Contracting with no roofing insurance causes headache for Sodus family – 13WHAM-TV

Sodus, N.Y. - It's their dream house that they say is quickly turning into a money pit.

Sandy Verstraete and her fianc said they are out at least $10,000. That's because the roofer they hired reportedly wasn't covered by insurance to do the job.

"You can see, right here, the beams are rotted right in half. I mean completely, Verstraete said. If I push up on it, it could fall."

Verstraete was in her attic, showing 13WHAM the damage she said a contractor left behind after she hired him to replace the roof.

"It's my dream home, and he crushed our dream," she said.

Verstraete and her fianc knew the home had water damage and needed some repairs when they bought it.

They say they hired Scott Kenville of "Kenville Repair and Modeling" to do the work with a bank agreement that it would be done in six months. It's been two years.

"When he started the work, we realized he was nailing to rot," she said. "We were very specific about no rot. And any other damaged wood or rotted wood had to be removed."

She said the contractor was paid $10,000 up front. He asked for more money, but the bank won't release the rest of the loan until the work's complete.

So, three months into the job, he stopped working.

Right along the wall, here's where it leaks when it rains, Verstraete added. We have the bucks here to catch it."

Verstraete sought out Kenville's insurance company for damages.

When the insurance company got involved, they said he's not insured to be on a roof," she said. "He's insured to be in the home, but not on the roof.

Now, she's out of cash and her own home insurance company dropped their coverage. She claims the contractor ripped of the siding.

"We just got notification they're canceling us because we're missing siding, she said. When we called them and told them that there was missing siding, that's why we had to pay a larger amount, and it was only for fire insurance."

"As a homeowner, you think you're covered," she added. "We went and checked all his references, and we still find that it still didn't protect us."

The Rochester Home Builders Association tells 13WHAM Verstraete did everything right, and it's hard to know if a contractor has the proper insurance coverage.

Rick Herman, the executive vice president of the association, suggestions if you have doubts, call the contractor's insurance agent yourself and ask.

Verstraete tells 13WHAM this contractor hired a lawyer and refuses to talk to her.

13WHAMs attempts to reach him by phone and in person have also been unsuccessful.

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Contracting with no roofing insurance causes headache for Sodus family - 13WHAM-TV