Like most guarantees, a roofing warranty is full of fine print, exclusions, and conditions that are confusing to everyday people. This legal jargon limits the situations in which you are covered and creates loopholes that could leave you with a hefty bill if your shingles fail.
Before you invest in a new roof, it is important to understand the warranty and the costs you could owe out of pocket for replacement. We cut through the fine print to help you understand what to look for – and what to avoid – when choosing a roof and its accompanying warranty.
Exclusions: What’s NOT Covered
Exclusions in a roofing warranty define the situations in which the warranty won’t apply. In other words, these are the situations in which you’ll be responsible for covering the replacement cost.
Almost all warranties have exclusions, and some are perfectly reasonable. For example, if a roofer installs the shingles incorrectly and the roof fails, the manufacturer isn’t responsible. That’s a workmanship issue, and it falls under the contractor’s guarantee.
However, other exclusions reduce coverage for things you’d reasonably expect to be covered. On the Gulf Coast, in particular, wind damage is a major concern. Shingles with high wind ratings are desirable, but some of the warranties for these products exclude damage caused by hurricanes or even just “named storms.”
Named storms are identified when their winds reach just 39 mph, and hurricanes are named when winds reach 74 mph. This means you could have 160-mph-rated shingles that, due to a clever “named storm” exclusion, are only effectively covered up to 39 mph.
Watch out for warranties with excessive exclusions, especially for wind. Keep in mind that a great warranty doesn’t exclude damage from a storm simply because it is named. Instead, the manufacturer should stand behind their wind resistance ratings, providing full coverage against winds caused by any source.
Coverage: What IS Covered
There are many costs associated with replacing a roof that has defective materials. You’ll need new shingles, tear-off services, disposal, and labor to install the new roof. The coverage for each of these costs can vary depending on the warranty.
The main type of warranty you’ll want to avoid is “materials only” coverage. This means the manufacturer will only cover the cost of the replacement shingles, and you’re still on the hook for the tear-off, disposal, and labor. That’s why it’s critical to choose roofing materials with a warranty that covers the entire replacement cost. Then, you’ll be able to rest easy knowing that you’re fully covered if your shingles are defective.
Prorated Vs. Non-Prorated Coverage
When you hear “10-year warranty,” you naturally assume that you’re covered for the full decade. However, some warranties are prorated, which means the value of the coverage declines over time.
With a prorated warranty, the manufacturer might only reimburse you for a portion of the original roofing cost if you have a claim a few years after installation. Manufacturing defects can take a while to show, which means you might not discover an issue until your warranty has already lost a significant amount of its value.
A prorated warranty leaves you to pay the remaining balance to replace your defective roof. If this provision is combined with materials-only coverage, you could owe tens of thousands to replace a faulty roof.
Non-prorated warranties are the vastly superior option. They provide the same amount of coverage if a defect arises in 1 year or 9 years and 11 months. So again, when you select roofing materials, it is of the utmost importance to ensure the warranty covers the full cost of replacement.
Avoid A Lengthy Claim Process
Some manufacturers have a reputation for a lengthy, complicated claims process. They’ve worked delays into every stage of the process to delay or even avoid payments. This process often includes submitting an initial claim, sending a shingle sample for evaluation, waiting for an inspector to visit, then waiting again for payment to arrive.
With some shingle manufacturers, each of these steps can take weeks – leaving you with a leaking roof for months or forcing you to cover the repairs while you wait for reimbursement. At worst, these delays could push you outside the warranty timeframe entirely and leave you on the hook for the full cost.
You generally won’t find the claims process spelled out in the fine print. However, an experienced roofer can help you identify companies with cumbersome claims processes – and avoid their products.
The Best Shingle Warranties Protect Against Streaks
Unsightly black streaks on a roof are a problem, especially in humid climates. These streaks are caused by algae, mold, and mildew. Fortunately, modern roofing material manufacturers have addressed this issue with special granules that include copper – a natural fungicide.
The best roofing materials will include this feature and guarantee its success with a specialized warranty. You can even find shingles that guarantee freedom for streaks up to 50 years. For example, CertainTeed provides their StreakFighter® Warranty against contamination from blue-green algae during the first 10 or 15 years (depending on the product).
Why We Choose CertainTeed Shingles
At Complete Roofing, we’ve built our reputation on quality and trust. That’s why we only work with CertainTeed shingles. In our experience, these are the highest quality shingles that are produced by a manufacturer who stands behind their product.
CertainTeed is the only manufacturer who offers a warranty covering the total cost of a roof replacement due to manufacturer defect. That means tear-off, disposal, labor, and materials are all included.
Further, CertainTeed warranties are not prorated, so you get full coverage for the entire life of the warranty. Finally, and most importantly for the Gulf Coast, they do not exclude hurricanes from warranties. Instead, they stand behind their products with wind coverage you can count on.
The Most Important Guarantee is Quality Installation. Get It from Complete Roofing.
No matter how great a manufacturer’s warranty is, it can’t protect you from shoddy workmanship. For that peace of mind, you need Complete Roofing, because we are dedicated to installing roofs to the manufacturer’s exact specifications. This not only gives you a durable, beautiful roof but also ensures you get full protection from your manufacturer warranty.
Our teams are extensively trained to follow installation specifications to the letter, and we pride ourselves on expert installation every time. It’s just one way we give our customers peace of mind and long-lasting results.
To get your new roof with quality installation and a comprehensive warranty, use the contact information below to contact a roofer in your area.
Installation and Repair Services for Roofs and Gutters are available in the following locations:
- Coastal Alabama Main Office with local agents in:
- Coastal Mississippi Main Office with local agents in:
- Greater New Orleans Main Office with a local agent in: