accepted bid or final invoice & subtract the deductible from that adjusted amount. Most claims explain exactly that in the paperwork they provide the customer. Many times folks hire a contractor based in large part on price rather than focusing on the quality of the work & the reputation of the company. The realization that there was no benefit to the low bid only comes after they’ve signed a contract, the work is complete, they submit the final invoice, & then receive the reduced payment. The contractor hasn’t engaged in an illegal action in this case but they certainly haven’t been completely forthright. They dangled the dollar to close the deal without informing the customer of the likely outcome.
Your contractor should also act as an advocate for you with your insurance company. A contractor reluctant to do so is likely one of those mentioned above. The insurance adjuster should act in that manner as well but all too often their guidelines benefit the company they represent rather than the customer. At Penney Construction we evaluate the damage to your property independently & reconcile our numbers with the claim to make certain the insurance company has paid you properly & completely. After that has been done we present options to repair the damage based on what at that point is typically a claim that has been revised by us & approved by the insurance company prior to commencement of repairs.
A contractor cannot legally offer to do the work for less than the amount allowed by insurance & return the difference to the homeowner on a depreciated claim. The only way to accomplish that is by facetious receipting. Both parties are culpable if this occurs.
A contractor also cannot offer any monetary incentive or rebate as an inducement to enter into a transaction if receipt of that benefit is contingent on an event occurring after the consumer enters into the transaction.
A homeowner can be compensated for labor or materials listed on the claim that they perform or purchase themselves. Referral rewards can be offered as long as they are not offered as an inducement to enter into a consumer transaction.
Be very careful when a contractor uses price cutting or cash back tactics to sell. In most insurance claim situations if either of those actually occur to the customer's benefit, it’s fraudulent activity intended to unfairly entice. Contractors who attempt to close sales by those methods aren’t focused on selling the quality of their company & the work they do. They’re simply diverting attention from contractors that are. It may best be described as buying business by bribing the customer into an illegal transaction. One of two things typically happen if a contract is initiated in this manner. If the customer does in fact benefit on a depreciated claim they have become culpable along with the contractor. The more common outcome is that the contractor submits an accurate invoice of their lower bid, the insurance company reduces the payment amount by that difference, & the customer does not receive the expected benefit. The volume of storm damage that occurs each year in the Midwest allows many of these contractors to continue in business without any significant referral base or repeat business.
So rather than focusing on what a contractor is taking off, concentrate on what they are putting on. Ask questions about materials & construction methods. Ask for literature. Check out their company website. Check out their credentials, their referrals, & their customer testimonials. Ask to see copies of their contractor’s license, their Kansas Roofing Registration, & their workman’s compensation policy.
Find a contractor that will work with you throughout the insurance claim process to make sure you are being adequately compensated for all damages. Any work being done on your property is an investment. Make sure it’s a good one.
Protect yourself & protect your property. That’s what insurance is for. Hire a contractor that understands that & will work with you & for you to restore your property to like new condition.
Some of what we offer at Penney Construction:
All Penney Construction roofing crews are trained & supervised by Penney Construction carpenters. In years past carpenters built the entire home from footings to shingles & did all the reroofing, remodeling, & repairs before general contractors & big roofing companies dominated the market & began subcontracting most of the labor. A skilled carpenter is generally a better installer than someone who has done nothing but roofing. Benefit from the precision & detail of a carpenter applied roof from Penney Construction.
We snap lines to keep rows running parallel, straight, square, & true. We’re very careful with nail placement & driven depth on starter rows, ridge cap shingles, & every single individual shingle which is critical to how well a roof will withstand our Kansas weather extremes, especially the wind.
We’re cognizant of proper layering, lapping, flashing, & sealing to shed water, especially at high risk areas such as valleys, pipe boots, furnace flashings, vents, & anywhere the roof terminates at an exterior wall or chimney requiring step flashing. We also use ice & water shield as underlayment for extra protection in those vulnerable areas & again as overlayment around the shoulder of those protrusions to protect against penetration from driving rain.
We recognize & repair any sheathing & rafter damage rather than cover it. We install ice & water shield around the perimeter of all slightly pitched roofs to avoid sheathing damage caused by ice & snow melting off the upper roof from attic heat & then refreezing & damming on the eaves.
We use a stronger & more durable synthetic felt as an upgrade included as standard on all of our roofs. We can discuss multiple options available to alleviate attic heat & moisture issues caused by improper or inadequate attic & soffit ventilation.
We look out for you the way we look out for our own.