The Servpro Roof Failure Case File

Hi Mr Shepherd, I hope this message finds you well. I am writing to bring to your immediate attention a critical issue concerning my property at 229 Lakewood Dr. Just four years ago, I had my roof installed by ServePro when they rebuilt the entire house after a fire. Unfortunately, the roof is now literally falling off. This situation poses a significant safety hazard not only to my family but also to my neighbors and passersby. Given the relatively recent installation, I believe this may be a matter of non-compliance with building codes and standards. I would like to request a prompt inspection of my property to assess the situation and determine the necessary steps to rectify this issue. I am also seeking guidance on any legal actions or claims that may be applicable against the installer due to this premature failure. I have tried to contact Servpro in Newnan many times and they are unresponsive. Please let me know the earliest available time for an inspection and if there are any specific documents or information I should prepare beforehand. Thank you for your attention to this urgent matter. I look forward to your prompt response. Sincerely, Clint Phillips 470-641-2273

Good Afternoon, Thank you for reaching out about your concerns on permit that was pull during 2018. You will need to contact your builder about your warranty concerns being this is a civil issue between the parties. Sincerely, Kyle Shepherd Building Inspector City of Carrollton, Georgia

I just noticed this while cutting the grass. This is where the “Seek Now” kid was going up and down in the roof. I have been out of town but back now and ready to get some tree quotes. Thank you, CP

Engaged Fernando's Tree Service after issues with SeekNow and the assigned tree vendor. Itemized: tree removal from the house $2,500; disposal of the tree $500; total $3,000, paid directly. Tree removed Aug 13 so the adjuster could see the damage without the tree in the way. Competing quotes from Hernandez and Rodriguez totaled $3,500.

Hello, Thank you for speaking with me earlier. I am currently working on reviewing the claim documents submitted and will need additional documentation from you to move the claim forward. - Fernando's Tree Service contact information - Servpro warranty and Contact signed for your roof installation - Any documents you have for the prior work completed on your roof by Servpro Please let me know if you have questions Regards, Mariah L Cedars FL Adjuster's License #W674056 (866) 274-8765

Provides the requested contact and account references: Fernando's Tree Service (770) 597-9401, Servpro contact Brittany Walker (bwalker@wilpro22.com), Servpro invoice # 4967618, account # 4475070.

Progressive sends: (1) a copy of the repair estimate with a note that it was a pleasure working with you, (2) the photos from the inspections completed on the home, and (3) a copy of the policy.

Opens the warranty claim and identifies the crew from the 2018 rebuild: the main contractor Greg assigned to much of the work was a man named Michael, who led the roofing phase.

Hi Michelle, Mike stopped by on Monday and mentioned he would follow up by the end of the week. Just wanted to check in on that. And I didn't get his email address. Thank you for your help! Clint

Brian Wright was the estimator onsite. I was on vacation last week. Did you get the report from the Progressive inspection

When you stopped by the office you said you were awaiting the report from Progressive. I explained I needed that report. I have not received an estimate from anyone in regard to your home. However I need the insurance letter. As the roof was installed prior to August 2019.

Tell me exactly what you need from progressive. They determined it was improperly installed by you guys and the job wasn't finished until 2020. CP

The job file shows the job itself was completed prior to 2020. In January 2020 a check was issued to you for reimbursement of 500.00. The roof was phase one of the job and was completed in 2018. The job reflects the vendor was paid in full in August of 2019 so therefore the roof is older than 5 years. I need the summary report given to you from Progressive stating the issues with the roof.

Dear Michelle, Thank you for your response. However, there seems to be a significant misunderstanding regarding both the timeline and the root cause of the roof issues. The warranty coverage does not begin until the entire job is complete. As documented, the final payment to the vendor occurred in August 2019, therefore, the 5-year warranty period started in August 2019, not before. This aligns with standard industry practice and ensures the warranty covers the full scope of work. The claim, filed in July 2024, was well within this 5-year window. Moreover, the damage in question was apparent much earlier, and can be easily verified through satellite imagery or other means. Your own representative, Brian, immediately identified improper installation as the root cause when he assessed the issue. This points directly to a failure in workmanship from the start, and no amount of deflection can change that fact. It is concerning that a company paid $200,000 to complete this job is now attempting to evade its responsibilities. While I believe we can resolve this amicably without resorting to legal channels, I want to be clear that I will pursue all available options if necessary. However, I'm confident that with proper communication, we can resolve this matter without taking that step. Please find the attached report for your reference. I trust that Servpro will handle this promptly and professionally. Best regards, Clint

Mr Phillips, I didn't say anything about the plan to cover or not cover anything. I explained for us to process anything we needed reports. So the attached report states the roof had wind damage and was hit by a tree? They paid to fix those areas?

