Shingle manufacturers tout product warranties that range from 25-50 years. They use impressive-sounding long-term warranties to convince buyers that their shingles are the best and will last the longest. They compete over such features as the length of coverage, algae resistance, wind tolerance, and whether the warranty can be transferred to a new owner. These warranties are often one of shingle manufacturers’ main selling points.

But don’t be taken in by a warranty that sounds too good to be true. Even companies who sell decades-long warranties or lifetime guarantees don’t expect your roof to last longer than twenty years or so. It is said that standard manufacturer’s warranties”aren’t worth the paper they’re written on”.

Shingle warranties only pay homeowners when the shingles are found to have a manufacturer’s defect — an occurrence that is so rare.

Leaky roof

Most roofs that fail during the warranty period do so because they were installed incorrectly. For example, Decra — a California-based shingle manufacturer — often receives calls from homeowners whose roofs failed because their installers used nails instead of the recommended screws in a high-wind area. Since the roofer is more likely to cause a problem than the shingles are, a written guarantee from a reputable local roofer is your best chance of getting a roof problem fixed.

Even if you are one of the rare homeowners whose roof fails due to defective shingles, getting reimbursed for a dozen bad shingles won’t take the edge off the cost of repairing your roof. The shingles are not the most expensive part of any roofing job — the labor is. Shingles account for only about 10-20% of the total cost of a repair job or a new roof. Other materials are needed, such as roofing cement, flashing, nails or screws, and underlayment, but labor is the largest expense by far. A warranty that covers replacement shingles, but not labor, may be worth only a few hundred dollars of the thousands needed to repair or replace your roof.

Speedbumps in the Warranty Process

Although your shingles may be covered by a 30 or 40-year warranty, most of these long-term warranties are prorated after the first few years. They may cover one hundred percent of the replacement cost of defective shingles for five or ten years. But after that, many warranties cover only a dwindling percentage of the cost.

The claims process itself can be another barrier to a successful shingle warranty claim. Each company has a different procedure. Some companies, such as Decra, send a company representative out to inspect your roof. But Decra is unusually helpful. Even if the roof failed because of an installation error and not because of a manufacturing defect, Decra will help homeowners work with their installers to resolve the situation. The company’s customer service department says that in some cases, Decra will even share repair costs with a homeowner if the roofer has gone out of business.

CertainTeed’s warranty procedure is not as customer-friendly. Homeowners can call the company or visit their website for a claim kit. The claim kit requires a daunting list of items, including a completed questionnaire, photographs, and a sample of the damaged shingles.

Even within one company, warranties can differ widely. CertainTeed makes thirty-eight different shingles, each with a different warranty. Some cover materials and labor, while some of their limited warranties don’t even cover replacement shingles.

Unless the shingle warranty covers labor as well as materials, the money you receive from the company may not even cover the cost of paying someone to climb up on your roof to take photos and gather samples of your defective shingles. CertainTeed offers claimants $50 to defray the cost of submitting a claim, whether the claim is successful or not. But other companies don’t reimburse homeowners for these costs.