Hi, Thank you for taking the time to read my message. My name is Elizabeth, and I’m seeking legal advice regarding a contract I signed with a roofing company for a roof replacement.
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Hi, Thank you for taking the time to read my message. My name is Elizabeth, and I’m seeking legal advice regarding a contract I signed with a roofing company for a roof replacement.
Hi!
Good Morning!
Let me explain my situation. I contacted a roofer to get a free estimate. He came on Monday, May 26th morning with a folder. During our conversation, he asked me to fill out a form with basic information such as my name, date of birth, address, insurance provider, and policy number. He also asked me to sign it. I assumed it was simply a permission form for the roof inspection. I asked him to send me a copy of the document I signed, but he never did. I did manage to take a picture of the first page at the time. He texted me on Tuesday, May 27, to schedule the inspection, which was delayed due to weather and finally took place on Friday. At that point, I had not yet chosen the color of the shingles, and no insurance involvement had been confirmed. On Wednesday, June 4, he initiated a conference call with my insurance company. During that call, I gave the go-ahead to start the claim process. On Friday, June 6, a field adjuster reached out to schedule an inspection, which happened on Monday, June 9. The roofer also showed up that day. After the adjuster left, the roofer asked me to forward him any emails I received from the insurance company. I wasn’t comfortable with that and wasn’t sure why he needed them. What concerns me most is that I still hadn’t received the signed document from May 23. After the adjuster’s visit, the roofer began texting and calling me constantly. On Monday, June 9, I texted him again to request a copy of the signed document. He finally emailed it to me—but to my shock, I saw that he had added a lot of information to the document after I had signed it, without my consent. Later, I noticed that the document that I signed didn’t include the company’s address, phone number, or email address—it only listed the logo. Additionally, he added insurance details, such as the claim number and policy information, several days after I had already signed the partially filled form on the first visit. Now, the contractor is asking me to either begin the work or pay 25% of the insurance-approved amount, as per the paper that I signed, since the insurance claim has been approved. My question is: Can I void this contract based on the following reasons: 1. The contractor had me sign a document with minimal information, and he filled in additional details days after I signed without my consent. 2. The document does not include essential company contact information, such as the address, phone number, or email. 3. no signature by anyone - neither the contractor or anyone representing the roofing company. Thank you for your time and consideration.
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Hello there! Thanks so much for your patience. Let me review your situation.
When can I get a response?
Ok I had a chance to review this and the bottom line is you do not need to worry. The reasons are as follows: 1. Any additional verbiage added after you’ve signed a document creates an invalid modification. The law requires any modifications to be approved by both parties to a contract and supported by consideration. Consideration is the thing to be exchanged (like money). An example is if you wanted them to add some special material to the roof that was not originally in the agreement and the special material cost more. You would be paying more for the special material so that is a valid modification. In this case, any additions are unenforceable. 2. The other issue is regarding damages. Damages must be proven in a contract. Here, the contract has not done any work, nor hired any men, nor obtained any materials for the job. 3If a contractor hasn’t stated any work, hired any men, or even purchased materials, then they have not suffered any actual damages. Requiring a 25% payment despite not even having done any roofing work means they are seeking damages despite not having done anything. 4. As a bonus, the law requires that the contractor mitigate their damages. This means they must try to secure new work to help avoid losses as a result of this. Because they have done no work, the law doesn’t even let them get a mechanic’s lien. As such, my recommendation is to advise them that they have been fired, to contact them and advise them that you are ending this agreement with out paying. The reasons are 1. They made illegal modifications to the agreement. 2. You do not see any damages they have suffered, 3. That they must mitigate their damages 4. You revoke their access to discuss this with your carrier. My recommendation is also to contact your insurance carrier and advise them as well to stop talking to the contractor.
If I fire the contractor, and they task collection to collect 25% as mentioned in the document, how do I handle that?
Sure! If they ask for the money, refuse them. In my experience, they aren’t going to even bother. If they get legal advice, their lawyer will advise them the same as I did to you. Also, if they are to send you to collections, you can dispute it and even sue them. If they continue to make things more difficult for you, my recommendation is to file a complaint with the state attorney general’s office for unfair business practices. https://consumer.georgia.gov/resolve-your-dispute/how-do-i-file-complaint#:~:text=Call%20us%20at%20404%2D651,4%3A00%20PM%20on%20Friday.
