What to Know
- NBC 5 Responds reported Jan. 28 on a group of 117 consumers filing a class action lawsuit against contractor House of Tomorrow.
- K-Rose Custom Homes called NBC 5 Responds and offered to repair some of the complainants' roofs for free.
- Attorney Steven Badger said he was working with Texas lawmakers to introduce a bill that would help hold roofing contractors accountable.
Joseph Dickens hasn't been this happy in a long time.
For two years, he's been waiting on a contractor to come back and start to repair his roof.
"I was just going to have to crawl myself up there and start knocking the nails and do what I had to do," he said.
Dickens signed a contract and paid the roofer nearly $10,000, but his home remained untouched.
"I was kind of stuck. That's all there was to it. I was just stuck," Dickens said.
He's among thousands of people in Texas who have been played by dishonest roofers.
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Last week, NBC 5 Responds delved into the laws on roofing contractors and learned that consumers had very little protection.
"Every week, I get a call from a homeowner ripped off by a bad roofer. It is time for Texas to regulate roofers," Steven Badger, an attorney who represents a group of consumers filing a lawsuit against contractor House of Tomorrow.
That's why Badger said he was working with lawmakers to introduce the "Re-Roofing Registration Bill" to the Texas legislature next month.
Under this law, every roofer in Texas would be required to register with the state, provide a physical business address and contact number, and pay a small registration fee.
Getting the bill passed could take some time, leaving consumers like Dickens in despair.
But just as he was ready to give up on all contractors, Robin Lloyd of K-Rose Custom Homes called NBC 5 Responds.
"Each one, reach one," Lloyd said. "When someone reached out to me, I in turn reached out to Mr. Dickens."
Lloyd received a lump sum of cash from a local donor who would like to remain anonymous, and K-Rose Customs Homes got to work.
"We picked up everything we needed last night and we're here," he said.
A project that Dickens has waited on for two years was finished in a matter of hours.
K-Rose Customs Homes repaired Dickens' roof free of charge.
"Somebody cares," Lloyd said. "We're not all bad."
Lloyd restored Dickens' faith in the construction industry.
Loyd said he planned to help two other consumers in NBC 5 Responds' first story on roofing contractors.
He wanted to serve as a reminder that there are still good roofing contractors out there with honest intentions and big hearts.
