Family Living Without a Roof After Theirs Was Removed By a Contractor They Never Hired

The Hotvedts, a family in Spirit Lake, Idaho, has been surviving in a nightmare homeowner scenario since a contractor took their entire roof off without their permission. The contractor got the address wrong and—OOPS!—ever since, the family of five children has been living without a roof!

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KXLY reports that the contractor, who worked for D.R. Roofing, LLC., left the Hotvedt family a handwritten note apologizing for the mistake:

“Due to miscommunication I was given the wrong address to do some roof work. After I did some tear-off I was informed this wrong house. I deeply apologize for the inconvenience. Please contact D.R. Roofing @ [phone number] so I that can repair your roof in a timely manner. I sincerely apologize. We will take responsibilities for this mistake.”

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But over three weeks later, the Hotvedt family is still living without a roof. They placed tarps above their roof and, since there’s been rain, they’ve been enduring increasing water damage ever since.

So far, no insurance company affiliated with any involved parties has considered helping. Part of the family’s floor had to be removed from water damage and now there’s mold growing in their house. The carpet and dry wall are also ruined from water.

The contracting company told the Hotvedt family that their insurance would handle the issue. However, KXLY reports that the most recent communication from the insurance company denied their claims. The basis of the denial is that there is “an exclusion for property damage arising out of an open roof condition.”

“This is a nightmare. This is absolutely the worst thing I could have imagined,” said Jessica Hotvedt. “June 1st, my daughter came home from school to find that people were removing the roof of our house… It was a mistake; a very costly mistake and it should have been fixed. It just should have been fixed, but no one will do it.”

There is growing concern now for the health of the five children, as mildew and mold can cause serious health issues. The Hotvedts are unsure of how much longer they can continue living without a roof and if theirs will still be missing when the colder weather comes. They’ve been quoted over $70,000 to fix the missing roof.

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  1. I would find a good decent lawyer and take both the contractor and his insurance company to court. Replace the roof plus personal psychological trauma and placing the family at physical harm.

  2. I’m surprised that they have not been inundated by a deluge of ambulance-chasing lawyers calling 24-7 to get the case.

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