What key information or checklist items should I verify from the company or contractor's side before signing a contract or agreement, and which of these should be clearly included in the document?
You got it. Before signing, you should verify that the contract includes the company’s full legal name, address, phone number, and license number. The document should clearly state the scope of work, total cost, payment terms, cancellation policy, and signatures from both parties. You should also check that no blank spaces are left for future additions and request a full copy of the signed agreement for your records.
Thank You!
Good Morning! I am going to send an email to the contractor. Can you please let me know if I need to make any changes to the letter. I am coping the draft here. Thank you for your time! ____________ I am writing to formally address serious concerns regarding your handling of a recent roof inspection and quote request. On May 26th 2025, I permitted your company to conduct a no-obligation quote for potential roof replacement due to hail and wind damage. My explicit understanding and intent at that time were solely to authorize an assessment and obtain a cost estimate, not to enter into any binding contract or service agreement. It has come to my attention that the document I signed, which I believed to be a preliminary authorization for an estimate, has been represented by your company as a binding contract. Furthermore, I have discovered that terms, conditions, or provisions appear to have been added after my signature was obtained, without my knowledge or consent. These unauthorized alterations and misrepresentations constitute a material breach and may rise to the level of fraudulent inducement. Given these facts, I assert that no valid or enforceable contract exists between myself and your company. I hereby demand the immediate cessation of any and all activities related to this purported agreement, including (but not limited to) scheduling of work, ordering of materials, contacting my insurance company on my behalf or any attempt to enforce or collect under its terms. I categorically deny any financial obligation related to this alleged agreement. Any attempt to seek payment or impose penalties will be formally disputed and legally challenged. In addition, I would like to document the following: I requested a copy of the signed document on the same day it was signed, yet it was not provided until after the insurance adjuster’s inspection. I was asked to forward sensitive email communications from my insurance company, which I found inappropriate and concerning. Upon receiving the signed document, I was shocked to find that unauthorized modifications had been made without my knowledge or consent. You are now demanding 25% of the insurance estimate, based solely on the limited permission I granted for damage inspection. This is unacceptable and entirely without justification. Although my insurance provider allows one year to complete repairs, I have been subjected to repeated, unsolicited phone calls and text messages, even after I requested a short delay due to a personal family matter. This persistent communication has become intrusive and distressing. Based on the above, I now believe I was misled into signing under false pretenses. I do not recognize this agreement as legally valid, nor do I intend to proceed with any services from your company. The pressure your company has exerted, combined with the continued demands for payment has caused me considerable stress and emotional hardship. Therefore, I am demanding the following: Immediate written confirmation that the alleged agreement is canceled in full; Acknowledgment that I have no outstanding financial obligations to your company; That all communications with me cease immediately, except for written confirmation of the above. Please provide your written response within three (3) business days from the date of this notice. Be advised that I reserve all rights and remedies under applicable law, including the right to pursue legal action if necessary to protect my interests.
Hello and welcome back! So this looks really good. I'm not sure if you had AI help write it, but whether you did or didn't, it's good, but there are a few things I suggest changing: 1. In the first paragraph, consider softening “serious concerns” a little bit if you want to keep things less adversarial at first. You could say “important concerns” or “significant concerns” to keep it firm but a bit less harsh upfront. 2. When you said “These unauthorized alterations and misrepresentations constitute a material breach and may rise to the level of fraudulent inducement,” you might break that into two sentences for better impact and clarity. Clarity matters especially when people are crooked. You could say here: “These unauthorized alterations and misrepresentations constitute a material breach. They may also rise to the level of fraudulent inducement.” 3. The last thing is instead of: “Please provide your written response within three (3) business days from the date of this notice,” you might want to just say “Please provide your written response within three business days.” Removing “from the date of this notice” keeps it simpler and more conversational and gets t the heart of it.
I appreciate your helpful suggestions.
