Rebuilding and Repairing Your Home After a Natural Disaster

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As the Collier County community begins recovering from Hurricane Milton’s devastating effects, local home builders are warning residents to be aware of scammers who may pose as legitimate contractors. The Collier Building Industry Association (CBIA) encourages all residents to research contractors to avoid paying for substandard home repairs.

The following is a list of things to remember when hiring a professional contractor. Always do your homework and proceed with care.

  • Ask for proof of a current license from Collier County or visit MyFloridaLicense.com
  • Ask for proof of general liability and workman’s compensation insurance. A reputable contractor should be able to show you an insurance certificate and expect you to ask for it. Usually, we would tell you to contact his insurance carrier and have a copy of the certificate sent directly from the agency. However, this may not be realistic during this time of disaster.
  • In Collier County and the surrounding counties, jobs should always be permitted and inspected. You should check with the inspection department in your area for complete information or if fees are currently required.
  • Ask for references and check those references.
  • Check with the Better Business Bureau for any history of unsatisfied complaints.
  • Verify the company’s permanent business address is in this area and not from out of state.
  • If you get more than one bid, be sure you read through the estimates and compare similar scopes of work with comparable materials and labor
  • You should understand the contract and warranties the builder will provide for the work performed. The contract should outline the scope of the work, the price, and the payment due at what points of completion.
  • Be wary of low bids – the lowest bid is not always the best.
  • Be wary of a contractor who wants full or cash payments before the job begins and utilizes high-pressure sales tactics to sign a contract.

Visit the CBIA website, https://members.cbia.net/member-directory, for more information and a complete listing of builders and subcontractors. The office can also be reached at (239) 436-6100.

Collier Building Industry Association | 3200 Bailey Lane, Suite 110, Naples, FL 34105 | 239) 436-6100 | www.CBIA.net

WARNING: Unlicensed contracting is a felony during the existence of a state of emergency. Florida Statute 489.127 (2)(c).  
Call 239-252-2431 to report unlicensed activity. 

Checklist for Finding and Hiring a Builder or Remodeler

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Use this checklist to help you select a home builder or home remodeler to work on or build
your home.

  • Contact CBIA for the names of member builders and remodelers. You can also ask family, friends or coworkers for recommendations. Find Contractors: https://members.cbia.net/member-directory
  • Ensure the builder or home remodeler has a permanent business location and a good reputation with local banks and suppliers.
  • Find out how long they have been in the building business. It usually takes three to five years to establish a financially sound business. You want to make sure they will be around after the construction is complete to service any warranties.
  • Check out the company’s rating and if there have been any complaints filed with your local Better Business Bureau: bbb.org.
  • Make sure the builder/remodeler has sufficient workers compensation and general liability insurance. If not, you may be liable for any construction-related accidents on your premises.
  • Ask the builder/remodeler to provide you with names of previous customers. If they won’t, beware. If they do, ask the customers if they would hire the builder/remodeler again.
  • Ask if you can see the builder/remodelers work, both completed and in progress. Check for quality of workmanship and materials.
  • Do you feel you can easily communicate with the builder/remodeler? Remember you will be in close contact with them throughout the construction process and afterward as you live in your new home.
  • Ensure the builder/remodeler provides a complete and clearly written contract. The contract will benefit both of you. If you are having a new home built, get and review a copy of the home warranty and homeowner manual as well.
  • Be cautious of unusually low-priced bids. If the builder/remodeler is unable to pay for the materials and labor as the project proceeds, this may indicate a potential problem.
    Keep in mind that less expensive does not necessarily mean better!
  • Verify that your remodeler is an EPA Lead-Safe Certified Renovator if you are planning work in a pre-1978 home that will disturb more than six square feet of painted surfaces inside the home or 20 square feet on the exterior of the home. Learn more about the EPA’s lead paint rule.

Don’t Get Scammed:Find A Qualified Contractor

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There are thousands of legitimate, ethical contractors in business around the country.
Unfortunately, there are also scam artists looking to cheat you out of your money who pose as
legitimate contractors. These “fly-by-night” operators often show up in communities impacted
by natural disasters to try to scam distressed home owners into paying for shoddy repairs or
work that they will never show up to perform.