Mr Phillips in our meeting you indicated the roof had started leaking and you were told it was from improper installation. The report states the roof was found to have wind damage and was his by a tree causing damages. You did not disclose this information in our conversation so again I am asking you when did you note issues with the roof? Insurance would owe for wind damages and tree damages

I guess I don't understand the question. I talked to Brittany to start with at Servpro and the lady from Progressive on three way. Not trying to hide anything from you from the beginning. I sent you the progressive report. It clearly states that the roof was improperly installed and that's why they won't pay. The main issue at hand is the improper installation of the roof, which falls under Servpro's warranty. I'll just come by with all my documentation so we can get this worked out. Thank you, Clint

I have printed the file out you sent me. The operations Manager is in a meeting so I will address with them when the meeting is over. My question was when did leaking of roof start? It appears the adjuster noted wind damages and tree damages to the roof as well. Typically a roof would leak before five years so I was trying to confirm all information is all

Mr Phillips I met with our operations Manager today to discuss issues. He asked me to reach out to you to schedule a site inspection where he can meet you onsite to look at the roof. By what you dropped off and what is in the file we can't effectively determine liability so he would like to place eyes on it. The roof itself has been on more than 5 years and prior to July 2024 we never had any indication of a problem so this is why we want to look for ourself. Please advise when the best day and time is for Colby to stop by.

Hi Michelle, Hope you are well. I have been out of town but I'm back now. Please let me know when Colby can come by. Any day this week is fine. Thank you for your help with this issue. Clint

Full 2024 record forwarded to Rooftech Consulting for independent review. scott@rooftechconsulting.com bounced twice (address not found); delivery succeeded to scott@rooftechconsulting.org.

Michelle, Thank you for getting the materials and crew out here on the schedule you gave. I can see this is a real replacement done right, and I appreciate it. There is one more part of the original work I need to raise while the roof is open, and I would rather raise it now than after the shingles are down. Before the 2018 rebuild this house had a working chimney. During the roof installation the crew could not get the roof to stop leaking at the chimney, and instead of fixing the flashing the chimney was cut off. It was never rebuilt. Since then the fireplace has been unusable and the heater has not been venting the way it was designed to. I have photos of the chimney as it was before the rebuild and as it is now, and I am happy to send them. While the roof is torn off is the one time this can be corrected properly. I am asking that restoring the chimney, with correct flashing and proper venting for the heater and fireplace, be included in the scope of this repair. If the roofer needs to see the photos or the attic to plan it, tell me what he needs and I will have it ready. Could you also confirm in writing that the soffit and fascia work I flagged last week is part of this job? I want to make sure the crew has it on their list while they are here. Thank you Michelle. Clint Phillips 229 Lakewood Dr, Carrollton * I have attached pictures of what it was like and what it's like now.

Michelle, I want to confirm today's two phone calls in writing so we all have the same understanding. When you called, you told me Wilpro cannot rebuild the chimney but will have your HVAC contractor replace the furnace vent pipe. Then Johnny called me from the job and told me the vent really needs the chimney structure to be done right, and he asked whether I could pay to have the chimney built. I cannot, and respectfully, I do not believe that cost is mine. Since those calls I pulled the old real estate listing photos of the house from before the fire rebuild. They show the original chimney was not masonry. It was a framed chase with lap siding and a metal flue cap. That changes the cost picture completely: putting it back like it was is framing, siding, a cap, and flashing. That is the same carpentry and roofing work already on this job, not a masonry project. The house had that chase when Wilpro took the job in 2018. The scope of that job was to restore the house, and the roof work removed the chase instead of repairing it. That left the furnace venting through a bare pipe and the fireplace unusable ever since. I am not asking Wilpro to add something to my house. I am asking you to put back a part of the house that was there before your crew removed it. So the ask is simple: include the chimney chase restoration in the written scope along with the roof, the vent pipe, and the soffit and fascia. I am forwarding the listing photo so your team can see exactly what it looked like. In the meantime, please make sure the crew does not permanently seal or shingle over the chimney opening, since that would only add tear-out cost later. Thank you for how quickly you have moved on the roof itself. I would like to get this last piece into the same written plan. Clint Phillips 229 Lakewood Dr servprofailed.com

