Beware of People with Clipboards!

After a storm – like Hurricane Helene, for example – there are often armies of people patrolling neighborhoods looking to “help” homeowners with potential claims.  Generally, these people aren’t really looking to help you.  Instead, they want to help themselves to a chunk of your insurance policy.  Most of these people are “canvassers” who work for restoration contractors, roofers, or public adjusters.  Please don’t fall for their sales pitch!    

Panic and desperation don’t make for good decisions.  In the stress of a post-storm environment, taking advantage of someone eager to get repairs underway is much easier. You’re usually much better off taking a breath, calming down, and talking with your insurance company (and/or agent). Suppose your insurance company doesn’t handle your claim correctly. In that case, you can always engage a third party later, but signing up early with one of these “canvassers” only guarantees someone else will get a percentage of your claim payment.  Sometimes, this is necessary, but most of the time it’s just not, so your best bet is to work with your insurer for a fair settlement.  If you think they aren’t playing fair, you can involve regulators, lawyers, and the like, but that shouldn’t be your first approach.

A salesperson for a roofer or restoration contractor who approaches you after a storm should be sent on their way.  You’d be better served by waiting just a bit for someone you know is reputable and, hopefully, local.  The “clipboard armies” have one job, and one job only: to sign up as many folks as possible.  It doesn’t really matter if they have the capacity or skill to do the job, because once you’ve signed on the dotted line, you may be trapped, and they can take as long as they want to finish the job.

As best you can, try to approach a storm repair as you would any other repair job.  Try to get someone you know, someone whose reputation you know.  Also, get referrals from friends or colleagues.  Please work with your insurance adjuster as long as they are being fair with you.  And, try to be patient. Speed is often the enemy of quality.  Replacing a roof quickly is no help if it starts leaking five years later, after the roofer is long gone.