How does a roof warranty work?

Jan 26, 2022 | Education

If you’re a homeowner, you probably hear the word “warranty” a lot. This is because most components to your house, as well as other devices and appliances you may use, carry some safety nets for you in the sense that if something goes wrong with them, you can either get it fixed or replaced without having to pay the cost of a completely new device. Depending on the product, your coverage will last for a certain amount of time.

The roof of your house is no different in that it comes with a warranty- and if you live in an area that frequently gets battered by strong storms, you’re likely going to need it. However, assuming your house’s roof is made of shingles, it’s slightly more complicated than simply being covered for a pre-determined amount of time.

The 50 year limited lifetime warranty

Most, although not all, shingles in the market come with a 50 year limited lifetime warranty when using their preferred contractors. The reasoning behind this is simple enough: by using their preferred contractors- in other words, the people that they work with on a regular basis- you are rewarded by being provided 100% coverage on the material for half a century. Among the standard things that are covered are defective materials, recalls on the products, or anything else that may be wrong with them out of the box.

The premium warranty

However, there is a second primary type of coverage: the premium warranty, which as its name suggests, covers more than just standard problems with the shingles. The premium warranty covers the labor and waterproofing coverage for somewhere between ten and twenty years, depending on the systems that you purchased. After that predetermined period of time, the warranty begins to pro-rate. Meaning, if you signed up for ten years of the premium warranty, and then were to file a claim twenty years after the coverage began, you’d only get approximately 60% coverage. (Note: this is all assuming you are the original owner of the house.)

Different warranties provide different coverages

There’s a good reason that many homeowners opt to purchase both the 50-year limited lifetime warranty and the premium warranty: because they work together, not in competition with each other, to provide you with the widest net of coverage possible. For example, if you were to buy a product for Lowe’s or Home Depot, you can register it for a warranty. In fact, anything from the factory that’s defective, you have a warranty on it. Water damage, on the other hand, is usually not covered. By hiring a preferred contractor, you get a second warranty. This is called a premium warranty that covers the labor, waterproofing, or anything that goes wrong with the installation. Usually, this period of time lasts for somewhere between ten and twenty years, depending on if you got an extended warranty. This covers you 100% through the period. The second bonus of using the preferred contractor, after the premium coverage, is that you have waterproofing coverage that begins to prorate after the agreed-upon period.

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