Every new roof carries two separate warranties, from two different companies, covering two different things. Homeowners are routinely told “it comes with a warranty” and never told which one, for how long, or what would void it. This page explains what you should be asking for before you sign anything — with us or with anyone else.
Two warranties, not one
The manufacturer’s warranty comes from whoever made your shingles and covers the materials. The workmanship warranty comes from the contractor who installed them and covers the labour. They are independent. A shingle can be perfect and the installation wrong, and the manufacturer will not pay for that — and the reverse is equally true.
What a manufacturer’s warranty covers
Manufacturer warranties cover defects in the shingle itself: premature granule loss, cracking, blistering or delamination caused by how the product was made. Points worth checking in the document:
- Whether it is prorated. Most standard shingle warranties drop in value year by year, so a “lifetime” warranty may be worth very little by year fifteen.
- Whether it covers labour to replace the defective material, or only the material itself. Many cover material only.
- Whether it is transferable if you sell the house, and how many times.
- Whether an enhanced or system warranty is available, which usually requires the whole roof system — underlayment, starters, ridge, ventilation — to come from that one manufacturer and be installed by a certified contractor.
What a workmanship warranty covers
This is the contractor’s promise that the roof was installed correctly: nails placed and driven properly, flashing detailed correctly, valleys and penetrations sealed, ventilation balanced. If the roof leaks because of how it was put on, this is the warranty that pays. It is also the one that is worth nothing if the company is not around to honour it, so ask how long the contractor has been trading under its current name.
What voids a roofing warranty
- Installing new shingles over existing layers rather than tearing off, on many manufacturer programmes.
- Inadequate attic ventilation — the single most common reason a manufacturer denies a claim.
- Later work by someone else that penetrates the roof: satellite dishes, solar mounts, new vents, cable runs.
- Pressure washing, or walking the roof in hot weather.
- Mixing accessories from another manufacturer into a system warranty.
- Unpermitted work, where a permit was required by your municipality.
Storm damage work and your warranty
Insurance-funded repairs raise their own questions. A partial repair patched into an old roof usually cannot carry a full system warranty, and matching new shingles to a discontinued colour is often impossible — which is exactly why some carriers approve full replacement of a slope rather than a spot repair. If a claim is paying for your roof, ask before work starts what warranty the finished result will carry, and get the answer in writing.
Get your warranty in writing
The specific term lengths, coverage and exclusions that apply to your roof belong in your contract documents, not on a web page. Ask for the manufacturer warranty certificate and the written workmanship warranty as part of your paperwork, and keep both with your closing documents.
Ask us for the warranty documents that would apply to your job, or estimate what a replacement would cost before you start.