Here are some warning signs to look out for:

  • Doesn’t have license and insurance. All professional contractors should be insured and
    able to show their certificate proving such insurance. Although all states do not require
    licensing, contractors in states requiring licenses should have it and be able to provide a
    copy.
  • Asks you to sign anything before you’ve hired them. If they want you to sign an
    “estimate” or “authorization” before you’ve made the decision to hire the contractor,
    look out. They may be trying to get you to sign what is an actual binding contract.
  • Doesn’t write contracts. Professionals have clear contracts that outline the job, process,
    the cost, and helps clarify how problems will be managed. If you don’t have a contract,
    you are not protected when something goes wrong. Don’t hire anyone who tells you a
    contract “won’t be necessary.”
  • Requires cash or payment in full before starting the job. Shady contractors demand
    cash and then run with the money. Many home owners have been stranded by paying in
    full up front. A deposit towards materials is common, but only pay it once you have a
    contract signed by both you and the contractor. It’s also suspect you’re asked to pay
    cash to a salesperson instead of a check or money order to a company.
  • Vastly underbids all other contractors. They may have the best price, but that doesn’t
    guarantee the best work. Such contractors may cut costs on quality, which can end up
    costing you more when you have to have the substandard work redone.
  • Offers “special” pricing. If you’re told you’ve been “chosen” as a demonstration project
    at a special, low price, or you’re told a low price is good only if you sign a contract today.
  • Cannot provide customer references. Professional contractors should have current
    references they can provide from current and past clients — and you should be able to
    reach those references, not just an answering machine.
    Don’t Get Scammed:
    Find A Qualified Contractor
  • Difficulty contacting the contractor. Professionals have a physical office, mailing
    address, phone, and email. They should respond to your queries in a timely manner.
    Make sure you can verify the contractor’s business address. If they only have a p.o. box,
    be wary.
  • Tells you to obtain the building or remodeling permits. Professional contractors go to
    the county or state offices and get permits for their work themselves. Asking the home
    owner to do it is a sign that they are not a legitimate contractor.

Your best bet is to take your time, do your research and choose someone you feel completely
comfortable with. If your state requires contractors to be licensed, look them up on the state
licensing website even if you’ve seen a piece of paper that looks like a license. Make sure they
don’t have a record of consumer complaints lodged with your local Better Business Bureau.

Take a look at our membership directory to find qualified contractors: https://members.cbia.net/member-directory

SPANISH

No Se Deje Estafar: Encuentre un Contratista Calificado:

Hay miles de contratistas legítimos y éticos en todo el país. Desafortunadamente, también hay
estafadores que buscan engañarlo con su dinero quienes se hacen pasar por contratistas
legítimos. Estos operadores poco fiables a menudo aparecen en comunidades afectadas por
desastres naturales para tratar de estafar a los propietarios de viviendas en dificultades para
que paguen por reparaciones de mala calidad o trabajos que nunca se presentarán a realizar.
Aquí hay algunas señales de advertencia a las que debe prestar atención:

  • No tiene licencia ni seguro. Todos los contratistas profesionales deben estar asegurados
    y poder mostrar su certificado que acredite dicho seguro. Aunque no todos los estados
    exigen una licencia, los contratistas de los estados que la requieren deben tenerla y
    poder proporcionar una copia.
  • Le pide que firme cualquier cosa antes de contratarlos. Si quieren que usted firme una
    “cotización” o una “autorización” antes de tomar la decisión de contratar al contratista,
    tenga cuidado. Es posible que estén intentando que usted firme lo que es un contrato
    vinculante real.
  • No redacta contratos. Los profesionales tienen contratos claros que describen el
    trabajo, el proceso, el costo y ayudan a aclarar cómo se manejarán los problemas. Si no
    tiene un contrato, no estará protegido si algo sale mal. No contrate a nadie que le diga
    que un contrato “no será necesario”.
  • Requiere efectivo o pago total antes de iniciar el trabajo. Los contratistas turbios
    exigen dinero en efectivo y luego se van con el dinero. Muchos propietarios se han
    quedado varados al pagar el total por adelantado. Un depósito para los materiales es
    común, pero solo páguelo una vez que tenga un contrato firmado tanto por usted como
    por el contratista. También es sospechoso que le pidan pagar en efectivo a un vendedor
    en lugar de un cheque o giro postal a una empresa.
  • Presenta un presupuesto muy por debajo al de todos los demás contratistas. Puede
    que tengan el mejor precio, pero eso no garantiza el mejor trabajo. Estos contratistas
    pueden reducir costos en cuestiones de calidad, lo que puede terminar costándole más
    cuando haya que rehacer el trabajo deficiente.
  • Ofrece precios “especiales”. Si le dicen que ha sido “elegido” como proyecto de
    demostración a un precio bajo y especial, o le dicen que un precio bajo es bueno sólo si
    firma un contrato hoy.
    No pueden proporcionar referencias de clientes. Los contratistas profesionales deben
    tener referencias actuales que puedan proporcionar de clientes presentes y pasados, y
    usted debe poder comunicarse con estos clientes, no solo con un contestador
    automático.
  • Dificultad para contactarse con el contratista. Los profesionales cuentan con oficina
    física, dirección postal, teléfono y correo electrónico. Deben responder a sus consultas
    de manera oportuna. Asegúrese de poder verificar la dirección comercial del contratista.
    Si solo tienen una casilla de correo, tenga cuidado.
  • Le indica que obtenga los permisos de construcción o remodelación. Los contratistas
    profesionales acuden a las oficinas estatales o del condado y obtienen ellos mismos los
    permisos para su trabajo. Pedirle al propietario de la casa que lo haga es una señal de
    que no es un contratista legítimo.
  • Lo mejor que puede hacer es tomarse su tiempo, investigar y elegir a alguien con quien se
    sienta completamente cómodo. Si su estado exige que los contratistas tengan una licencia,
    búsquelos en el sitio web de licencias estatales incluso si ha visto una hoja de papel que parece
    una licencia. Asegúrese de que no tengan un registro de quejas de consumidores presentadas
    ante su Better Business Bureau local.

