Scamguards newest requirements

8072 Views 22 Replies 7 Participants Last post by BPWY, Jan 23, 2012

G

Discussion Starter · Dec 1, 2011

I have been off here for quite some time. How are you all doing? Myself? Ready to apply at McDonalds!

Any of you Scamguard contractors (employees?) get that new requirement memo? I guess we need to get on every roof of every property we visit...for roof photos. Not roof photos from the ground, we need to be ON THE ROOF! And every property needs attic photos. Guess how much they want to pay us for getting on the roof? Yeah....you guessed it. NOTHING! Seems like a crock of crap to me. What do you do when the winds are excessive? When it's raining? When there is 1' of snow on it.

I'm so close to walking away from this profession.

1 - 20 of 23 Posts

GTX63

· #2 · Dec 1, 2011

Just had one like that. 6/12 peak turned into 8/12 and then 10/12. Rain and winds. We told them what photos we were able to give them. You cannot make a roofer go onto a roof in those conditions. We don't debate with them; it is what it is.

thanohano44

· #3 · Dec 1, 2011

somewherein815 said:
I have been off here for quite some time. How are you all doing? Myself? Ready to apply at McDonalds!

Any of you Scamguard contractors (employees?) get that new requirement memo? I guess we need to get on every roof of every property we visit...for roof photos. Not roof photos from the ground, we need to be ON THE ROOF! And every property needs attic photos. Guess how much they want to pay us for getting on the roof? Yeah....you guessed it. NOTHING! Seems like a crock of crap to me. What do you do when the winds are excessive? When it's raining? When there is 1' of snow on it.

I'm so close to walking away from this profession.

I think this is one of many reasons people want to quit. We just report unsafe conditions, which is why 90% of the time damages are happening.

G

Discussion Starter · #4 · Dec 2, 2011

Just tell them your not rated on your insurance and work comp for any roofing activities OR tell them you have to bid to hook up your harness system for OSHA requirements. Both are correct but you need to pick which one the goons understand the best

G

Discussion Starter · #5 · Dec 2, 2011

FremontREO said:
Just tell them your not rated on your insurance and work comp for any roofing activities OR tell them you have to bid to hook up your harness system for OSHA requirements. Both are correct but you need to pick which one the goons understand the best

Fremont is spot on regarding this. Your premiums will be much higher and if something happens and your not covered for it, guess where the liability is going to fall. You can bet your ARSE SG isn't going to step up to the plate in your defense.

Just because they want, doesn't mean you should. Your number one obligation and responsibility is to YOU and YOUR Company / Family.

mtmtnman

· #6 · Dec 3, 2011

I call BS on Scamguards blah, blah, blah. I see HUDS convey every day with these damages that are NOT mortgagor neglect.........

As far as the photo requirements, might as well start taking a camcorder with you and e-mailing MPEGS instead of JPEGS............

Memo 1324 – Bidding and Reporting Damages Conference Call

Going forward, in addition to the “Big 6” damages, all water, mold, roof, and structural damages must be repaired prior to conveyance.

Regardless of cause, the following damages are required to be reported and bids provided to repair:
- Fire
- Flood
- Hurricane
- Tornado
- Boiler explosion
- Water
- Roof
- Mold
- Structural
- Missing items (furnace, boiler, air conditioning unit, and other systems required by local code for occupancy)
- Unfinished renovations
- Freeze damages

- HUD will not accept a property for conveyance unless the damages are truly mortgagor neglect. Therefore, bids to mitigate the damages must be submitted if the items cannot be addressed immediately using allowables or validated, if the cost is less than $1500, when a call is made from site. Delays in submission of bids to mitigate may result in vendor liability and repairs made at no charge.

- Be sure to provide eyeball estimates, quality photo documentation to support the condition of the property as well as photos to show evidence if missing items with the property report. We are not bidding to replace appliances. However, they must be reported if they are missing.

Photos documenting the condition of the property should contain the following:

- Roof condition and material
- Garage roof condition and material
- Attic condition
- Basements and crawlspaces
- Presence of furnaces, boilers, and A/C units, hot water tank
- All sides of the exterior
- All rooms inside the house including walls, floors, ceilings
- Electrical panel

- Work orders completed on or after 11/21/11 will be subject to being reopened for any of the above photos and bids that are missing from your updates.

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HollandPPC

· #7 · Dec 4, 2011

mtmtnman said:
I call BS on Scamguards blah, blah, blah. I see HUDS convey every day with these damages that are NOT mortgagor neglect.........

As far as the photo requirements, might as well start taking a camcorder with you and e-mailing MPEGS instead of JPEGS............

Memo 1324 – Bidding and Reporting Damages Conference Call

Going forward, in addition to the “Big 6” damages, all water, mold, roof, and structural damages must be repaired prior to conveyance.

