A Greenburgh couple who paid $11,900 for a new roof in 2018 is suing the roofer for $164,000 for alleged negligence six years later.
Parisa Assassi and Parsa Mirhaji accused Pleasantville contractor Perry Verrone of breach of contract, in a complaint filed on Oct. 14 in Westchester Supreme Court.
“There are now mice and insects entering the house through the gap in the gutters,” the complaint states, “damage to the attic including mold, damage to the kitchen and … damage to the ceilings and floors of the office basement area.”
But the damages might have nothing to do with the roofer’s work, Bedford Hills defense attorney Stephen M. Smith said in a brief telephone interview. And if the damages can be definitely attributed to the roofing job, “my client will make good on it, whether insurance covers it or not. But he’s not going to pay for someone else’s [bad] workmanship.”
The couple’s contemporary colonial house is on Thomas Lane, in the Greenville neighborhood near Edgemont High School. They bought the property in 2012 for $727,000. According to the Zillow online real estate site, it is worth about $2.1 million today.
Perry’s Roofing was founded in 2008, according to a state registration record. Verrone said during the interview with his lawyer that he has installed more than 10,000 roofs, and he takes pride in his reputation for good work.
The 2018 contract called for removing asphalt shingles and rotted plywood. Ice and snow barriers, copper chimney flashing, seamless gutters and architectural style shingles were to be installed.
In 2020, the complaint states, the couple discovered problems. Copper flashing was missing and parts of the roof had no ice or snow barriers. The attic and walls were damaged.
After Perry’s Roofing remediated mold and fixed damages in the basement, family room and attic, the leaks were less severe, according to the complaint. But during heavy rains, water still infiltrated the house and accumulated under floors.
The roofer allegedly blamed the problems on leaks in a bathroom, sump pumps, cracks in the foundation or cracks in the walls.
Contractors hired by Assassi and Mirhaji did not find those defects, according to the complaint.
More problems were discovered this past March. Perry’s Roofing inspected the property and found damages caused by leaks, the complaint states, and offered to fix everything. Assassi and Mirhaji hired an inspector who confirmed the roofer’s findings and more.
A splash block above the front door was missing, for example, waterproof seals were inadequate, mold permeated parts of the house.
Perry’s Roofing agreed to fix the problems at no cost to the homeowners, according to the complaint. But Assassi and Mirhaji claim that the roofer has failed to act for six months and “had no intention of completing the remediation efforts.”
Smith said he and Verrone have been working feverishly to resolve the dispute But some of the problems in the old house might have nothing to do with the roofing job, he said, and they just want to make sure.
“I’m dumbfounded, Verrone said. “I have an excellent reputation and I’m defending a story. I can’t believe it.”
