Warranties are a common issue in real estate transactions, whether you’re buying or selling a home. Warranties, which cover anything from appliances to flooring coverings, provide the homeowner and the future home buyer peace of mind.
A transferable warranty on your roof might be one of your home’s most valuable possessions.
This page covers what you need, how to transfer a manufacturer’s roofing guarantee, and how much time you have after acquiring a property to finish the procedure.
What Is a Warranty?
Let’s talk about warranties in general before we get into roofing warranties. A warranty, according to Merriam-Webster, is “a guarantee of a product’s integrity and the manufacturer’s obligation to fix or replace faulty items.”
Defective is an important term here. Most warranties only cover defective items, not issues caused by normal wear and use.
Who Warrants Your Roof?
Roof warranties may be provided by the roofing contractor or the manufacturer of the roofing goods.
Workmanship Warranties
Workmanship guarantees, which come from the roofing contractor and usually cover the installation’s caliber, are warranties provided.
Manufacturer Warranties
Manufacturer warranties typically only cover the roofing materials and are predicated on the correct installation methods used by the roofing contractor.
Extended manufacturer warranties, such as Guicho’s Home Improvement Preferred Protection and Platinum Protection Limited Warranties, may sometimes cover contractor work.
This article emphasizes how to transfer a manufacturer’s roofing guarantee since it’s unusual for workmanship warranties provided by the contractor to be transferable.
Understanding Your Roof Warranty
You should look for the following information while reading a roofing warranty document:
Who is covered
Who receives benefits from a warranty should be stated in the guarantee. Normally, the first owner of the shingles or roofing materials would be protected, and if the contract is transferable, a later owner of the shingles or roofing products as well.
What is covered
Here, you may learn more about which individual goods are covered and your other qualifying requirements, such as a professional installation by authorized contractors. Additionally, you’ll discover how a fault is fixed. For instance, are labor expenses associated with removal and replacement covered by the guarantee, or does it solely cover the price of new materials?
Time limits
Pay particular attention to the phrasing since coverage durations may differ depending on the feature (algae resistance, wind resistance, etc.) and component (shingles vs. vents).
What is not covered
Everyday situations specifically excluded from coverage, such as incorrect handling, poor installation, inappropriate roof preparation, and damage from debris impact, are often included in your manufacturer’s warranty.
Transferability
If your warranty may be transferred to the subsequent homeowner, you should discover the specifics in a separate section, but sometimes it’s also noted in the “Who Is Covered” paragraphs.
Claims process
A separate section should be included on how to submit a claim, where to mail it, and how to resolve disputes.
Limited, Lifetime and Limited Lifetime warranties are offered.
When discussing warranties, you may hear the words limited and lifetime. Depending on their use and the warrantor’s intentions, these terms may have multiple meanings. They may also be paired together, as in “limited lifetime.”
Always pay serious attention anytime you encounter these terms in a paper.
What does a limited warranty mean?
Because all warranties include restrictions, they are all “limited.” Time, the source of the issue — such as wear and tear — and forbidden charges, such as labor or specific components, are typical warranty limits.
In essence, a warranty might be restricted by a number of things specified by the manufacturer. Take the time to look through and understand your warranty terms, whether it covers your roofing materials or any other items you have bought.
What does a lifetime warranty mean?
For roofing goods, lifetime guarantees often mean “for as long as the house’s initial owner is the owner. The warranty agreement must
specify the manufacturer’s meaning of “lifetime.”
If you have any questions, contact your roofing contractor or the manufacturer.
What does a limited lifetime warranty mean?
When you combine the two phrases, as in a “limited lifetime” warranty, you usually receive a guarantee with certain product and time coverage limitations.
What does an extended warranty mean?
The manufacturer may provide extended or longer coverage than their basic warranties. Extended warranties are typically more expensive and may only be offered under particular circumstances or for certain items.