Busca contratista en nuestro directorio: https://members.cbia.net/member-directory

Prepare Your Home Now for Hurricane Season

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By: Cali Clardy, CBIA President:

The Atlantic hurricane season begins June 1 — making this a good time to get a jump on things and prepare your home for any extreme weather that may come. Regardless of the weather, if you follow these tips, you’ll head into summer having finished some home maintenance that you’d want to have done anyway. And in case there is a storm, you’ll have what you need to batten down your house and be ready for contingencies.

First, inspect your rain gutters and downspouts. Make sure they are well secured to the house and clear of leaves and other obstructions.

Check that trees are trimmed. Remove damaged limbs and trees to prevent them being blown off and causing damage during a storm.

Protect your windows and any glass in doors. Reinforcing exterior glass against a hurricane isn’t primarily to prevent shards of broken glass from spewing into the home. The far more serious danger is that once wind or flying debris breaks a window or takes off a door, the sudden change in pressure inside the house could blow the roof off or cause other major damage.

Commercial storm shutters or 5/8-inch plywood properly secured overall exterior glass is your best bet to keep out the wind. Storm shutters come in a variety of materials and looks, including transparent ones that protect windows while leaving a view. If you choose plywood, secure it using long screws and the proper anchors for your wall material. Or, better yet, if your windows are inset a couple of inches, install the plywood inside the frame — the inset makes it harder for the wind to get under the wood and blow it off — and secure it with barrel bolts that slide into holes drilled into the side of the inset.

Keep a battery-operated radio and extra batteries — or even a hand-crank radio so that you can follow weather reports and alerts. A battery-operated charger for your cell phone can also keep you in communication if you lose electric power.

Learn about your area’s evacuation routes and have a plan for a place to stay if you need to evacuate. Make a plan for what you’ll do with your pets. Create a “go bag” with necessary medications, a first-aid kit, maps, and copies of important papers.

For more information on hurricane safety, visit our website, www.cbia.net/consumer-corner/hurricane-resources/.

Looking for Contractors, go to https://members.cbia.net/member-directory.

DID YOU MISS IT? ERC Credit?

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Not Yet! In a recent Internal Revenue Service  bulletin, the IRS urges employers to take advantage of the newly extended

Employee Retention Credit (ERC). This program is designed to cover essential expenses, retain employees and invest in

future growth. This, in turn, promotes employee loyalty, job satisfaction and a sense of stability in the company.

The ERC is a cash refund up to $ 26,000 per full time employee you had on your payroll during COVID-19. This is NOT a

loan and you DON’T have to pay it back, but you do have to apply to receive your refund.

If you haven’t applied yet or are unsure if you qualify, Contact us for a FREE information packet. Mark R Jaikes, Jaikes

Advisory Group, 239.272.6275 or Mark@JaikesAdvisoryGroup.com.

Do Contractors Need Errors & Omissions Insurance?

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Errors & Omissions insurance is an important yet often forgotten insurance coverage by many contractors. Almost every contractor carries some form of general liability coverage. While these policies can provide much-needed protection for bodily injury and property damage claims that occur as the result of a contractor’s work, they typically don’t account for all forms of negligence, and does not cover faulty work.

That’s where professional liability or E&O comes in.

Simply put, general liability policies are not adequate enough to protect against errors and omissions claims, necessitating standalone coverage. In fact, most general liability policies exclude your work, your products, and impaired property, creating significant insurance gaps.

