T&S Roofing Systems

Official Site: www.tsroofingsystems.com

T&S Roofing Systems responds to www.homeownersbeware.net

Official website: www.tsroofingsystems.com

Updated 10/13/2010

The creator of homeownersbeware.net, an online blog created specifically and solely for the purpose of staining the reputation of Miami-based T&S Roofing Systems, Inc., is a veterinarian affiliated with Miami Veterinary Specialists, an animal hospital located at 8601 Sunset Drive, Miami, FL 33143. Mr. Larin has been sued at least two times, according to public records, in

RUIZ, MAITE A vs. MIAMI VETERINARY SPECIALISTS, Case # 2003-23888-CA-01
and
SPARKS, LARA (DVM) vs, MIAMI VETERINARY SPECIALISTS Case # 2006-7235-CA-01,

and has a criminal offense history that includes an arrest in New York City according to public records.

In June 2005, following Hurricane Wilma, Mr. Larin asked T&S for an estimate for a metal roof. However, at that time T&S Roofing Systems did not install metal roofs. When he could not find another roofer to install a metal roof during the hurricane Wilma recovery period, Mr. Larin decided to retain T&S to install a shingle roof instead.

During T & S’s initial inspection of his property, Mr. Larin refused to allow the estimator to enter the house to examine the interior of the dwelling to determine whether there had been any interior damage due to roof leakage. When asked if there were any open beam ceiling areas, Mr. Larin specifically said there were none. However, when the job was started, some of the nails used to fasten the first layer of roofing paper to the roof decking protruded through the same open- beamed areas of the house that Mr. Larin had previously assured T & S did not exist. As must be expected under these conditions, dust and debris fell on the areas underneath the open beams.

T & S installed a waterproof layer of roofing paper on the entire roof immediately after removing the old roof, so it would have been impossible for water to have entered the house. However, the very next day after the waterproofing layer had been installed, Mr. Larin called T & S to report that the roof had leaked. When a project manager met him at his house that same afternoon, he was shocked to see that the entire house was wet. Under the circumstances, and given Mr. Larin’s dishonesty, T& S has no doubt that he intentionally sprayed water all over the house, so as to add to the mess caused by the falling dust from the open beam ceiling. By the time T & S’s owner met with Mr. Larin shortly after the alleged water intrusion incident, there was no longer any visible water or dust in the home, and the only issue remaining was simply nails protruding through the open-beamed ceiling. He told Mr. Larin that T&S would repair the damaged boards and continue its’ work without delay. During that visit, the company’s owner closely examined the rest of the house and there were no signs of water damage to any walls, cabinets, flooring or furniture.

No repairs to the property were needed other than replacement of the damaged boards in the ceiling. It was explained to Mr. Larin that it would not be difficult to remove the roofing material and the damaged wood boards, install new boards and new roofing material and install the shingles. Removal of the ceiling boards was less than a day’s work, at a cost to T & S of $2,000, which it was willing to absorb regardless of Mr. Larin’s intentional prevarication regarding the existence of the open ceiling when he was specifically asked about it before the job commenced. The total amount of time needed to repair the damaged portion of the ceiling and complete the job, including the shingle installation, was less than 3 days.

Mr. Larin was not satisfied with T & S’s good faith offer and refused to allow T&S to proceed with replacement of the boards and installation of the shingle. Instead, he insisted that T & S apply a hot asphalt layer of roofing felt so that the roof could remain unfinished until the rainy season was over (approximately 5 months later). Mr. Larin was warned that applying a hot asphalt layer of paper not only was unnecessary on a shingle roof, but that such an installation would put the house at risk of hot asphalt entering the home the same way the dust had entered it earlier. However, Mr. Larin was obstinate and demanded that T & S install the hot asphalt and felt and wait until the end of rainy season to finish the roof.

Prior to complying with Mr. Larin’s unreasonable demand, T & S advised him that he would need to protect any valuable items in the house due to the risk of asphalt intrusion. However, Mr. Larin refused to take any precautionary measures, and as expected, asphalt dripped down into 3 different areas in the house. (These are the asphalt drops depicted on a rug, a pair of shoes, and a couch on his blog.)

In December, 2005, after the rainy season had ended and per Mr. Larin’s request, the owner of the company called Mr. Larin to determine if he was ready to have the roof completed. Instead of authorizing the work to proceed, however, Mr. Larin commenced a tirade of irrational attacks and abusive language that completely caught him off guard. Mr. Larin stated that during the 5 month hiatus, he had hired a public insurance adjuster to inspect the home for possible damage resulting from T & S’s work. The public adjuster, who had every reason to maximize the claim as his commission is a percentage of what he obtains for the property owner, had estimated approximately $200,000 worth of damage that included flooring, replacement of walls, kitchen cabinets and other areas of the house that were not even worked on. His estimate was ludicrous in light of the fact that the 1300 square foot residence was a simple wood frame structure and complete demolition and replacement would not exceed $100,000!

Most of the damage reflected on the public adjuster’s report was caused by water intrusion unrelated to T&S’s work. In addition, T & S has learned that Mr. Larin had already hired another company to install a metal roof on his house, getting a bargain in the process because T&S had already done a large part of the work. When the company owner openly questioned Mr. Larin’s dishonest intentions, Mr. Larin abruptly and rudely concluded their conversation and commenced a rampage of attacks against T&S, including filing a claim with the better business bureau, commencing an investigation by the Department of Business and Professional Regulation and refusing to accept the Department’s determination that no wrongdoing had been committed by T & S, writing letters to Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Alvarez, the Miami-Dade County Building Department and Florida Governor Charlie Crist. Notably, during the 5 months that Mr. Larin induced T & S to wait (ostensibly for the rainy season to end), Mr. Larin had not voiced any dissatisfaction with T & S’s work. It was not until his motives were questioned that he revealed his true intentions.

As a result of Mr. Larin’s actions, T&S was required to respond to the Better Business Bureau (after an investigation, its’ file was closed), attend a Probable Cause Hearing before the Dade County Code Compliance Board (no probable cause was found after a thorough investigation) and to attend a State of Florida Construction Licensing Board hearing (which also concluded with a finding of no evidence to support Mr. Larin’s allegations of wrongdoing). In fact, just one month after the Licensing Board determined that Mr. Larin’s accusations were unsupported and unworthy of belief (and despite the temporary impediment created by Mr. Larin’s specious accusations) , T&S was issued a Florida general contractor’s license, thus attesting to our competence as a contractor.

For the past 4 years, Mr. Larin has pursued litigation, written defamatory letters and otherwise done everything within his power to “put T&S Roofing Systems out of business” as he puts it. After his efforts to destroy T&S’s business relationships, Mr. Larin created www.homeownersbeware.net , a site that contains false claims about the matter and exposes Mr. Larin’s evil intentions and irrational behavior. T&S has responded via the court system and intends to obtain compensation for his intentional, defamatory acts. The damage caused by his willful, malicious prevarications is supported by numerous homeowners who have frankly advised T&S that they would have contracted with T & S but for concerns resulting from Mr. Larin’s website.

At the time T&S contracted with Mr. Larin, it was a small company owned by a young and relatively naïve businessman. Mr. Larin is obviously a skilled manipulator and schemer, and even a more-seasoned and wary businessman could have fallen prey to his cleverly-concealed effort to obtain not only a free roof, but an entire home remodeling. The situation created by Mr. Larin has also afforded him a way to vent anger resulting from the effect of his pathological personality on his personal and professional lives. T & S views Alvaro Larin as a threat to the community, as demonstrated by his actions in this matter, which call into question his fitness to practice veterinary medicine as well.

Since 2004, T & S has established a reputation for reliability, professionalism and quality work. In 2007 and 2008, T&S was issued more residential roofing permits in Miami-Dade County than any other roofer, per Building Department records. Since 2006, T & S had been the number one account of local materials supplier Bradco Supply, which services over 200 local roofing companies. In 2007, T&S was ranked #157 out of 500 remodeling companies nationwide by Qualified Remodeler Magazine and in 2008 was named to the HB500 list in Hispanic Business Magazine. T&S has also been nominated for Subcontractor of The Year by the Developers’ and Builders’ Alliance, and the company owner was nominated for CEO of The Year 2009 in the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce for his continued leadership and dedication to serving the community.

T&S Roofing Systems continues to be the leading roofing company in the Dade County area, dominating specific municipalities including Coral Gables, Pinecrest and Palmetto Bay while serving the entire Dade and Broward Counties. T&S is one of the 5% of roofing companies in Miami that are bonded to perform government projects and commercial work.

It is unfortunate that our company has been unfairly attacked by Alvaro Larin and his web site. Although Mr. Larin and his blog are obviously negative and have caused the countless hours of wasted time, lost revenues and out-of-pocket expenses such as attorneys’ fees, we have learned from this experience and will emerge stronger and wiser. T & S remains committed to a superior level of competence, skill and customer satisfaction and long after Mr. Larin has achieved the level of obscurity he so richly deserves, T & S will continue to enhance, rather than detract, from the lives of its’ customers and the community as a whole.

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