Who is looking after your roof job?
Roofs are only as good as the crews that nail them down, and around Houston, nobody’s officially checking their work. But in Houston, getting a new roof can be costly and infuriating, as 11 News found the Better Business Bureau gets a complaint nearly every day. “The roof was never replaced, and none of the money was refunded to me,” one complainant said. “I have pictures of my interior wall damage, and mushrooms growing out of my carpet,” another added. .. “In Texas, there is no licensing for roofing contractors,” John Giffin said... Morin in Austin is with a Roofers Association, which wants the Legislature to mandate licensing but has failed for years to overcome opposition from homebuilders and other contractors.

Who is looking after your roof job?
Thursday, July 26, 2007
By Dave Fehling / 11 News Video Report
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You or your neighbors may be going through this: All the rain this month has meant leaky roofs.

Imagine what might happen in a hurricane.

Roofs are only as good as the crews that nail them down, and around Houston, nobody’s officially checking their work.

Lately it seems the rain just won’t quit, so you better have a roof that doesn’t leak.
But in Houston, getting a new roof can be costly and infuriating, as 11 News found the Better Business Bureau gets a complaint nearly every day.

“The roof was never replaced, and none of the money was refunded to me,” one complainant said.

“I have pictures of my interior wall damage, and mushrooms growing out of my carpet,” another added.

With the kind of weather we have here around Houston, you need a really good roof. But when the really bad storms hit, they can reveal shoddy work that can leave you and your home exposed to the elements.

After Hurricane Rita hit East Texas, federal investigators found: “Many roofing shingle failures resulted from installers using inadequate number of [nails] or installing [nails] in the wrong locations.”

The investigators recommended that Texas start licensing roofing contractors.

Hold on: These guys aren’t licensed?

“In Texas, there is no licensing for roofing contractors,” John Giffin said.

How would he know? Giffin is one of them: the owner of State Roofing company.

“I’m not perfect,” he said. “I’ve had leaks, but at least we’re here to go back and fix them, and that’s what homeowners need to look for.”

11 News checked: Almost nobody complained about his company. But what about contractors who do shoddy work?

11 News found virtually no one checks on them.

In Houston, contractors say city inspectors do stop by worksites to see if roofers have paid the $45 fee for a permit but actually inspect the work?

“I’ve had them come out to the job site, but I’ve never seen one climb a roof system,” Giffin said.
However, there is one place near Houston where when you pay for a new roof an official does check to make sure it’s done right.

“The object is to make sure the shingles will stay on the roof in case of a storm,” Matt Sist said.

Sist works for the state of Texas. He inspects new roofs as part of a special state program only in effect for coastal areas such as Brazoria County.

11 News: “If you we’re up in Harris County, what would happen there?”

Ronnie Clegg: “No inspections there.”

Clegg, of Ameripro Roofing, is working on a home. He has no problem with the state inspections that must be passed before a home can qualify for windstorm insurance.

“It’s better with these guys looking,” he said. “You got another pair of eyes.”

Florida has a statewide licensing program. Why not Texas?

“Well, over the years we’ve run into several different groups that were opposed to the licensing,” Cindi Morin said.

Morin in Austin is with a Roofers Association, which wants the Legislature to mandate licensing but has failed for years to overcome opposition from homebuilders and other contractors.

“It’s just very difficult without any kind of mandate because anyone can basically become a roofing contractor who has a pickup truck in Texas,” Morin said.

Unlicensed and maybe unqualified, and in most of Texas no way to know until the next big storm puts their work to the test.

It gets worse: With no regulation, roofing contractors may not have the proper insurance to cover workers who get injured, meaning your homeowners policy might have to.
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