How to transfer a roof warranty
A transferable roof warranty is great when you're selling your home, but how do you transfer one? Here's what you need to know.
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When you purchase a new roof or pay for extensive repairs , it usually requires a chunk of change. A roof warranty protects your investment, giving you peace of mind in case the materials fail or an issue with the workmanship arises.
If you decide to sell your home, prospective buyers may have questions about the various warranties on appliances, systems and the roof. A warranty you can transfer to the new owner is a major selling point. Fortunately, the steps to transfer a roofing warranty to a new homeowner aren't complicated at all.
What types of roof warranties are there?
Warranties are issued by two different entities: the contractor who installed your roof and the manufacturer of the roofing materials.
A workmanship warranty covers the quality of work done to tear off your old roof and replace it with a new one. A manufacturer's warranty typically only covers the materials and assumes the roofing contractor knew what it was doing and followed proper steps and recommended guidelines during the installation process. If a defect occurred during the shingles' manufacturing process, the warranty will cover their replacement. Occasionally, a roofing company may offer an extended manufacturer's warranty that also covers workmanship.
According to Owens Corning , you generally can't transfer a workmanship warranty to a new homeowner, but you can transfer a manufacturer's warranty. For more, read our guide to the types of roof warranties .
Understanding the warranty
A shot of a residential roof in the middle of being replaced
When you have a new roof installed, your contractor typically handles the initial paperwork and sends information to the roofing material manufacturer to register your warranty, Shawn Mery, owner of Heritage Builders, LLC in Little Silver, N.J., told Yahoo Local.
Gunnar Smith, owner of Valley Peak Roofing in Bethlehem, Penn., told us roofers are the main point of contact because they must be certified to ensure a roof was installed correctly. "Manufacturers require contractors to be certified for offering extended warranties, and as part of the certification, they're set up to do the warranty registration for their customers."
A manufacturer's warranty has several sections:
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Who's protected:This is usually the person who purchased the roof. This section will specify whether the warranty is transferable.
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What's covered:This section will include a detailed list of products covered and the rules you must follow — like ensuring that an approved contractor installs everything correctly — and specifies what the manufacturer will do to remedy a defect. For example, the company may only provide new materials or also help pay for replacing the damaged items, said Jim Quezada, project manager & co-owner of 3 Days Later Roofing & Renovations in Allentown, Penn.
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What's not covered:The warranty should outline scenarios exempt from coverage, like contractor mistakes during installation, damage caused by objects hitting your roof, or material mishandling.
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Coverage length:Different parts of your roof (vents versus shingles) or features (how well your roof resists high winds or algae growth) may have different time limits
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Transferability:The warranty may also include this section, which specifies the steps you must take to make the transfer.
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Claims process:This section enumerates what you must do to file a claim, including where to send it and how to handle disputes.
How often can you transfer a warranty?
Typically, a manufacturer's warranty can be transferred one time, said Smith. "The manufacturer needs to know who owns the home and will ask for proof of residency or the sale, which you can provide with a copy of the deed or the closing documents with the seller's and buyer's names and date of the sale."
Does it cost anything to transfer a warranty?
There is usually an administrative cost associated with transferring a warranty, Smith told us. The average is $100, although it depends on the supplier. Quezada said some brands can charge up to $300.
What's the timeline to register a warranty with the new homeowner?
In general, new homeowners must register their purchase with the manufacturer within 60 days to transfer the roof warranty, Quezada said. The warranty stays with the address for its length.
Is warranty coverage reduced by a roof's age?
A contractor removes old shingles on a roof
"A materials warranty lasts as long as the original term," Quezada told Yahoo Local. "If you had a 30-year warranty and discover an issue after 18 years, and the adjuster agrees it's a material problem, the warranty should cover the replacement."
Smith said to remember that when you buy a home and the roof warranty is transferred to you, the coverage you receive is the difference between when the roof was installed and the date of transfer. So, a 30-year warranty transferred 10 years post-installation still has 20 years of protection left.
Who should register the warranty transfer?
If you know the name of the company that installed the roof, you can ask them to make the transfer, said Mery, the Heritage Builders owner. You can also call the number on the warranty to make the transfer yourself.
A caveat, cautioned Quezada, is that some brands require contractors to hold specific certifications to offer a warranty. If that's the case with your roof, you (or the previous homeowner) will need to ask the contractor to initiate the transfer for you.
What happens if I don't have the original paperwork?
Close-up view of new shingles installed near a roof dormer
When you have a new roof installed, keep the warranty and associated paperwork from the contractor somewhere safe so it's handy when you sell your home. If you bought a house and the seller didn't have the warranty information, you can call the roofing contractor to request a copy.
The manufacturer and contractor will have the installation date and proof of purchase on file, Smith said. "The warranty is always registered to the property address and homeowner, and that information doesn't go away. As long as you know the brand of shingle, you can call and request the transfer."
