The Iowa Insurance Division entered into a Consent Order with Darren Reeves Roofing LLC on December 11, 2024 following the issuance of a cease-and-desist order this past June by the Iowa Insurance Division related to unlicensed public adjusting.
By signing the consent order, Darren Reeves Roofing has agreed to make the necessary changes to stop holding themselves out as public adjusters or providing any public adjuster services on its websites, social media pages, and advertisements. Reeves and his company have also agreed to instruct its agents and employees from taking any direct or indirect role in effecting the settlements of insurance claims in the state of Iowa.
A public adjuster is any person who, for compensation, acts on behalf of an insured, during the investigation, negotiation, or settlement of a first-party claim for loss or damage to real or personal property of the insured. Iowa law requires public adjusters to be licensed. Neither Reeves or Darren Reeves Roofing has ever been licensed as public adjusters in the state of Iowa.
“Iowa’s laws regarding public adjusters are in place to help protect Iowans,” said Chance McElhaney, Chief Operations Officer of the Iowa Department of Insurance and Financial Services. “Unlicensed public adjusters or contractors acting as public adjusters in violation of Iowa Code, can create potentially unreasonable expectations on settlement values or scope of repairs that do not align with the language of the insurance policy which can then cause delays in the claim resolution and add unnecessary expenses to consumers.”
It is important for property owners to know that if a disagreement with their insurance company arises over the cost and scope of repairs, the homeowner and/or a licensed public adjuster, not the contractor doing the work, can negotiate with the insurance company. A contractor may provide information, such as damage reports and repair estimates, to the homeowner and, if asked, to the insurance company, but may not represent or negotiate with the insurance company on behalf of the homeowner.
Darren Reeves Roofing was one of a handful of contractors that were issued Cease and Desist Orders by the Iowa Insurance Division in June that highlighted numerous instances where the company had been soliciting business by presenting itself to potential customers as contracting for repair and providing public adjuster services in the State of Iowa.
Iowans with questions or concerns regarding their insurance policy or claim can file a complaint with the Iowa Insurance Division.