Roof warranty questions

[leebee]

My sister just told me the roof guys say they need a whole new roof. They had the roof done in 2011 with a warrant that says they have 25 year shingles. How do they get the company to honor this? Is it the roofing company's responsibility or the company that made the shingles that is responsible? My guess is that the shingles should be free but they'll have to pay labor, but I've never been thru this before. Any experience, recommendations, etc.?

 

[Dan Murphy]

Is this the same company that installed the 2011 roof?

 

[comicguy]

I believe the waranty will pay for the Shingles (prorated for usage/time of course, because warranties and insurance work best for themselves! ) I have always figured that a 30 year shingle is good for 25 years before needing replacement and the prorated cost will probably noy be worth the time and effort to get them to honor the last 5 years anyway, JMHO

 

[gottalovepluto]

They need to read the warranty in detail and then if they think the warranty applies (and oh boy are there a million ways around it applying!) contact the company that warrantied it. In general warranties will require you go to the outfit that gave the warranty to do any warrantied work.

No outside service can tell them what is or isn’t warrantied. No outside person can tell you or them what their warranty covers or doesn’t without the exact warranty document.

 

[ronandannette]

Whatever your shingles are rated (15/25 years or whatever), the warranty will be provided by the manufacturer, not the retailer who sold them or the contractor who installed them. The workmanship warranty was likely much shorter and would have been defined in the contract.

A homeowner themselves or any contractor can apply for the manufacturer's warranty, which will likely consist of replacement materials supplied to the value of the warranty to date - it will be a pro-rated number based on the original price of the materials, the age of the product and maybe some other factors. All that will be spelled out. Go to the manufacturer's website. For sure there will be a tab there where you can access all the warranty information and how to access it.

 

[disneychrista]

I just had my roof replaced a few months ago. I was basically told that a 30 year roof will last 20 - 25 years depending on weather conditions. It is not a guarantee that the roof will last X years.

I bought my house in 2009, I was told that the roof had been recently replaced and would be good for 25 years. So I got 16 years.

 

[tvguy]

I think your assumption is right. The manufacturer handles the defective shingle warranty. Labor would likely be not included. However if the company that did the roof 14 years ago is still in business, call them and see what they say. They may not throw in labor for free, but they might offer a discount.
My neighbor put some sort of new shingle on her roof that came with a lifetime warranty. The shingles started delaminating after five years. She was lucky, manufacturer was still in business, had discovered the shingles were not holding up and stopped selling them, They paid for a new roof with a different type shingle, and they paid the labor and permits.

 

[ronandannette]

I think your assumption is right. The manufacturer handles the defective shingle warranty. Labor would likely be not included. However if the company that did the roof 14 years ago is still in business, call them and see what they say. They may not throw in labor for free, but they might offer a discount.
My neighbor put some sort of new shingle on her roof that came with a lifetime warranty. The shingles started delaminating after five years. She was lucky, manufacturer was still in business, had discovered the shingles were not holding up and stopped selling them, They paid for a new roof with a different type shingle, and they paid the labor and permits.

Things like this sometimes do happen with building materials that fail due to design or production errors. The manufacturers know it and will have a standard plan in place to compensate for it. But it’s not quite like, say, a vehicle recall, because they have no way of ever knowing where all the product is or who owns it, so they can’t proactively reach out. Again, the very first thing to do is identify the manufacturer and communicate with them.

 

[kdonnel]

The manufacturer will want to inspect the installation. If they deem the roof was installed incorrectly in 2011, that will impact the warranty claim.

It is likely your sister will be caught in the middle and is in for a fight.

 

[LuvOrlando]

Was there a storm recently that damaged the roof or blew off shingles? We had our roof replaced when we discovered Hurricane Sandy blew off over a hundred shingles from a part of the house not easily visible from the street. I only found out when my neighbor saw me a few weeks later & told me he watched them peeling off the house during the storm and roofers confirmed when they shimmied up. High winds can lift them clear off a house.

 

[sam_gordon]

I was also going to ask, why was the roof inspected? Is it done annually? Was there some storm? Did the roofing company do a blind "let us inspect your roof!" call?

If any reason other than a storm, I'd first get a second opinion on whether the roof does need replaced. If it was a storm, then it should be covered under insurance and they'll send their own inspector out.

As far as the warranty, you need to read the terms of that specific warranty.

 

[disneychrista]

I was also going to ask, why was the roof inspected? Is it done annually? Was there some storm? Did the roofing company do a blind "let us inspect your roof!" call?

If any reason other than a storm, I'd first get a second opinion on whether the roof does need replaced. If it was a storm, then it should be covered under insurance and they'll send their own inspector out.

As far as the warranty, you need to read the terms of that specific warranty.

I can't answer for the OP but my insurance company (AAA) does fly over inspections of insured properties looking for things such as roofs that need repair/replaced or other things that might be neglected or in need of repair. This is why I had to get my roof replaced. They were not going to renew my policy if I didn't.

 

[sam_gordon]

I can't answer for the OP but my insurance company (AAA) does fly over inspections of insured properties looking for things such as roofs that need repair/replaced or other things that might be neglected or in need of repair. This is why I had to get my roof replaced. They were not going to renew my policy if I didn't.

Right, but from the OP... "the roof guys say they need a whole new roof". When a contractor tells you out of the blue you need work, and you didn't ask them first, some red flags go up in my head. Is the work really needed or are they trying to get work? Why I suggested getting a 2nd opinion.

 

[_19disnA]

I agree the context of the 'roof guy' telling you a new roof is necessary needs further explanation. Storm damage may be covered under your homeowner's policy and is different from warranty coverage on defective shingles. Normal aging will cause shingles to deteriorate over time and the specific environmental conditions around your home also matters. Things like a lot of trees surrounding your house meaning it is always in the shade and the dampness/humidity will make the roof age faster.

 

[Dan Murphy]

Is this the same company that installed the 2011 roof?

Right, but from the OP... "the roof guys say they need a whole new roof". When a contractor tells you out of the blue you need work, and you didn't ask them first, some red flags go up in my head. Is the work really needed or are they trying to get work? Why I suggested getting a 2nd opinion.

Yes. Thus my first question, quoted above.