CONWAY, Fla. — As homeowners go out looking for contractors to fix damage done to their property by Hurricane Irma, experts warn that certain types of contracts could leave them completely out of the loop.
After a giant oak tree crashed through their roof when Irma struck, members of one Conway family spent six hours in the dark doing what they could to keep the water out.
“Every half hour, we’d get up and dump the buckets of water out the back door,” Richard Dawson said.
In the meantime, Dawson had to hire a restoration contractor to secure his home and dry out the affected rooms.
As soon as the winds died down, they called their insurance company, which has started processing the claim.
Although his contractor didn’t do so, some contractors try to get homeowners to sign an assignment of benefits contract, which hands over their insurance claim to the company.
Florida chief financial officer Jimmy Patronis told Channel 9’s Todd Ulrich that signing that kind of contract is never a good idea.
“It’s dicey and it’s dangerous,” he said. “The assignment of benefits, you are literally waiving your rights to be in control with your insurance company.”
Patronis also warned of fly-by-night contractors, who are likely not licensed in Florida, coming to Central Florida from other states.
“Those contractors rolling into town, they won’t have any workers' comp, no insurance, and you won’t have any recourse,” Patronis said.