CAPE CORAL, Fla. — Imagine your roof survived Hurricane Ian but then is destroyed another way.
It is happening to homeowners like Howard Bartels of Cape Coral.
His roof was replaced during Hurricane Irma, so he thankfully escaped roof damage during Ian, however, many of his neighbors weren’t so lucky.
Bartels and his wife left town earlier this month for a trip to North Carolina when his Ring doorbell alerted him that someone had been on the property.
It turns out it was a roofing company that had pulled up to the home and was preparing to replace his roof.
“At least a dozen guys got out, and they put a ladder up and threw a bunch of tools on the roof,” Bartels said after reviewing the video his doorbell had captured.
Bartels said the video revealed the crew had been on his roof for about 20 minutes.
“Somewhere along the way, they realized ….hey guys were at the wrong house because they came down like gangbusters threw everything in their truck and couldn’t disappear fast enough,” Bartels said.
But not before creating about $4,000 in damages. Bartels was able to track down the roofing company, and the owner of the company agreed to repair the damages.
We’re not naming the company because they’ve agreed to repair the damages, but other roofers admit these kinds of mistakes can and do happen.
Valentino Lopez owns Level Best Roofing and said it happened to him about 10 years ago in West Palm Beach. He said he was sent an address and showed up and started ripping the roof off.
However, since then, he and roofing partner Raphael Manzo said they are extra careful with the jobs they get.
“It does happen. That’s why I always have to double-check my steps,” Manzo explained.
While cases like this are rare, homeowners do have options. A video camera can help.
By law, the roofer has to restore the roof. You could take them to small claims court if they refuse or if the work doesn’t match the original, you could also file a complaint with the construction industry licensing board.