TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) – Replacing the roof on a small Tampa home through a taxpayer-funded program cost about a fourth of the value of the home, prompting concern from the homeowner about how much he could owe.
Robert Gruber, 71, said he was “ecstatic” when he qualified for an income-based, HUD-funded program administered by East Tampa Business and Civic Association (ETBCA.) There is no cost to the homeowner unless they sell within a certain period of time.
Contractors stripped and replaced Gruber’s shingles and installed a new HVAC air handler and water heater at a cost of $23,800, according to documents obtained by 8 on Your Side. Gruber, who worked for The Home Depot for about a decade, thought that price was high for his small house.
Then he saw the roof.
“There was a hump about four inches wide running up the roof over the kitchen and down the other side,” Gruber said. “They stripped it but did not take care of the hump.”
Gruber said the issue became more “pronounced” when the crew shingled over the problem.
When he complained to ETBCA, paperwork indicates the contractor, Hopps Construction Services, charged $1,000 for “inspection of roof hump.”
Then came the shocker.
“They wanted $25,000 to fix it even though it was their mistake,” Gruber recalled. “And I was under duress, begging [ETBCA and the city] to change contractors and they would not do it. They refused to change contractors.”
The grand total for the roof, air handler and water heater on the 800-square foot Oak Grove home valued at about $175,000 ballooned to $49,924.
“They said it was the cost of materials. But I worked at Home Depot. It was too much,” Gruber said. “I checked and the material costs do not support this.”
Neither do the permits for the roof jobs. The “job value” on the permit for the first roof project was pegged at $2,300. The value of the second job that was billed at $25,000 was $1,600, according to the permit.
Gruber and 8 On Your Side have requested invoices for the projects to examine what sent the cost through the roof, but so far neither the contractor nor ETBCA has released those documents.
ETBCA CEO Diane Hart, who is a State Representative, said she could not offer many details about Gruber’s projects because she did not have the file with her in Tallahassee. She did defend her non-profit and Hopps Construction, saying they do good work.
Hart reiterated the homeowner is not responsible for the project cost unless they sell the property within a certain time frame that is based on the cost. According to the application, the period is five years for projects less than $15,000, 10 years for projects between $15,000 and $40,000 and 15 years for anything over $40,000.
Along with the overall cost of his roof that Gruber called “outrageous,” he said he is concerned about what he will owe if he sells before his deferred payment period ends.
“I don’t know what will happen,” Gruber said. “And no one from the city or from [ETBCA] will answer me.”
