NC public adjuster accused of forging checks and taking off with homeowner’s insurance money

CARY, N.C. (WTVD) — A Triangle roofing company says it’s out more than $100,000 and the homeowners who hired them could be on the hook for it, despite their insurance company already paying for the work.

The case involves a middleman, commonly referred to as a public adjuster. A public adjuster is an independent insurance professional whom a person can hire to assist in settling an insurance claim.

The problem in these cases is that the homeowners claim the public adjuster took their money.

Cary homeowners Dave Perez and his wife Jane contacted their insurance company after they noticed a roof leak at their home.

“We kept dealing with the insurance company…they said, well, $3,000 to fix this, to patch this little area,” Dave told Troubleshooter Diane Wilson.

The couple said they had much more damage than that, and said their roofing contractor, BGC Expert Contractors, recommended a public adjuster to help with their claim.

“Whenever a claim gets denied, if we feel like there was storm damage, we would get a public adjuster involved because, as the contractor, we’re not allowed to discuss policy,” Lauren Garlock of BGC said. “So we would need to bring someone else in who can discuss policy, look over their policy, and assist with the insurance claim.”

Garlock said they recommended public adjuster Tyler Englin of TDE Claims LLC.

Once TDE got involved, the Perez’s insurance claim increased to more than $100,000.

“Most of it was in the roof and then the rest of it was interior, you know, repairs, and you know, the kitchen needed to be redone,” Dave said.

BGC did all of the work, and the Perez’s said they thought everything was fine until they heard from BGC, who said they hadn’t been paid for the work.

The Perez’s called their insurance company, which provided records showing they issued two checks for the claims. One check for more than $51,000, the other for more than $47,000.

“You can see where our signatures were forged. Jane doesn’t even write out her name; it’s more like a scribble. Those checks that were cut to him, sent to him, and then he endorsed them and never paid the contractor,” said looking at the checks.

The Perez’s asked their insurance company why they sent Englin of TDE the checks and not them. The company told the family that they were provided a contract that had the Perez’s e-signatures hiring the adjuster.

Dave said his insurance told him, “Once we get this from an adjuster, then at that point we no longer deal with you. We deal with him.”

The Perez’s claim they never signed that, nor did they sign the back of the checks from their insurance company.

“I think it’s pretty evident you have canceled checks that were for, you know, that were forged,’ Dave said. “Then you have a contract that we didn’t sign. And you have a contractor that is out, you know, $100,000.”

Garlock with BGC said that Englin with TDE has promised payment for the completed work, but it hasn’t happened.

“Just excuses,’ he said. “They’ll say, ‘Oh, I put a check in the mail,’ and then we never get it. He’ll say, ‘Oh, well, I’m out of town.’ And then, you know, at some point, we’re like, we will meet you. We live here. And one time, one of our reps went to his house, sat in his driveway for two hours, finally got a check, and the check bounced.”

In total, Garlock said they’re owed about $120,000 for three of the jobs they did for homeowners where Englin with TDE was the public adjuster.

“It greatly impacts our business. We are small, we’re local, a mom and pop, you know, a general contractor. So you know, not being able to get paid on these jobs for a year is tough,” Garlock added.

Garlock and Perez have filed complaints with the North Carolina Department of Insurance. A representative stated:

“The Department of Insurance has received multiple consumer complaints regarding Tyler Englin, who is a licensed public adjuster, and also against TDE Claims. The Department is currently reviewing these complaints.”

Troubleshooter Diane Wilson has tried to get answers from Englin in a number of ways, but was not successful.

The website for TDE no longer works, and when ABC11 attempted to call, it said temporarily unavailable. There was also no response to multiple emails and texts.

As for the Perez’s, Dave said he is worried that if Englin doesn’t pay BGC for the work they did at his home, he could be responsible for paying the contractor.

“There’s nothing in place that protects the homeowner from an adjuster doing this,” he said.

Besides the Perez’s, Troubleshooter Diane Wilson also heard from a Holly Springs homeowner who hired Englin with TDE Claims. There’s proof the public adjustor received the insurance money, and while TDE did give the homeowner a check for the amount they’re owed to pay the contractor, the check bounced.

When it comes to a public adjuster, before you hire one, you should make sure they’re licensed in North Carolina. Also, don’t pay anything up front, as public adjusters get a percentage of the insurance money.

Always make sure the check is made out to both you and the public adjuster, and of course, before you sign anything, read the small print.

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All of the people involved said they followed those tips, but this still happened.