Page 45 - Book1

Claim Your Insurance Lottery Ticket

XX

Types of Warranties
Express Vs. Implied Warranties
Generally, there are two types of warranties: express and implied.
Express warranty is the kind that’s printed “in black and white”. In terms of
roofing products, this is the paperwork provided by the contractor which
explicitly states the coverage, limitations, and the conditions that may void the
warranty coverage.
An implied warranty is more fundamental in nature and doesn’t always
come in written form. According to the Uniform Commercial Code, every
single manufactured product is expected to be fit for its intended use. A
lightbulb, for instance, should produce light when connected to a socket. A
roof should be able to protect your home from most weather conditions if
installed correctly. If it doesn’t, the warranty may have provisions for roof
repairs as a way to correct such issues.
Material Warranties
The material warranty, also referred to as a factory or manufacturer
warranty, basically guarantees the quality of the roofing products. The basic
coverage may vary, but typically it ranges in length from 10 to 30 years. As
the name implies, these warranties are issued by the manufacturer and cover
only defects or failure of the roofing materials due to manufacturing defects or
premature aging. The major problem with these warranties is that they are
extremely narrow in scope, covering only the materials themselves. Given that
most leaks occur at roof-to-wall intersections, flashings and other roof
penetrations, this warranty will have no usefulness unless it can be
determined that the leak was caused by a defect in the manufacture of the
roofing material and not the application thereof. The cure for these warranties
is almost always limited to the prorated value of the material only, and offers
no compensation for the labor necessary to repair the defective materials.
Beware of unscrupulous contractors that submit ​this​ warranty term as a
manufacturer’s guarantee of system longevity; at the end of what is sure to be
a short contractor workmanship guarantee, there will be no further owner
recourse for repair of a leaky roof.
Contractor’s Warranties
Workmanship warranty, also known as installation warranty, covers
issues caused by installation errors. Coverage varies depending on the
contractor, but generally, the more skilled or trained the installers are, the
more extensive the workmanship coverage will be. A contractor may offer
their own form of guarantee, while some manufacturers offer workmanship
coverage as part of their warranty package. Contractor’s workmanship
guarantees are issued by the contractor installing the roof. Typically
contractors keep these warranties short in length, one to five years, but they
cover both instances of defective workmanship as well as defective materials
and are the most valuable warranty to the building owner for direct legal
recourse, if necessary. Special care should be taken to review the
contractor’s workmanship guarantee for inclusions and exclusions. Also the
contractor’s General Liability insurance coverage should be reviewed.

45