I've made the correction and emailed it to the contractor. Below is his response. Can you please let me know how to proceed/respond to his email. Thank You __________________ Good evening Ms. Elizabeth Varghese! I read your statement, I don’t really like to be involved in these type of situations because my goal is to help you but at the same time I’m making a living out of it, that is why we have these agreement’s that protect us in this kind of situations. Furthermore I would like to make these points and for you to go over and think about it and to please contact me which you have not done since you received the estime which is no right because you stated that we are being persistent and intrusive towards you. - First of all I really appreciate that you reached out to me for my services because one of your neighbors referred me to you. - We went over the contract as well as I explained it to you, the agreement is valid only if we get approved by the insurance company, since the insurance company approved the roof replacement and sent you the estimate the contract is valid. - We have not in any way altered or changed anything in the contract, we have the physical agreement that you signed and I signed, as well as the text messages between us where you can see that me communicating with you has not been intrusive in any kind of way - I have been doing my best to get you approved by the insurance company as well as providing you a service, I believe we can schedule an appointment and go over the estimate for the roof replacement, we don’t charge you for the process we only get paid if we get approved by the insurance company, we can do the roof replacement or collect the 25% as the contract states we have the right to send the case to Legal Shields and Collections. Which we would not want for the situation to escalate any further but if it’s necessary we don’t have another choice. - I would like to see if we can schedule an appointment to talk about this situation, I think it’s fair for us to discuss this situation so we can avoid any inconvenience because at the end of the day we just want to do our work and do the right thing.
Hello there! Ok so yes, that looks even better. It's more concise and the paragraphs are broken up in a way that would make it easier for them to follow along. It leaves the door open to negotiation as you know that you never get greater commitment than when a person or company feels as if they have some skin in the game. Nice work!
This is the contractor's reply to my email ___________ Good evening Ms. Elizabeth Varghese! I read your statement, I don’t really like to be involved in these type of situations because my goal is to help you but at the same time I’m making a living out of it, that is why we have these agreement’s that protect us in this kind of situations. Furthermore I would like to make these points and for you to go over and think about it and to please contact me which you have not done since you received the estime which is no right because you stated that we are being persistent and intrusive towards you. - First of all I really appreciate that you reached out to me for my services because one of your neighbors referred me to you. - We went over the contract as well as I explained it to you, the agreement is valid only if we get approved by the insurance company, since the insurance company approved the roof replacement and sent you the estimate the contract is valid. - We have not in any way altered or changed anything in the contract, we have the physical agreement that you signed and I signed, as well as the text messages between us where you can see that me communicating with you has not been intrusive in any kind of way - I have been doing my best to get you approved by the insurance company as well as providing you a service, I believe we can schedule an appointment and go over the estimate for the roof replacement, we don’t charge you for the process we only get paid if we get approved by the insurance company, we can do the roof replacement or collect the 25% as the contract states we have the right to send the case to Legal Shields and Collections. Which we would not want for the situation to escalate any further but if it’s necessary we don’t have another choice. - I would like to see if we can schedule an appointment to talk about this situation, I think it’s fair for us to discuss this situation so we can avoid any inconvenience because at the end of the day we just want to do our work and do the right thing.
Ok thanks! So I'm glad they are willing to meet in this case. I would avoid a back-and-forth with them, but if they meet in person with you, do not go alone. Bring a trusted friend, family member, or even another professional. Having someone present can help maintain calmness, discourage any pressure tactics, and provide a witness to what is said. No matter what they say, do not sign any new documents or verbally agree to pay or move forward. If they show you anything, tell them you need to review it in writing and will respond later.
I don’t feel comfortable meeting the contractor and request that all communication be by email for the documentation purpose. He pressured me into a contract I no longer wanted to proceed with. In my email reply, he said I must either move forward with roof replacement or pay 25% of the insurance money, or he’ll send it to collection agency. I want to cancel the contract and avoid damage to my credit history. What can I do before he turns my case to collection agency or deal with collection agency after they call me?
Sure! If you don’t want to meet in person, it makes senses to advise them that this is not what you’ll be doing, but you don’t have to explain why. I’m unsure if collections is realistic because they would need a contract with a collections agency already (where they pay) and even if they did report it, you absolutely can dispute anything like that and even sue them. For now, you may have to call their bluff on this if they won’t give you the peace of mind you need right now and in my experience, they’ll drop it. The time and energy spent haggling with but is time away from them making money anyway.
He mentioned in the email the name of the collection agency. It's called Legal Shields and Collections. Also, What can I do before he turns my case to collection agency or deal with collection agency after they call me?
Understood! So unless you get a court order and if you don't work out a settlement, you can't prevent him from turning it over to collections. So you could offer something like 10% in exchange for them dropping any kind of claims. If that's not okay, that's fine, and if they take it to a collections agency (which we don't really know if they are connected to them), you can always dispute those charges. As a bonus tip: You can even file a complaint with the government if they do this. A complaint with the FTC can be filed starting here - https://consumer.ftc.gov/media/video-0054-how-file-complaint-federal-trade-commission
Okay. Thank You!
