(WSVN) - She signed a contract to have her roof replaced. Then her association said she doesn’t need a new roof, and so she cancelled within three days — but the roofer said, “You still owe me money ’cause I bought supplies and pulled a permit.” Does she owe the money? It’s why we have Help Me Howard with Patrick Fraser.
When Mimi and her parents bought their house, they planned on living here a long time.
Mimi Goon, billed but no work done: “We just wanted a fresh look on the home.”
A fresh look is an understatement.
Mimi Goon: “Yes, it’s a brand-new floor.”
New floors, new molding, painting the entire inside and the deck outside.
And then, of course, the repairs you don’t expect.
Mimi Goon: “There was a leak, and it ran all the way down.”
After Mimi spotted the leaky overhang, she called a roofer who told her she needed a new roof.
Mimi Goon: “Because the roofing was already about 20 years old, that ‘I was going to go ahead and redo it.'”
The contractor listed his name as Shy Biton and was going to charge Mimi $35,250 for the new roof.
She signed the contract and initialed the clause that said she had three days to cancel. And then she did.
Mimi Goon: “Because I got word from my HOA.”
When she asked her Fairway Pointe Homeowner’s Association for approval to replace her roof, they said, “Don’t do that.”
Mimi Goon: “So they wanted me to repair it first before they approved a whole new roof.”
A smart decision by the association, and when the roofer got Mimi’s text that read, “I’m going to have to cancel the job,” he didn’t like that decision.
Mimi Goon: “‘We did permits on your home, and also we purchased materials to do the job, and it was a total of 13,000.'”
Mimi replied, “I cancelled within three days and don’t owe you that $13,000.”
Mimi Goon: “‘Well, if you do not pay me, I am going to put a construction lien on your home.'”
Needless to say, being told you owe $13,000 for work that was not done will take all the fun out of remodeling your new house.
Mimi Goon: “I thought that was crazy. That was ridiculous.”
But Howard, does Mimi owe this roofer any money?
Howard Finkelstein, 7News legal expert: “No. Even if the roofer incurred expenses, Florida law says any contract over $25 for goods and services signed at your home can be cancelled within three days, making the contract null and void. That also blocks the contractor from putting a lien on the property.”
Mimi’s contract with the roofing company is certainly interesting. It lists the contractor as Shy Biton, but the contractor’s license number shows the roofing company is not owned by Shy, but another man.
The roofing company told me Shy Biton did not own the company, that they had never heard of him and they don’t know how to stop someone from using their license number.
The State of Florida has no record of a Shy Biton as a roofing contractor — or any state license, for that matter.
I got ahold of Shy. He told me he pulled a permit for Mimi’s roof.
I let him know Margate said he not pull a permit, and he didn’t even apply for one.
He replied, “But I had a lot of expenses, and Mimi didn’t cancel in three days — it was two weeks.”
When I asked about not having a roofer’s license and using someone else’s license number, he said he was out of the country and would be in touch with me when he returned.
I’m waiting. I guess he has not gotten back yet.
But the good news? He has not tried to file a lien against Mimi’s property.
Howard Finkelstein: “Make sure you check the license of any person you hire at your house. Call the company to make sure everything is on the up and up. If something doesn’t seem right, tell them goodbye.”
Mimi has now filed a complaint with the state about the unlicensed roofer — while at the same time is grateful for her homeowner’s association.
Mimi Goon: “I owe it to the association for not actually approving the application, because I might have had, if they approved it, hired them.”
Nice to see an association get applauded.
If you want to check if someone is licensed — everything from a roofer to a realtor — or if you want to file a complaint about someone working without a license, is in the links under this Help Me Howard.
Contracted a problem you want to repair? Don’t paint over it. Just contact us. ‘Cause we don’t need a license to help … just a big heart.
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
To Verify a License
http://www.myfloridalicense.com/DBPR/
File a Complaint About an Unlicensed Person
https://www.myfloridalicense.com/entercomplaint.asp?SID=
CONTACT HELP ME HOWARD:
Email: helpmehoward@wsvn.com
Reporter: Patrick Fraser at pfraser@wsvn.com
Miami-Dade: 305-953-WSVN
Broward: 954-761-WSVN
Copyright 2024 Sunbeam Television Corp. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.