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My dad burned his friends house and AAA insurance wants 667k remit payment
InsuranceOP might have already said too much already.
And don't give them any money it's an admission of guilt
Contract doesn't matter. Was this Dad acting as a friend or doing things at work for a friend?
Acting as a friend
It's possible your family as a low income family are judgement proof. Depends on the state and details what they can recover.
We live in California
If the work cost over $500 (materials, etc. included) then you father was acting as an unlicensed contractor.
Does your dad have any proof that the friend knew your dad was unlicensed before hiring him to do the job? Because it really sounds like the friend has told the insurance company that they didn't know your dad was unlicensed to get them to pay out.
Doesn't sound like the dad was "hired", but just helping out a friend? I got all kinds of friends helping me remodel does that make them unlicensed contractors?
Your dad's homeowners/renters insurance liability coverage might help in this situation if he is in fact liable.
He collected no money?
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15d
Did Dad HELP or do ALL of the electrical work?
Why was he doing this for free? He wasn't paid anyway anyhow?
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15d
My question was if he helped or if he was the only one doing electric
If he was the ONLY one installing electric that's worse. If his friend was ALSO installing then that might be news to the insurance company
Payment doesn't have to be cash. Bartering is taxable. If I trade services with my dentist we have to count the service as income
Don’t talk to them. Get an attorney. Anonymize your posts about this on social media, or remove them. They will dig them up, and they will use them against you.
This. 💯 OP is talking to the insurance company, making admissions against interest, and doing the same on open traceable social media. Please stop, now. Find an attorney and go no further with this discussion. There’s no self help to be had in this situation, unfortunately.
Don’t work for this insurance company, but know the industry. They 100% have tools to comb social media for items they can use.
Ok and who is paying for this attorney?
The consequences of not paying an attorney is possibly being on the hook for almost $700k. OPs parents have no option but to find a way to pay for an attorney to make sure that doesn't happen.
Absolutely do not send any partial payment as that will be acknowledging the debt/responsibility - go to a lawyer
As others have said there is no making a few calls and fixing this and figuring it out. Stop talking to the insurance. Get a lawyer. And probably delete this post.
- Do not talk to their insurance or cops. You may have already done damage by doing so.
- Do not under any circumstances other than when advised by your attorney, acknowledge this amount or send any payment.
- Consult an attorney right now and STOP TALKING to the enemy.
So, my take away from this....do not help your friends with home repairs...correct?
If you’re not confident as an electrician? Absolutely not.
At the very least, don’t let unlicensed people with no insurance do electrical work
Depending on where you are, yes. It's a shame that it has to be a concern, but many places requiring a licensed contractor to do literally anything beyond changing a light bulb, and you open yourself up to liability (read: being thrown under the bus) if anything goes wrong. Especially with electrical. The first thing people will ask is "did an electrician do it?", and if the answer is "no :(", problems happen.
lol no, it is not a shame it has to be a concern. Idiots like this are exactly who “the code” was written, most likely in blood. For Idiots who burn down their “friends” house because they don’t know a fucking thing about electric(clearly) and then wire a goddammed basement.
Edit- if your take away from this story about a friends house burning down from an unlicensed and unpermitted moron doing electric work is that code is the problem, you’re just as bad as the “friend” doing work they haven’t a fucking clue what they are doing.
If he was helping as a friend then they are just fishing for some money. Your homeowners/renters insurance will provide legal and coverage. If your dad doesn’t have insurance he’d probably win in court but an attorney will be expensive
Why would homeowners or renters insurance cover unlicensed contractor work done on someone elses home?
If he’s helping the homeowner as a friend, I don’t believe that would constitute contractor work. It’s homeowner DIY.
No an unlicensed contractor unless he’s being paid
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15d
should we get an attorney now
You should get a consultation from one. With so much money at stake you are beyond internet advice.
You could suggest to your father that he contacts the state bar of california to get help finding a local certified lawyer referral service that can help him find an appropriate lawyer.
Get one now get one now get one NOW
Hopefully your dad looked up the law on what's allowed doing your own electrical, gas, or plumbing while not licensed comes with a risk if it fails the insurance company can not cover it since you had someone unlicensed do the work.
Problem here sounds like it caught fire insurance paid out while they investigated why the fire happened looking for who they were gonna sue to recover their cost he told them your dad did the electric for him making him the person they are gonna sue to recover and since you are unlicensed it was probably illegal for him to even do the work.
This will be a lesson to never help anyone with licensed work. Do it only on your own house with the risk that if it fails insurance, may tell you to kick rocks if they figure it out.
Also, on top of electric or gas companies, figure out you did it, they can pull your meter until you have a professional come out and redo it.
At least in my state.
You need a lawyer.
This! With the OP’s Dad helping out as a friend, it’s still the homeowner’s responsibility to validate that everything is in order to ensure safety.
Odds are good that the homeowner paid and supplied the wirings. Your Dad should be able to ignore it until the official court notification.
Do not speak to them and get a lawyer
Do not speak to them and absolutely do not pay. How do you know it was your dads mistake, did the insurance company tell you that? If your dad was just helping out a friend with DIY home repairs I dont see how hes responsible in any way. Its the home owner's responsibility to make sure things are done correctly, not your dads unless he was working in a professional capacity and being paid for it. You may not even need to retain an attorney at this point, as this looks like the insurance company is grasping at straws but I would get a consultation.
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15d
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15d
Um, it’s still the Honeowners fault and liability for not hiring a qualified licensed contractor….your father has no liability here.
This is exactly why you don't do trade work that you're not licensed in. As an electrical contractor I hear about this stuff and I try to warn homeowners about this exact situation.
Your dad could have had every good intention, but look where that landed him. Doing jobs you're not competent in isn't 'helping' anyone.
I really wish your family the best. This message was mostly for others. People doing unlicensed work for profit, but your dad will understand the phrase 'No good deed goes unpunished'
Is the guy and your dad still friends?
Do not agree to anything. Talk to a lawyer.
Prove it was his work..
Bro you need to nuke all of your posts on this, stop talking to the enemy, and get a lawyer. The ins company will dig em up, and they have 110% recorded all of your conversations to use against you later. This is beyond the scope of Reddit help.
Go to a legal aid help clinic that doesn’t charge for their services. Google it or most cities/courts can point you towards one. DO NOT have anymore conversations with their insurance company.
“Low income” but dad was doing work under the table, without the proper licensing or insurance. This is called karma.
Ignore that shit, stop talking to them. Your dad didn’t do any work on that house
Whatever you do, do NOT talk to them. They will record whatever you say and use it against you. Get an attorney and let them deal with them.