Guicho’s Home Improvement, for example, only offers roofing warranties via they exclusively use independent Platinum and Preferred Roofing Contractors from their network.
Certain items.
Are Roofing Warranties Transferable?
As previously indicated, the ability to transfer a roofing warranty to a new owner depends on the warranty contract.
Transferable warranties often contain specific rules that must be fulfilled for the transfer to be successful.
Warranty transfer processes vary by manufacturer and even by product line. The success of a transfer is also determined by whether it is completed within the appropriate period after a residence is sold.
Transferring a Roof Warranty
Some significant elements to consider while making a transfer are:
- Many warranties are only transferrable once. In such an instance, only the second owner of the roofing product is eligible for the roofing guarantee. Subsequent owners will not be able to transfer the warranty.
- Some manufacturers may charge a nominal fee to transfer the warranty to the new homeowner.
- Certain components’ warranty coverage may be limited depending on the age of the roof at the time of the transfer.
To further comprehend a warranty transfer, let’s go through it in a hypothetical situation using Guicho’s Home Improvement. shingle products. Remember that every manufacturer is different. Therefore this example only shows what you would do if you had a warranty from Guicho’s Home Improvement.
Let us begin with selling a single-family detached house to you by its original owner. Congrats! You have taken over as the new owner.
Fortunately, Guicho’s house Improvement was included in purchasing your new house. Shingle products were placed on the roof, each with a Standard Product Limited Warranty.
When transferring a warranty, there are three essential things to know and do:
1. Deadlines. You must submit the relevant papers and transfer request to Guicho’s Home Improvement Roofing within 60 days of the real estate transaction’s completion.
2. Ownership history. You may discover proof of ownership information on a county website or via construction permits. Other eligible papers include:
- a copy of the deed
- They are closing paperwork displaying the names of the previous and new property owners and the date of the property transfer.
Date of installation and evidence of the purchase of the Guicho’s Home Improvement.
The date the shingles were placed is important since the appropriate warranty depends on that date.
Hopefully, the seller maintained their original manufacturer warranty documentation and contractor agreement. If so, you may have to conduct some detective work by contacting the contractor who handled the installation and requesting a contract copy.
The reasoning for the above conditions is simple. This evidence is necessary so that Guicho’s Home Improvement. Can verify that you are the second owner of the shingles or roofing goods, not the third, fourth, or fifth and that their products were utilized on the roof.
How can homeowners help with a warranty transfer?
Maintaining good records may make transferring a warranty relatively straightforward. Register your contract with the manufacturer’s instructions when your roofing job is finished. Then, keep all the essential documents, including a copy of the warranty, in a safe location. This makes the warranty transfer easy for the new homeowner.
What if the seller still needs the warranty documents?
You may still transfer a warranty if you’re buying a property and the prior owner didn’t maintain correct records. First, contact the contractor or supplier to get confirmation of purchase. You’ll also need to supply the month and year the shingles were put.
Pro Tip: If all other choices have been explored, call Guicho’s Home Improvement at (862) 292-9892 to discuss your options. As previously stated, this must be completed within 60 days of the real estate transaction’s completion.
Benefits of Transferable Roofing Warranties
Warranties inform customers that the manufacturer backs up their items. Roofs are one of the most expensive house maintenance expenses, and a good roof may endure or many years, making the investment beneficial.
Suppose your roof is made of long-lasting, dependable Guicho’s Home Improvement. Materials remind potential buyers that a manufacturer’s warranty guarantees roofing materials. The possibility of transferring the roofing warranty might be a selling point.
Pro Tip: When purchasing a property, inquire about the roof and get the necessary papers for a warranty transfer, if available.
Ask Your Roofing Contractor About Warranty Options
Choose an independent roofing contractor from Guicho’s Home Improvement if you need a new roof installed.
Working with a Preferred or Platinum Contractor member entitles you to longer warranties on specific materials and craftsmanship, giving you even more confidence in your investment.