The weather events over the past six months within the United States, especially in the eastern portion of the country, have placed a lot of stress on roofing systems on all buildings. The combination of heavy winds, extensive rainfall and heavy snow loads has placed stress not only on the roofs but also on the structure of the buildings. This has resulted in the need for homeowners and commercial building owners to seek out repairs to their roof systems.
If you are one of the many who has had to deal with their roof leaking you may be questioning the coverage of the warranty that you have on your roof system. Does the warranty that you were given by your contractor at the close of your project cover you for the damages to the roof system caused by these weather events? Do you have a warranty claim with the roofing manufacturer?
If you have damages to your roof system that require a repair or, possibly, a full replacement, I highly suggest that you review the documentation that was provided to you at the end of your project. Each manufacturer has different warranty language and coverages that they issue based on the product that is installed (e.g. shingle type, underlayment) and the contractor who completed the installation. In addition there may be provisions on the warranty that exclude extreme weather events (e.g. wind speed limits, etc.). You will also want to review the contractor warranty, if any, that was provided as part of installation contract signed at the beginning of the project.
If your asphalt shingle roof system or other roof systems were damaged and repairs were required immediately to minimize damages to the structure, it is highly recommended that you document the conditions by taking photographs of the loss. This will allow you to submit the warranty claim to the manufacturer and show the extent of the damages that occurred as a result of the loss.
Have you experienced any problems with manufacturers honoring their warranties as a result of storm damage?
Photo © Infrogmation of New Orleans (Photo by Infrogmation of New Orleans) [GFDL, CC-BY-SA-2.0, CC-BY-SA-2.5 or CC-BY-SA-3.0], via Wikimedia Commons. Hurricane Isaac Damaged Roof.
Photo © www.istockphoto.com/arenacreative. Damaged Roof Shingles Repair.