BALTIMORE — When it rains or snows, Ozzie Campbell is unable to sleep in her bed. She places buckets there, as well as in other rooms to catch the water leaking from her ceiling.
“You can see the hole itself up in the ceiling. It just pulls down. And then the middle room is the same way,” said Campbell.
Her roof has needed repairs and for her 85th birthday, family members chipped in money to help her pay for them. And on November 14, a roofing company just happened to approach Campbell at her home, let her know they were doing work in the area, and offered to take on the project.
“They said, we see that you have a problem with your roof and we'd be willing to come in and do it. Let us go up and look,” recalled Vee Jones-Hurt, one of Campbell’s daughters. “She couldn't live here with the roof like it was.”
Campbell paid SM Masonry & Construction $5,000. Workers deconstructed parts of her roof, discarded bricks and cement in her yard, put up a tarp, then abandoned the job.
“I thought they were fixing my roof, and they weren’t. They just took my money and left and didn’t come back, and this is the only place I can stay,” said Campbell.
SM Masonry & Construction and Hugh Doyle, the representative listed on the signed agreement, are nowhere to be found.
According to the Maryland Home Improvement Commission, neither Hugh Doyle nor SM Masonry & Construction ever held an MHIC license in any category. The business is not registered in the state. And there's no record in Virginia, where they also claim to do business.
Phone numbers on their website and paperwork are no longer working, and WMAR-2 News Mallory Sofastaii sent them an email but hasn't heard back.
“It seems to be a trend right now of contractors taking advantage of people of age. She's 85. She's already upset. This is her life home. These are her life savings. You don't do people like that,” said Jones-Hurt.
And their approach was seriously flawed.
“This is inexpensive and this is more expensive but they're not compatible. You can't put this on top of that and expect 100% waterproof, so that's one of the issues that I've seen here,” said Steve Klitsch, an experienced home improvement contractor and expert witness in fraud cases.
“And in this case, it was more of, I think, we've got a payment from this customer let's make it look like we're really working and then disappear,” Klitsch said.
He reminds anyone in need of home improvement repairs to research the business first and make sure they're licensed.
“If they are licensed, then they're supposed to have the appropriate liability insurance that in the event of catastrophic damage, their liability insurance would be able to cover any losses that were sustained by the homeowner,” said Klitsch.
“And in a situation like this where the individuals weren't licensed. What are their options?” Sofastaii asked.
“The option for the homeowner is, first of all, you cannot file a claim against the Maryland Home Improvement Commission Guaranty Fund because they're not licensed. You'd have to hire an attorney and go to court and file for criminal charges, basically, for stealing your money and not producing any work,” Klitsch responded. “If there's no known address of this contractor, then it's just a a stroke of luck if you drove down the street and you recognize them and ask them to stop. That'd be it. Chances are this person will never be back on the street again.”
In the meantime, Campbell’s home is in disrepair. Her family is concerned that the next weather event could jeopardize her safety.
“My children they don't have room for me because this is mine. But now I got nothing. Where am I going at this age?” asked Campbell.
With the damage to the interior, Klitsch estimates repairs could cost upwards of $30,000. The family has applied for assistance through the city's LIGHT program. They haven't been able to take any legal action against the company yet because they don't have an address for the owner or the business.
WMAR-2 News contacted the Department of Housing and Community Development for an update on Campbell’s application for assistance. In an email, Tammy Hawley, Chief of Strategic Communications, said a team was dispatched a few hours after being alerted to the issue.
“The property was escalated for consideration and an expedited application process was set in motion. The application process is still being completed, but the funding path has been approved by the LIGHT Program to get the roof work done.
Please note that in the event that this matter is possibly a Maryland Home Improvement Commission (MHIC) case, we have to be careful not to disturb the existing conditions that may interfere with the ability to prosecute any culprits. Clarification on the nature of the contract the homeowner had with SM Masonry is under review. I do not know to what extent this may affect the timeline for repairs.”
To file a complaint with the MHIC, click here.
Or to apply for assistance through the City’s LIGHT program, click here.