Warranty Expiration Dates

What do you really know about your roof warranties? There may be separate warranties issued for various materials and the installing contractor may have also guaranteed workmanship. Each will expire at some point and there are things you should do to preserve your protections.

1.  Review the documents and assure they were properly executed. If, for example the papers were never signed and returned to the manufacture, you probably don’t have a warranty.

2.  Be aware of your responsibilities. Failure to properly maintain the system could void warranties.

3.  Properly notify all involved parties (manufacturers, contractor, etc.) of problems within the 10 to 30 days typically required.

4.  Be sure that repairs are made using approved materials and contractors certified by the manufacturer. Unapproved materials and repairs may void coverage, at least in the areas affected by repairs.

5.  Have a knowledgeable person evaluate the roof covering periodically and within six months to one year in advance of warranty expiration dates. There may be conditions that could be corrected at no cost before coverage lapses.

Some warranties can be extended or renewed for additional cost; however it may not always be advantageous to do so. The manufacturer could impose maintenance or rehabilitative requirements that are unreasonable when compared with the value of the coverage. Spending $100,000 to get a five-year warranty extension on a $200,000 roof might not be the best use of the money.