Errors & Omissions policies can help contractors close gaps in their insurance coverages, covering damages to your work that occurs once the job is completed and that is a direct result of your personal negligence, error, or omission. This includes the following scenarios:

  • Failing to deliver promised services
  • Negligence in providing professional services
  • Poor, incorrect, or incomplete work
  • Errors and oversights


Some situations which a claim may arise include:

  • Improper design of a concrete floor that cracks under the weight of a company’s equipment
  • Installation of a heating and cooling system found to be incapable of properly ventilating a building
  • A design defect that prohibits a building from being certified

Errors & Omissions insurance for contractors only applies to damages to the work and the product when the work is completed, so any work that is still in progress won’t be covered. Additionally, most policies do not cover dishonest, malicious, illegal, or criminal acts, such as the intentional violation of the law. For instance, if a contractor knowingly substitutes cheap materials or otherwise cuts corners to save money, and it results in damages to the value of the work, the resulting damages will not be covered.

Errors & Omissions policies are usually written on a claims-made basis, meaning the policy must be active when a claim is made in order for coverage to apply. Courts often rule against contractors in claims related to errors and omissions and, without the proper protection, general contractors would have to cover the damages out of pocket.

As a contractor, you should consider purchasing an E&O policy to ensure you are accounting for all of your unique risks.

For More Information:

Nick Wichmanowski
Client Advisor, Partner
239.659.6653 Direct
239.213.2813 Fax
nwichmanowski@gulfshoreinsurance.com

Preparing Your Business for Natural Disasters

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Disasters can happen anywhere, at any time. Home building industry members must prepare their homes and businesses to keep their families and employees safe if the worst should occur. Read more

Don’t Get Scammed: Find a Qualified Contractor

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There are thousands of legitimate, ethical contractors in business around the country. Unfortunately, there are also scam artists looking to cheat you out of your money who pose as legitimate contractors. These “fly-by-night” operators often show up in communities impacted by natural disasters to try to scam distressed homeowners into paying for shoddy repairs or work that they will never show up to perform.

Here are some warning signs to look out for:

Doesn’t have a license and insurance. All professional contractors should be insured and able to show their certificate proving such insurance. Although all states do not require licensing, contractors in states requiring licenses should have it and be able to provide a copy.

Asks you to sign anything before you’ve hired them. If they want you to sign an “estimate” or “authorization” before you’ve made the decision to hire the contractor, look out. They may be trying to get you to sign what is an actual binding contract.

Doesn’t write contracts. Professionals have clear contracts that outline the job, process, the cost, and helps clarify how problems will be managed. If you don’t have a contract, you are not protected when something goes wrong. Don’t hire anyone who tells you a contract “won’t be necessary.”

Requires cash or payment in full before starting the job. Shady contractors demand cash and then run with the money. Many homeowners have been stranded by paying in full up front. A deposit towards materials is common, but only pay it once you have a contract signed by both you and the contractor. It’s also suspect you’re asked to pay cash to a salesperson instead of a check or money order to a company.

Vastly underbids all other contractors. They may have the best price, but that doesn’t guarantee the best work. Such contractors may cut costs on quality, which can end up costing you more when you have to have the substandard work redone.

Offers “special” pricing. If you’re told you’ve been “chosen” as a demonstration project at a special, low price, or you’re told a low price is good only if you sign a contract today.

Cannot provide customer references. Professional contractors should have current references they can provide from current and past clients — and you should be able to reach those references, not just an answering machine.

Difficulty contacting the contractor. Professionals have a physical office, mailing address, phone, and email. They should respond to your queries in a timely manner. Make sure you can verify the contractor’s business address. If they only have a p.o. box, be wary.

Tells you to obtain the building or remodeling permits. Professional contractors go to county or state offices and get permits for their work themselves. Asking the homeowner to do it is a sign that they are not a legitimate contractor.

Your best bet is to take your time, do your research and choose someone you feel completely comfortable with. If your state requires contractors to be licensed, look them up on the state licensing website (www.myfloridalicense) even if you’ve seen a piece of paper that looks like a license. Make sure they don’t have a record of consumer complaints lodged with your local Better Business Bureau. You can also find resources at www.CBIA.net and find a list of reputable contractors in your area. Search NAHB’s Directory of Professional Remodelers to find an NAHB Remodelers member anywhere in the US.

FEMA Common Questions

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  • I won’t take FEMA money do I still have to comply with FEMA? If the house is in a flood zone and you cannot demonstrate that it is above design flood elevation, yes you have to provide FEMA paperwork.
  • If paint and flooring does not need a permit why do I have to declare as a cost on my permit? When repairing to minimum standards, FEMA requires that all cost of placing back to livable space is accounted for, therefore if you replaced drywall you will have to paint it, this FEMA will be looking for a cost-listed under painting.
  • Do I need signed and sealed plans to submit for a permit? No, as long as you are doing like for like.
  • What inspection will be done when I replace 2-4 ft of drywall? Typically only final inspections.