What do you think

Below is a email conversation with a client. What do you think? What do you think the result will be?

Me
Ben,

Hello, here is my inspection. I did some research and I do not believe the
re-roof ever had a permit. I found permit for the addition roof but nothing
finalized for the Main roof. Whatever proof you get must have your address
and say re-roof. If has to be for the main house not the addition. Your new
roof for your addition has a finalized permit that is what you need for the
house. Plantation separates the permits as house or addition. Good luck. I
can change that issue whenever you can get proof the re-roof on the house
was finalized.

Mike Meeker

Her
Hi mike
I will forward to my husband the entire house had a new roof, he is going to the city tomorrow am to get the information from city of plantation building.
Kim

Me
Yes I am aware the entire roof was new but I could only find permit info for the addition. Check out https://www.velocityhall.com/accela/velocityhall/?CFID=722736&CFTOKEN=77839405&jsessionid=9F1FD7907966AE3FDC804CF9F78601C9

It may save him a trip to the Building Department. I advise he tries the phone first. Many times the people can be quite helpful on the phone. Good Luck. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions. I check the email all the time. The link will be able to show you what I found and what the city will likely have on file. Maybe the roofing contractor can help. A signed letter from them with an active license number of the company qualifier and the clip below written exactly as is would also be enough. Let me know if you need me to tell you how the letter from the contractor must be worded.

CLIP DID NOT COPY :roll:

Thank You,
Mike Meeker
Meeker Industries, Inc.

Her
[FONT=Calibri]
What is the difference the entire roof was new and if you inspected this you can take picture for submitting. The last mitigation report we had done 2 years ago there was no issues not sure what the concern is and why on the last report we had done this was not a concern!
Kim

Me
[size=3]The oir is extremely serious about these now and citizens has private auditors so now everything must be proven with this new 4 page form. Sorry for any problems this is causing.

Her
[FONT=Times New Roman]Yes I understand but the form that we had to do was also detailed with pics. It’s my understanding that with an inspection of the roof the inspector can certified that this meets the newest updated codes! I do not want to pay you and have to pay another inspector for what you needed to do.
Kim

Me
[FONT=Calibri]I am not sure if I told you why I need the info. A roof goes through numerous inspections when it is being built. If I was not there to see the different points of construction the only way to prove that it is CORRECT AND TO CODE is to have the city building official inspect it at the time of construction. I cannot tell by looking at it how it was constructed. Each phase must have been inspected to prove that it is to code.

Her
[FONT=Times New Roman]So why 2 years ago did I get all the discounts for new roof?

Me
[FONT=Calibri]The rules we must follow have changed numerous times in the last 2 years. If the main roof was done with a permit then you have nothing to worry about and the city will have the information you need to get the discount. The reason things are so strict now is because they were so lax in the past.

I have not heard back from her yet. What do you think the outcome will be. I will post the results. I am just curious if fellow inspectors feel as I do. :mrgreen:
[/FONT][/FONT][/FONT][/FONT][/size][/FONT]

I think that’s pretty funny Mike. I say they had a big weekend party and supplied the felt paper, shingles, and all the beer you could drink. Just my guess. Bill

Kind of smells fishy to me as well. It is a tile roof and the addition is all in order.

That changes things a bit. It’s a little more complicated than shingles. Keep us updated. Bill

I will. I am just wondering what everyone else thinks. I hope I am not coming off as a prick. The fact is I put my signature on the form and strive for accuracy if I find out something during my research I cannot then look the other way. It started off with them showing me permit papers that only went as far as tin-tag and there was 2 docs a couple of years apart.

Hi Mike,

I believe you are handling the situation appropriately.

May I suggest you offer to this client that the new form is a “verification” form. If the insurance provider is going to issue a credit for an item, that itme must be 100% verified.

The old form (or the inspection that was done 2 yrs ago in your clients words) allowed for some flexibilty in determining roof covering age. It only asked for the year installed. The new form requires a specific permit date or date of installation. If neither of these dates can be obtained you cannot indicate the roof meets the criteria for discount.

Putting an artificial date is grounds for insurance fraud.

I hope this helps.

Justin,
Thanks for your opinion. I did explain that the form is a verification inspection on site and he seemed to understand. I really do not think I have ever came across a inspection that was done previously that was done correct.

Mike. This type of situation is a daily occurence with my company. You need docs. to verify the rating, period. Will all your customers be happy? absolutely not. Many h/o’s are loosing credits left and right as a combined result of incorrect old inspections and changes within the new form. A routine wind mit can turn ugly sometimes. Just keep doing the right thing, document everything, maintain records, and always act professionally.

Yep that is the plan. One thing I have learned after getting ripped off by a emergency room doctor and a little ole lady who knew my uncle is to ALWAYS collect payment before discussing the inspection. I have insulted a few folks but I always apologize. I have not gotten screwed since I started doing that.

Just curious as to why they are getting a new wind mit. The old one should be good for five years unless they are changing insurance companies and they are requiring the new form.

bILL,
I was thinking that myself. iF SHE CoNTACTS ME AGAIN i WILL TELL HER TO SUBMIT THE ONE SHE HAS. sry bout the caps.

Mike,
How much time do you have invested in this particular Wing Mit, including research, emails, etc.?

He took forever in the field looking for stuff and needing me to explain why the hardware must be in the walls to get the credits and such. So likely around 1 hr or so with the research. I even had to crawl to the end of the trusses and got filthy to make sure what I was seeing with the nails. They had 3 nails in the strap on one side but only 2 were in each truss the 3rd was below it. That was the way it was on 3 out of 3 trusses I checked.

I always try to remember that it is not about making money on this inspection, it is about making money on the next 10!

You are doing the right thing Mike. If you know the permit is only covering the addition, you’re obligated to report that.

They should have no problem getting this handled at the Bldg Dept. That is, if they had the roof properly permitted.

The tile roofs can be tricky. I’ve seen dozens across Dade County be Re-Tiled on a weekend by a crew of unlicensed guys in a pick up truck. All you have to do is go by the Dumps on Saturday to see guys trying to dump the tile.

That is what I figure if they did it right there will not be a problem proving it. I got a feeling by the second email something was up. I guess only time will tell. I do feel this is one example of why only those originally allowed to complete this form should be able to do it. The reason I suspect something is due to my experience as a G.C and knowledge of permits and such.

I run into problems similar to this everyday. I write the report as I know it on the day I inspect.

Regarding Permits and documentation:
I tell them that if they locate the missing documentation within 30 days and it meets the requirements, I will re-issue the report documenting the updated information at no charge.

However, if the alter the structure, add shutters, etc. They need to have new inspection.

I tell them if they can submit proof of something they can do it whenever they get it at no charge. It only takes me a minute to change and resend a report.