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2017WARRANTIESGuide To Com m er cial Roof War r anties

2SENTRY ROOF SERVICES WARRANTIESGui de To Com m erci al RoofWarranti esYour commercial roof serves a critical role inprotecting your property. It?s also a significantinvestment ? so you need to think about your roofwarranties as financial assets. The more thewarranties cover, the more valuable they are.Warranty terms, dates, remedies, and responsibilities can allvarying depending on the materials manufacturers andcontractors. As with any other contract, each party hasobligations, including you as the property owner or manager.Com m er cial r oof in g w ar r an t ies is a big t opic ? t h is gu idecover s com m er cial w ar r an t y pr odu ct t ypes, w h o?sr espon sible f or w h at , dif f er en ces bet w een t ypes of r epair s,an d som e com m on w ays you can in adver t en t ly void you rw ar r an t ies.

Gu ide t o Com m er cial Roof War r an t iesUNDERSTANDING WARRANTIESCommercial roof warranties are legal relationships betweenroofing materials manufacturers, roofing contractors andproperty owners. They guarantee the roof will performaccording to the defined specifications for the stated period oftime, and they spell out the remedies if the roof doesn?tperform. Warranties vary in length of term and total coverage. Abuilding?s size or its occupancy status have no impact when itcomes to the terms of a commercial roof warranty ? it's allabout the roofing system.Types of War r an t iesThere are two main categories of warranties ? warranties frommanufacturers and warranties from contractors (installers). As aproperty owner or property manager, you need one of each.The terms of each warranty should weigh into yourdecision-making process about which materials to use and whowill install them. A reputable contractor will help you weigh youroptions.3

4SENTRY ROOF SERVICES WARRANTIESManufacturer WarrantiesThe terms of eachwarranty shouldwei gh i nto yourdeci si on-mak i ngprocess aboutwhi ch materi alsto use and whowi ll i nstall them.1. M an u f act u r er ?s NDL (No Dollar Lim it ) War r an t yA Manufacturer ?s NDL Warranty states that the manufacturerwill fully cover its defective products or failure of its productsunder proper use during the warranty period regardless of thecost to replace the defective materials. If it costs more the fix aproblem than it originally cost to install the roof, the problem isstill covered. The most common materials failures are due tomanufacturing defects or premature aging.Only materials that you purchase directly from themanufacturer are covered. If your roof is leaking due to roofdamage or protrusions in the roofing system, such as exhaustvents, a Manufacturer ?s NDL Warranty won?t cover the problem.It also typically won?t cover labor costs to repair or replacedefective materials. Still, a Manufacturer ?s NDL Warranty is thetop of the line warranty a manufacturer will provide, and thereis often an additional fee for it.2. M an u f act u r er ?s M at er ials War r an t yThis type of commercial roof warranty guarantees that themanufacturer ?s products won?t fail within a certain period oftime ? such as 10 years, 20 years or 30 years. There is usuallyno fee for a Manufacturer ?s Materials Warranty. Keep in mindthat materials a roofing contractor uses that are not provideddirectly by the manufacturer are not covered by thismanufacturer ?s warranty. However, depending on themanufacturer, certain types of defective workmanship may becovered.3. M an u f act u r er ?s Labor an d M at er ial War r an t yThis limited type of warranty covers defects in materials andlabor up to a certain dollar limit. Here?s where the size of yourroof comes into play ? if you have a large roof you can reachyour covered limit rather quickly. This type of warranty is alsooften prorated so the coverage limit for repairing or replacingdefective components declines over time.

Gu ide t o Com m er cial Roof War r an t ies4. M an u f act u r er ?s Roof Syst em War r an t yThis type of warranty is often referred to as a ?membrane only?warranty because it only applies to the membrane of theroofing system. This warranty isn?t comprehensive and doesn?tcover problems with the insulation or decking, for example. Itcan have a ?limited? or ?no dollar limit?, which can improve itsvalue and cover roof leaks resulting from defective labor ormaterials other than the roof membrane, but it?s the most basicwarranty that manufacturers offer.5

6SENTRY ROOF SERVICES WARRANTIESRoofing Contractor WarrantiesWhen it comes to your roofing contractor (installer) warranty,it?s the workmanship that?s covered. You can use the greatestroofing products in the world but if the installation is not thegreatest, you can still get leaks. Your Roofing ContractorWarranty covers the work performed to install themanufacturer ?s products, plus the products the contractor usesto install the roof.Most roofing labor warranties don?t exceed five years and someare as short as one year. The length of time a contractor willcover is a negotiating point ? and indication of how confidentyour contractor is in their skills and the materials. A longerwarranty can be a very valuable financial asset.Sm all pr in t caveat : w ar r an t ies t en d t o bew r it t en t o f avor t h e par t ies of f er in g t h emAt first glance, commercial roof warranties may seem to favoryou, the property owner or manager, but the opposite is oftentrue. Warranties are typically created by attorneys to protect thefinancial interests of the manufacturers and roof installerswithout getting in the way of a sale. The exclusions may soundreasonable and the customer service features may soundimpressive, but what is the warranty really worth as an asset?As with any contract, read the small print. Better yet, have yourlawyer read the small print if you don?t have a lot of experiencewith commercial roof warranties or if your roof is expensive.