Could you help me in drafting a complaint to the FTC? Also, is there a state agency in Georgia where I can submit my complaint as well?
Hello! For a bunch of ridiculous legal reasons, I can't specifically draft a letter for you as it would require I be licensed in your state; however, what I can do is offer a concise template for you to use to help if you catch my drift. Here is what you can say: I am filing a complaint against a roofing contractor for deceptive business practices and potential fraud. On May 26, 2025, I agreed to a no-obligation roof inspection and estimate. The contractor had me sign a document I believed was only for permission to inspect and provide a quote. After I signed, the contractor added significant information to the document without my knowledge or consent, including insurance claim details and payment obligations. The document did not include the company’s address, phone number, or email, and it was not signed by any representative of the company. I only received a copy after multiple requests, and when I did, it contained unauthorized additions. Now, the contractor is demanding that I either proceed with the roof replacement or pay 25% of the insurance payout, threatening to send me to collections through a company called Legal Shields and Collections. I believe these practices are deceptive, coercive, and violate consumer protection laws. I am requesting that the FTC investigate this contractor for altering documents after signature, misrepresenting agreements, and using aggressive collection threats to force payment. Thank you for your attention to this matter. Elizabeth. As far as the state: You can file a complaint with the Attorney General’s Office by clicking here - https://consumer.georgia.gov/resolve-your-dispute/how-do-i-file-complaint
Thank You!
I need your help drafting a letter to the contractor Despite asking him multiple times to stop calling me, he continues to contact me, and just recently he showed up at my front door. I'm worried about my family’s and my safety. I also spoke with my cousin about this, and after doing some research, he suspects the contractor might be using a false identity. Can you help me put together a letter that formally asks him to stop contacting me. I want it to be clear but professional. Thanks so much. I’m honestly a bit shaken, so your help means a lot.
The Roofer Person also sent this text after showed up my house(07/14). I was away from my home at that time "Good morning Ms. Elizabeth varghese! We haven't heard anything back from you, it's been a month since the insurance company approved the roof replacement. If you want to hold for a longer period of time or you want to use another roofing company we will collect the 25% from the total payment Please call me back. If you want to proceed any legal process please let us know so we can proceed as well. Thank you!🙏 "
Hello1 So I can't represent you because you're in GA; however, I can certainly help. If you start here - https://www.contractscounsel.com/t/document-form-checkout/292 you can use this template to help. I can review it after the fact and give you some suggestions on what you can put into the document.
So I have one question about this. Here’s my understanding from our conversation (please let me know if any of it is incorrect). I do not need to worry about HEO Restoration Services forwarding my case to collections because I can dispute it and even sue them and from your experience HEO probably won’t initiate anything with collections for this case. My insurance company has already approved my claim and sent me the money to take care of the roof replacement. The contractor has been trying to contact me and even came to my house a few days ago. I want to look around for another contractor and get my roof replacement done without having to deal with HEO further. Can I just ignore any further attempted contact from HEO? If not, how should I proceed?
Understood! Yes, you can always dispute collections accounts. Also, yes, if you choose, you could totally ignore! In this case, it may be good to just end one more message stating that you are no longer desiring to continue communication. Because anything can be used against you court, keep it that concise.
Thank You!
Hello Dolan, the roofing contractor came to my house yesterday while I was not at home. I’ve since sent him an email stating that I no longer wish to continue communication." He replied me back today saying " Before we initiate any legal action please call me back or set an appointment. No later than this week. I just don't want you to have a lien without you even knowing. Thank you!"
How do I proceed? Should I send him any reply? Please advice
Hello1 You do not need to call or meet with him. Since you have already told him you do not wish to communicate, you should stick to that and keep everything in writing only. His statement about a lien is likely an intimidation tactic because he has not done any work or provided materials, so he would have no legal grounds for a valid lien. If you respond, keep it short and repeat that you dispute any contract, you owe nothing, and all further communication must be in writing. Save all messages, letters, and emails in case you need them later for a complaint or legal defense.. I see you unsubscribed from the legal chat, so if you get a chance, feel free to re-subscribe!
Thank You! Re-subscribed.
Should I file a complaint with Attorney general office ,FTC now?
Do I have to do anything else other than adding my credit card info, which I did.