Mr Phillips, As I stated on our call we completed your repairs in 2018-2019 and it only carries a 5 year warranty. You reached out after the warranty ended with workmanship issues. In good faith I agreed to replace the roof as it is currently. We do not have the information on why you would have done away with the chimney in 2018. We will put the roof back as it was when you signed off and accepted the project in final docs in 2019. I offered to have HVAC bring the pipe if you had the means to do a chimney. I then referred you to the PM so he could explain in more detail. You signed off on the repairs completed by Greg Marshall, and I can only redo the roof.

Michelle, Thank you for the reply. I need to correct one thing in it, because the record matters here. I did not do away with the chimney. In 2018 Wilpro was the general contractor of record on this rebuild, permit 20180234, on an application signed by Greg Marshall at a declared value of $224,000. Every trade that touched this house worked under Wilpro's permit and Wilpro's management. The chimney was standing when the job started, the listing photos I sent you show it, and it was gone when the job ended. I had no crew and no reason to remove part of my own house in the middle of a professionally managed fire restoration. If Wilpro has no record of why the chimney was removed, that is the point exactly: it was removed by the crew Wilpro managed, with no change order and no written authorization from me. Your email confirms no such document exists. On the sign-off: my August 4 letter requested the signed final documents and the warranty document that establishes the five year term. I have not received either. But even taking the sign-off at face value, accepting "repairs completed" is not the same thing as authorizing the deletion of a part of the house. That requires a change order, and there is none. The roof shows what that 2019 sign-off was actually worth. I signed off on a roof that looked finished from the ground. Today your own crew stripped it, saw what was underneath, and told me it was the worst installation they had ever seen. We both already agree the sign-off did not cover what was hidden under those shingles, because that is why you are replacing the roof. It cannot turn the undocumented removal of my chimney into something I chose, either. So my ask stays one item. Put back the framed chase your crew took off. The photos show it was never masonry: framing, lap siding, a metal cap, and flashing. That is carpentry your team does every week, on a roof that is open right now, at the lowest cost this will ever be. Johnny told me himself that the vent needs the chimney structure to be done right. I will take the HVAC pipe work either way, but a bare pipe where the chase belongs does not put the house back to what it was before the fire, and restoring the house was the entire purpose of the 2018 contract. I mean it when I say I appreciate the roof. I would much rather close this last item with you now, while the crew is on site, than carry it into the written response due under the Right to Repair Act by August 26. The complete record of this matter remains published at servprofailed.com. Clint Phillips 229 Lakewood Dr

Mr Phillips you knew in 2019 the chimney was gone. If it were an issue why would you not only sign off on the repairs, but also pay the outstanding invoices. Clearly there was some communication where you agreed to the removal of the chimney. I am literally onsite in Good faith replacing a roof that was out of warranty. Send me any written documentation between you and the Servpro rep where you stated an issue with the chimney during the time the repairs were being completed

Michelle, In your last email Wilpro had "no information" on why the chimney was removed. In this one it has become "clearly there was some communication where you agreed." That is a guess, and it is a guess about Wilpro's own paperwork. On a permitted $224,000 restoration, a scope change that deletes part of the house gets documented by the contractor with a change order signed by the owner. If I had agreed to give up my chimney, my signature would be in your file. You have already confirmed it is not. The documentation you are asking me to produce is documentation Wilpro was required to create. You ask why I signed off and paid. Because after a fire and over a year out of my home, I trusted a professional restoration company that the house I was handed back was right. I signed off on a roof that looked finished too. Today your crew stripped it and showed me what was underneath: shingles folded down over the rake edges with no drip edge metal at all, and your own roofers on my roof called it the worst installation they had seen. The 2019 sign-off you keep pointing to approved that exact work. It proves what I could see from the ground, not what I actually received. I appreciate that you are on site and I have said so every time. That is why I keep asking for the simple ending. The chase was framing, siding, a metal cap, and flashing. Your carpenters can put it back in a couple of days while the roof is open, and this whole matter closes with the house the way it was before the fire. If it stays out of the scope, it will be the open item in Wilpro's written response due August 26 under the Right to Repair Act, and we will resolve it there instead. I would rather it end here, with you, this week. Clint Phillips 229 Lakewood Dr