Rebuilding After Disasters

Get several bids.

• Try to get written bids or estimates from at least three different contractors. Check out the contractor.

Get the contractor's full name, address and phone number.

• Ask for references and call them.
• Check with the Better Business Bureau and courthouse for criminal history and civil cases against the contractor.
• Be careful when dealing with contractors who have out-of-state license plates. Get it in writing.

Get a written contract.

• Specify the work to be done.
• Specify the price.
• Don't sign anything you don't understand.

Control the money.

• Do not pay for the entire job up front.
• Try to pay as little as possible up front.
• It is against the law for contractors in disaster areas to take any money upfront unless they have a local office in your county or one county over for at least one year.
• Insist on waiting to pay the full amount until after the work is finished.
• You are protected by special rules if the contractor does not have a local office in your county or the next county over.
• Do not make the final payment until you have inspected the work. Make sure you are completely satisfied with the repairs.
• Do not pay in cash.

Report bad contractors to: Better Business Bureau; the Florida Attorney General; the local district attorney; and Florida Rural Legal Services.

After a disaster, FEMA provides assistance to survivors to meet their immediate needs. To ensure taxpayer dollars were properly spent, FEMA will review disaster assistance payments and may find that disaster assistance was given to applicants who were not eligible for some or all the money they received.

Debt collection, or recoupment, happens when FEMA assistance is used inappropriately, there is a duplication of benefits, funds are obtained by fraud or misrepresentation, or, in some cases, when assistance is provided in error.

How do I know if I owe FEMA money?

FEMA will send you a written Notice of Debt letter if they identify a payment that must be collected. If you receive a notice, FRLS can help you file an appeal with FEMA.

For more information visit: https://www.fema.gov/about/offices/chief-counsel/recoupment

A public adjuster is any person who for money completes, prepares, or files an insurance claim for an insured or aids an insured in negotiating for or getting the settlement of a claim or claims for loss or damage covered by an insurance policy.