Assemblywoman Marianne Buttenschon (D-Utica/Rome) announced that the Assembly passed her legislation to protect already vulnerable homeowners after catastrophic storms by cracking down on unscrupulous roofing contractors (A.7531).

“Dealing with property damage after a storm is already extremely stressful,” Buttenschon said. “Having to worry about ‘storm chasers’ who prey on property owners desperate to get their homes back together shouldn’t be an added headache. Instead of quality work, these scammers leave homeowners with a subpar job or simply never do the work while honest folks are out thousands of dollars and left with repairs still to be done. My legislation protects homeowners so their hard-earned dollars aren’t stolen by con artists.”

Buttenschon’s bill works to reduce the amount of roofing contractors, often referred to as “storm chasers,” who provide substandard work following a natural disaster, hail storm or catastrophic wind. These contractors target areas hit by severe weather, promising quick and efficient roof restoration through high-pressure sales tactics to push homeowners into signing contracts, and often prey on seniors. They then either perform shoddy work or never perform the repairs.

Buttenschon’s legislation would require a roofing contractor to enter into a written contract with a property owner before work can begin, prohibit contractors from advertising or promising to pay or rebate any or all of an insurance deductible and bar contractors from failing to perform work without justification and requiring a deposit. Additionally, it would allow homeowners to cancel a roofing improvement contract within three business days after their insurance provider notifies them that the claim for the work has been denied, as well as stipulates that homeowners are not responsible for any payments after the contract has been cancelled except in cases of emergency repairs. Mohawk Valley homeowners deserve the peace of mind that they’re spending money on quality roofing work and not being taken advantage of after a disaster, Buttenschon noted.