Understanding Your Roofing Warranty

Your roof comes with a lifetime warranty. That’s great, right? Maybe. What some homeowners don’t realize is that lifetime can mean different things when it comes to warranty coverage, and failing to understand the fine print has left some disappointed.

What Does “Lifetime” Mean

It’s understandable why you’d think you were covered forever if you see the word lifetime, but that’s not always the case. Possible meanings include:

• Expected Life of the Product

• Lifetime of the Original Purchaser

• Reasonable Life of the Product as Specified in the Warranty

• Life of the Installer

• Terms Specified in Contract

If you’re thinking that could mean just about anything, you’re right. That’s why it’s so important to make sure you understand the terms of your warranty.

Other Common Warranty Terms

Now that you have an idea of all the different things “lifetime” can mean, let’s take a look at the meanings of some other common warranty terms.

Limited Lifetime Warranty Typically, this means that terms are limited by what is listed in the fine print of the contract. Is it a true lifetime warranty? Sometimes. As with a lifetime warranty, it all comes down to the terms of your specific warranty. You could put two limited lifetime warranties side by side and find that they provide very different coverage.

Prorated vs Non-Prorated A prorated warranty offers less coverage as time goes by while a non-prorated warranty offers full coverage for the entire length of the warranty.

Here’s an example:

Two homeowners installed a new roof on the same day. Homeowners 1’s roof was covered by a prorated warranty, and homeowner 2’s roof was covered by a non-prorated warranty.

Five years later, both have a covered $3,000 repair. Homeowner 2 will have the entire $3,000 covered, but homeowner 1’s repair will only be partially covered, as the coverage is reduced by a percentage each year.

Transferable vs Non-Transferable Transferable means that you’re able to transfer the warranty to the buyer should you sell your home. The warranty may be transferable for the full length of the warranty or for a set term. A non-transferable warranty is only good for as long as the original purchaser of the roof owns the home.

When selling, the age of the roof is a big factor that adds or detracts value from the home. If you’re able to transfer your roof warranty to the buyer, that is a big plus that will give them peace of mind.

What Does All of This Mean to You?

It means you should be less worried about what a warranty is called and more concerned about what’s written in the terms of the warranty contract.

Integrity Roofing installs premium GAF roofing products that are backed by some of the best warranties in the business. Various terms are available with up to 50 years of coverage.

We take the time to fully explain all of your options, so you’ll have no question about what your warranty includes. That’s the Integrity way, and it’s one example of how we put our customers first and strive to earn 100% customer satisfaction on every job.

Have questions about warranty coverage? Contact our Norfolk and Virginia Beach-area roofing professionals today. Give Integrity Roofing a call at 1-757-500-8568 or click the Get a Quote button below to get started.

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