Gu ide t o Com m er cial Roof War r an t ies7Wh at a com m er cial r oof w ar r an t y is n ot :in su r an ceSometimes property owners and managers assume thatcommercial roof warranties cover anything that goes wrongwith the roof. They do not. That?s why you also need to havean insurance policy that covers damage to the roof. If a treefalls on your roof, no warranty will cover the costs to fix thatproblem. Property insurance covers accidental damage toyour building due to storms, fires, natural disasters, theft orother unforeseen (and expensive) events.WARRANTY RESPONSIBILITIESAND REPAIRSRoof repair costs can have a major impact on your operatingexpenses ? make sure you know what to expect beforesigning any contracts.Wh ich par t y is r espon sible f or w h at ?Th e r oof in g m at er ials m an u f act u r er is responsible to theproperty owner for replacing its defective products free ofcharge for the duration of the warranty. The manufacturer isnot required, however, to replace defective materials that theroofing contractor supplies or to cover defects that resultfrom poor workmanship on the part of the contractor.Th e r oof in g con t r act or is responsible to the property ownerfor repairing or replacing defective materials that thecontractor supplies and to provide the labor required tocorrect poor workmanship free of charge for the duration ofthe warranty. Contractor warranties are generally muchshorter than manufacturer warranties, so look into aManufacturer Labor and Material Warranty to help covercontractor costs down the road.At fi rst glance,commerci al roofwarranti es may seemto favor you, theproperty owner ormanager, but theopposi te i s oftentrue.

8SENTRY ROOF SERVICESProperty owners areresponsi ble to both themanufacturer andcontractor formai ntai ni ng the roof sothe materi als andwork manshi p canfuncti on properly. WARRANTIESTh e pr oper t y ow n er (or owner representative) is responsiblefor any costs not covered by either the manufacturer ?swarranties or the contractor warranty ? and for maintainingthe roof. Typically these costs include the labor associated withrepairing or replacing the materials, as noted above. But it?sroof maintenance that is the most important consideration.Property owners are responsible to both the manufacturer andcontractor for maintaining the roof so the materials andworkmanship can function properly. An annual maintenanceprogram makes this easy and provides the paper trail that?srequired in case a problem comes up.Dif f er en ces bet w een w ar r an t y r epair s an din su r an ce r epair sKnowing what?s covered by your warranties and insurance ?and to what degree ? helps you better predict annualoperating expenses. Roof warranty repairs are repairs madebased on a manufacturer ?s or contractor ?s warranty ? materialsand workmanship.Not all roofing contractors can perform warranty repairs. Aswith installation, the work often needs to be done by anapproved contractor or it won?t be covered. Make sure yourcontractor is approved before you begin any roof warranty

Gu ide t o Com m er cial Roof War r an t iesrepairs, and if you want to cover repairs after a warrantyexpires, talk to your insurance agent. Insurance policies cancover costs associated with your roof after the manufacturer ?swarranties expire.Roof insurance repairs are repairs made based on yourinsurance coverage ? damage and accidents. Buildinginsurance coverage and costs vary widely, and, unlike yourwarranties, you can adjust your insurance coverage over time asyou renew your policy.Property owners are responsible for the cost of buildinginsurance but the cost of a commercial roof warranty is usuallypaid for by the installing contractor. For reference, annualinsurance for a small office building can be as low as 1,000whereas annual insurance for a large office building can easilytop 15,000.Keep in mind that neither warranties nor insurance coversowner neglect.WHAT CAN VOID AWARRANTY?It's not a good idea to ignore your commercial roof ? your roof isan asset that protects your property and your roof warranties areassets that protect your budget.Most commercial roof warranties require owners to do an annualinspection at minimum. If they don?t, the warranties may bevoided. Making sure it's in good shape not only keeps yourwarranties intact, it can also add years to the life of your roof. Still,it's easy to fall prey to some warranty-voiding mistakes.Her e ar e t h e m ost com m on w ays ow n er s void t h eirw ar r an t ies an d en d u p f oot in g t h e bills f or pr oblem s t h atw ou ld?ve ot h er w ise been cover ed by w ar r an t y:9