Regardless of cause, the following damages are required to be reported and bids provided to repair:
- Fire
- Flood
- Hurricane
- Tornado
- Boiler explosion
- Water
- Roof
- Mold
- Structural
- Missing items (furnace, boiler, air conditioning unit, and other systems required by local code for occupancy)
- Unfinished renovations
- Freeze damages

- HUD will not accept a property for conveyance unless the damages are truly mortgagor neglect. Therefore, bids to mitigate the damages must be submitted if the items cannot be addressed immediately using allowables or validated, if the cost is less than $1500, when a call is made from site. Delays in submission of bids to mitigate may result in vendor liability and repairs made at no charge.

- Be sure to provide eyeball estimates, quality photo documentation to support the condition of the property as well as photos to show evidence if missing items with the property report. We are not bidding to replace appliances. However, they must be reported if they are missing.

Photos documenting the condition of the property should contain the following:

- Roof condition and material
- Garage roof condition and material
- Attic condition
- Basements and crawlspaces
- Presence of furnaces, boilers, and A/C units, hot water tank
- All sides of the exterior
- All rooms inside the house including walls, floors, ceilings
- Electrical panel

- Work orders completed on or after 11/21/11 will be subject to being reopened for any of the above photos and bids that are missing from your updates.

What is this word "mold" you speak of. We are told to report discoloration. Maybe you can help me understand this "mold".

G

Discussion Starter · #8 · Jan 11, 2012

Property Preservation Roof Photos

It is my opinion that Safeguard designed this new requirement because they couldn't think of another way to explain to their contractors how to completely and thoroughly show photos of each house's roof so that they can provide HUD with accurate photo documentation. In the past, I have experienced similar problems with the quality of the photos provided to me by people I worked with. This was a huge problem I had to deal with if I was going to last in the property preservation industry. Unlike working for a typical owner-occupied property owner, nobody is there watching us while we spend hours and hours laboring. So we have to use a camera to clearly show "why" these repairs are needed in addition to proving that we actually completed the repairs. The penalty for noncompliance is a monetary charge back.

I dealt with the situation by creating a 3 page Photo Inspection Checklist that describes specifically the exact pictures I need my inspectors and subcontractors to take each and every time they are at a property on my behalf. I created this checklist one Saturday afternoon and it took me approximately 9 hours. I was physically exhausted by the end of the day but it was completely worth it because I figured out a way to deal with what might be the #1 reason people get charge backed in this industry.

Since most employees at Safeguard (or any other national property preservation servicing companies) have never owned their own contracting company, they don't know about all of the nuances we encounter every day. And they can't simply send out a memo telling us that we need to take "better photos of roofs" because everybody will have their own opinion of what "better photos" means to them. My checklist was written in such a way that anyone with a first grade education could understand it and provide me with the exact pictures I need, EVERY SINGLE TIME.

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G

Discussion Starter · #9 · Jan 11, 2012

The Atty General some States is very very interested in this "penalty for non-compliance chargeback".

Also was reading an article on Foreclosures and the improper treatment of mold so here is an excerpt:

"
Bleach and Kilz, both commonly used by consumers for mold, are neither advisable, nor acceptable according to most commercially accepted remediation protocol. Bleach in particular, is only recommended for hard, non-porous surfaces like tile, countertops and tub and shower basins. However, it is ineffective as a biocide to kill mold in joist, framing members, roof decking, OSB and plywood as it is unable to penetrate the porous nature of those materials. As a result, the hyphae, or roots of the mold remain alive and viable – despite the fact that the mold stain may have been bleached away.
So, if you’re dealing with mold, either personally, in a property that you own, on a remodel job, or speculatively through foreclosures, seek the advice of a mold professional to reduce the possibility of adverse health effects to occupants and potential down-line liabilities"

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RichR

· #10 · Jan 11, 2012

FremontREO said:
Also was reading an article on Foreclosures and the improper treatment of mold so here is an excerpt:

"
Bleach and Kilz, both commonly used by consumers for mold, are neither advisable, nor acceptable according to most commercially accepted remediation protocol. Bleach in particular, is only recommended for hard, non-porous surfaces like tile, countertops and tub and shower basins. However, it is ineffective as a biocide to kill mold in joist, framing members, roof decking, OSB and plywood as it is unable to penetrate the porous nature of those materials. As a result, the hyphae, or roots of the mold remain alive and viable – despite the fact that the mold stain may have been bleached away.
So, if you’re dealing with mold, either personally, in a property that you own, on a remodel job, or speculatively through foreclosures, seek the advice of a mold professional to reduce the possibility of adverse health effects to occupants and potential down-line liabilities"

Where is this from? I have been fighting this with Safeguard forever. I refuse to "Bleach Clean" Mold as it does nothing but lesson the visual appearence for the "After" photos. This is going to be the next "BIG" problem alot of P&P Contractors will be faced with. They have been running around bleach cleaning and white washing with KILZ and calling it mold treatment. Its coming back to Haunt them, just a matter of time. Alot have been just looking at the quick easy buck to stage photos for a "BLEACH CLEAN" and not whats going to happen when the new homeowner sues the Mortgage Company because they have gotten sick from mold.

