10/11/2021
Check out Brent Phelan's testimonial on Senate Bill 64 below! Senate Committee Hearings - Government Oversight & Reform
Before fielding testimony, a substitute was offered by sponsoring Sen. George Lang (R-West Chester Twp.), who explained that it removes all registration requirements.
He said the bill will no longer be a regulatory measure.
"From the beginning purpose has been to protect consumers from bad actors," Rep. Lang said.
Brent Phelan, vice chairman for the Ohio Insurance Agents Association, said the bill will "enact commonsense consumer protections that will safeguard Ohioans from unscrupulous residential roofing contractors."
"SB64 takes a balanced approach that establishes essential consumer protections without hindering legitimate businesses. The intent of the legislation is to protect consumers from 'storm scammers' who often fail to complete work and deceive consumers about their need for unnecessary repairs when they are highly vulnerable following severe weather events," he said.
"A typical storm scammer employs several crews to perform a large volume of repairs in a short period of time. When the storm scammers leave the area, customers are frequently left with shoddy repairs that will require further work, creating an additional financial hardship."
Mr. Phelan added the bill will also establish standards for roofing contractors, including a requirement that they provide a written contract with a cancelation provision.
"The contract shall provide the consumer the right to rescind the contract, within three business days of signing, for any reason, including if the consumer receives written notification that all or any part of the claim is not covered under the insurance policy," he said. "This 'cooling off' period helps protect consumers from unethical contractors."