{"id":255,"date":"2012-12-04T14:40:16","date_gmt":"2012-12-04T14:40:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.londonecometal.com\/metal-roofing-ontario-blog\/?p=255"},"modified":"2014-02-20T17:08:12","modified_gmt":"2014-02-20T17:08:12","slug":"roofing-warranties","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.londonecometal.com\/metal-roofing-ontario-blog\/2012\/12\/roofing-warranties\/","title":{"rendered":"Roofing warranties"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cLifetime\u201d shingles and other common myths<\/strong><\/p>\n

By Doug Kerr<\/a><\/p>\n

Residential roof warranties can be confusing, and there is some basic information that homeowners need to know \u2013 and questions to ask a contractor \u2013 before committing to one of the largest renovation expenditures.<\/p>\n

Warranties can be complex, as well as misleading. Installing \u201c30-year shingles\u201d on your roof does not necessarily mean your roof will be replaced or even repaired if there is a problem, even if something happens within as little as 10 years.<\/p>\n

Once you understand how roofing warranties actually work, you won\u2019t get caught up in a sales pitch about warranties and end up not receiving the coverage you believe you paid for.<\/p>\n

There are two parts to the warranty: the materials warranty, which is supplied by the manufacturer, and the labour warranty, which is provided by the installation contractor.
\nMaterials warranty<\/p>\n

Most manufacturers only warranty the product, not the installation. This means that if their product does not perform as it is supposed to, and the manufacturer has determined that it was a materials defect and therefore covered by its warranty, it can do one of two things:<\/p>\n

1. Replace the shingles: In this case, the manufacturer will back its truck up to your house and drop off new shingles. It will be up to you to install them. If you have chosen your roofing contractor well, and he is still in business 10 years after your roof was installed and he has given a long labour warranty, you may be able to convince him to come back and install the shingles at no charge to you.<\/p>\n

2. Payout: Some manufacturers\u2019 warranties don\u2019t replace the shingles, but will pay you money instead. This sounds good until you discover that the amount is pro-rated, which means it decreases proportionally over time. The usual procedure is for the manufacturer to pay the full amount for five years and then prorate amounts after that. This means that if your 30-year roof fails in 15 years, the company may pay you 30 per cent of what you originally paid for the shingles. The price it pays out will probably not be adjusted for inflation.<\/p>\n

Even \u201clifetime warranties\u201d are pro-rated and may not be of much value in 15 to 20 years.<\/p>\n

The last bit of bad news about warranties is that most are \u201cperformance-based,\u201d which means the definition is based on whether the shingle stands up and performs the way it is supposed to perform. The majority of manufacturers base their warranties on \u201cwater infiltration.\u201d So even if the shingle falls apart, the warranty does not apply. It only applies if there is a manufacturing defect and the roof leaks. This means that if all the granules or other protective coverage washes off your shingles, or if they curl and fade, but no water gets into the home, then you don\u2019t have a valid warranty claim.
\nLabour warranty<\/p>\n

Here are some key questions to ask your roofing contractor.<\/p>\n