GTX63

· #11 · Jan 11, 2012

MakeItEz2GetPd said:
It is my opinion that Safeguard designed this new requirement because they couldn't think of another way to explain to their contractors how to completely and thoroughly show photos of each house's roof so that they can provide HUD with accurate photo documentation.

A good rule of thumb is never hire anyone dumber than yourself.
If you have subs not giving you what you want, there comes a point when you just don't use them anymore. Simply continuing to contract work out and "penalizing for sub standard results" the same vendors over and over reveals the level of acceptance on the Nationals part.
No one at SG is pacing the floor with their fingers in their hair wondering "Now what do we do?".

G

Discussion Starter · #12 · Jan 11, 2012

RichR said:
Where is this from? I have been fighting this with Safeguard forever. I refuse to "Bleach Clean" Mold as it does nothing but lesson the visual appearence for the "After" photos. This is going to be the next "BIG" problem alot of P&P Contractors will be faced with. They have been running around bleach cleaning and white washing with KILZ and calling it mold treatment. Its coming back to Haunt them, just a matter of time. Alot have been just looking at the quick easy buck to stage photos for a "BLEACH CLEAN" and not whats going to happen when the new homeowner sues the Mortgage Company because they have gotten sick from mold.

Its an article from the Seattle Times. Sept issue. It is an interview the the Kings County Public Health Supv about some mold infested Condos.
Doing some research before I teach Continuing Education Classes for Insurance Agents/Adjusters.
What I found interesting lately is the stories of contractors being sued/liable for "shoddy-incompetent" remediation when not following normal associated protocols and bleach/kilz is not protocol.

But as I stated the persons being held LIABLE are the Contrators and NOT THE SERVICE COMPANIES

G

Discussion Starter · #13 · Jan 11, 2012

FremontREO said:
Its an article from the Seattle Times. Sept issue. It is an interview the the Kings County Public Health Supv about some mold infested Condos.
Doing some research before I teach Continuing Education Classes for Insurance Agents/Adjusters.
What I found interesting lately is the stories of contractors being sued/liable for "shoddy-incompetent" remediation when not following normal associated protocols and bleach/kilz is not protocol.

But as I stated the persons being held LIABLE are the Contrators and NOT THE SERVICE COMPANIES

well, they are the ones getting rich and making all the decisions, why shouldn't they be liable?

GTX63

· #14 · Jan 11, 2012

Because they have their names listed as "Additional Insured" on their sub's policies.

G

Discussion Starter · #15 · Jan 11, 2012

GTX63 said:
Because they have their names listed as "Additional Insured" on their sub's policies.

sorry, trying to type sarcasm, the they I was referring to is the contractors, I know why the other "they" wont have any liability

GTX63

· #16 · Jan 23, 2012

We bid a trashout with them. They discounted our bid their obligatory 25%. They then marked up the bid before discount 45% to the lender.
How do I know? A little bird sent us the paperwork. I'm all for capitalism, just take one of the other, not both.

Prestigious Property

· #17 · Jan 23, 2012

I live here in the mountains of NC and cant get over that they want to pay $30 during fall for Grass Cuts and they want all leaves bagged not mulched, not blown in the wood, but bagged. This can take two people over an hour and up to a couple of hours for two guys depending on size of lawn and amount of leaves, then there is the 30 min. drive to the next property. We have been sent back to a few jobs cause of them seeing a few leaves in the grass...The leaves are falling as we are removing so we cant help if some leaves are still on the ground in the pics. I dont understand why we cant just blow the leaves in the woods....CRAZY SH$%!

mtmtnman

· #18 · Jan 23, 2012

GTX63 said:
We bid a trashout with them. They discounted our bid their obligatory 25%. They then marked up the bid before discount 45% to the lender.
How do I know? A little bird sent us the paperwork. I'm all for capitalism, just take one of the other, not both.

I had one like that from another company. Curb box replacement. I bid at $5K and they bid at $12K. They "ACCIDENTALLY" sent me their paperwork. I forwarded my bid along with THEIR paperwork directly to a contact i had at the bank. SHTF pretty bad over that but that company STILL works for the bank in question!!!!!

BPWY

· #19 · Jan 23, 2012

AffordablePS said:
I live here in the mountains of NC and cant get over that they want to pay $30 during fall for Grass Cuts and they want all leaves bagged not mulched, not blown in the wood, but bagged. This can take two people over an hour and up to a couple of hours for two guys depending on size of lawn and amount of leaves, then there is the 30 min. drive to the next property. We have been sent back to a few jobs cause of them seeing a few leaves in the grass...The leaves are falling as we are removing so we cant help if some leaves are still on the ground in the pics. I dont understand why we cant just blow the leaves in the woods....CRAZY SH$%!

I'd still blow em in the woods. What they can't see in a deal like that does not hurt them.
Its called being green and keeping unnecessary material from going to the landfill.

Prestigious Property

· #20 · Jan 23, 2012

They still get blown.....:whistling

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