Many parts of your home are under a warranty, such as your electronics, manufacturer’s warranty for building materials, or even a warranty offered by a contractor when they perform construction work. Roof warranties are often available to homeowners, and can become transferred when someone new purchases the house.
What is a Warranty?
A warranty is a guarantee that the components, materials, or performed work is protected from defects or failures. It ensures the integrity of the product or work is up to expectations. If a defect or failure occurs that fails under the terms and conditions of the warranty, the component or product is repaired or replaced by the maker of the product or the provider of the service.
Types of Roof Warranties
There are two general types of warranties for roofs: a manufacturer warranty and a contractor warranty. A manufacturer warranty covers products used during the installation, repair, or replacement work, such as windows, doors, siding, shingles, and other materials. A contractor warranty covers the work provided to install the products and materials and that it has been performed to good quality.
Factors to Understand About Warranties
A warranty goes into detail about what is covered under the agreement, who receives the coverage, who will perform repair or replacement work, transferability, and the time limits.
The time limit is the coverage period of how long the warranty will remain in effect. During this coverage period, the warranty will offer a claims process for the homeowner to receive repairs or replacement for defective products.
Coverage details specify who will receive the benefits of the warranty, typically the person who purchased the products or contractor work, and what is covered. Some warranties may only cover the cost of materials, while other contracts cover materials and labor for the tear-out and reinstallation of the product. A contractor warranty may also cover poor installation work, as they may offer to fix the item that has failed or malfunction.
Transferability usually only covers manufacturer’s warranties when the product is transferred from one homeowner to another. A contractor’s warranty is typically nontransferable.
Warranty Terms
Warranties may have terms linked to them, such as limited warranty, lifetime warranty, or limited lifetime warranty. These warranties come with certain restrictions where they will not cover certain aspects of the product or installation.
A limited warranty will restrict coverage to certain factors, such as a specified period for coverage, or disallow certain aspects such as reimbursement of labor costs or normal wear and tear.
Lifetime warranties cover the product for the entire time that the homeowner owns the house. This is commonly seen for roofing materials with a long product lifespan.
Limited lifetime warranties will have some limits to certain defects and time coverage but may also cover other components and materials for their entire lifespan.
Warranties vary based on the manufacturer, product, and contractor. If you have questions regarding your roof warranty, contact the experts at Brandstetter’s KangaRoof.
