JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – More Honest Abe Roofing customers are coming forward to the I-TEAM after getting hit with liens on their homes.
The franchised roofing company laid off all its employees at its Northeast Florida location earlier this month.
Now, customers say they can’t get a hold of anyone to take care of unfinished and warranted work.
Cynthia Norman is retired and focusing all her energy on fixing up her home in Riverside.
“I’ve been doing all this work around this home of mine,” Norman said.
Norman said she needed a new roof and contacted Honest Abe Roofing.
She said she paid the company $24,000 in full for the job.
According to Norman, the company completed the job just days before she learned they let go of their employees and the franchised location in Jacksonville closed down.
This week, Norman learned three liens were filed on her home for $11,000 for labor and supplies.
“There’s no answer. It’s either an answering service or it just rings,” Norman said.
The News4JAX I-TEAM called the Jacksonville and the corporate office and heard the following voicemail:
“Each franchise location has a different owner and is operated independently. In order to get questions answered, you will need to reach out to that location specifically as no other owner will have information about your account.”
According to Florida’s Construction Lien Law, if contractors who provide materials and services are not paid in full, they have a right to enforce their claim for payment against your property.
“I’m not wanting to put out more money. I’m wanting to move forward. I’ve got other things I’d like to do with that money and it’s not pay an extra $11,000,” Norman said.
Norman thinks that Florida law is unfair to people like her.
She said she is worried if she doesn’t pay the lien, she could lose her home. She is also worried about the lifetime warranty that supposedly comes with her roof.
“I’m very upset about this whole process because it shouldn’t have came down to this. They should have just paid their vendors,” Norman said.
News4JAX was able to get a hold of Honest Abe’s corporate office in Indiana on Friday morning. They said they’ve set up an email for customers in Florida to contact if they have issues with their roofs or liens being placed on their homes.
If you have issues with your roof or had a lien placed on your home, you are asked to email: floridasupport@honestaberoofing.com