What A Roofing Warranty Covers And What It Never Does

Key takeaways

• Materials cover comes from the manufacturer and usually excludes labour to put anything right.
• Workmanship cover comes from the contractor and is only worth what the contractor is worth.
• An insurance backed policy is the one that survives a firm ceasing to trade.
• Your statutory rights against the trader exist regardless and are often stronger than the paperwork.
• The exclusions are where the substance is, so read those before the headline period.

The three promises, kept separate

A manufacturer's product cover applies to the tiles, membrane or system supplied, and typically undertakes that the material is free from manufacturing defects for a stated period. A contractor's workmanship undertaking applies to how the work was carried out, and covers failures arising from installation rather than from the product. An insurance backed policy is a separate contract with an insurer, usually paid for as a premium, that steps in if the contractor cannot honour their own undertaking. Confusing these is easy because they arrive in the same conversation, and it matters enormously, because a long headline period on one of them tells you nothing about the others.

Manufacturer cover, and what it does not pay for

Product cover on roofing materials can run for decades and it is worth having. The detail worth reading is what happens when a claim succeeds. Very commonly the manufacturer supplies replacement material and nothing else, which leaves the cost of stripping the roof, the access, the labour and the disposal with you. On a covering failure that can be the overwhelming majority of the cost. Some manufacturers offer enhanced cover including labour where the installation was carried out by an approved installer and registered with them, which is precisely why registration at the time of installation matters and cannot be arranged retrospectively.

Workmanship cover is worth what the firm is worth

A contractor's own undertaking is a promise by that business to return and put right defects arising from their work, usually for a stated number of years. It is a genuine commitment and it is only as good as the continuing existence of the business making it. A sole trader who retires, a company that dissolves, or a firm that simply stops answering leaves the paperwork worthless. That is not an argument against it, since most contractors do honour these, and it is the reason the length of the period is a poor guide to its value. A five year undertaking from a long established firm is worth more than twenty from one incorporated last spring.

Insurance backed policies, and what they actually do

This is the product that addresses the previous problem. An insurance backed policy is a contract with an insurer rather than with the contractor, and it responds where the contractor has ceased trading and therefore cannot honour their own undertaking. It generally does not respond simply because a contractor refuses or delays; the usual trigger is that the firm no longer exists. The policy has its own terms, its own exclusions and its own claims process, and it is a document you should receive and keep rather than a verbal assurance. Where one is being offered, ask who the insurer is and to see the policy wording rather than a certificate.

The exclusions are the document

Read these before the headline period, because they define the actual scope. Storm and weather damage is almost always excluded, since that is an insurance matter rather than a defect. Wear and tear and general deterioration are excluded. Damage caused by anybody else working on the roof afterwards is excluded, which matters if a solar installer or an aerial fitter attends later. Failure caused by lack of maintenance is commonly excluded, sometimes with a requirement for periodic inspection. Movement of the building is usually excluded. And the cover typically applies only to the specific work carried out rather than to the roof as a whole.

The maintenance condition people miss

Some cover requires the roof to be maintained, and occasionally requires it to be inspected at intervals with records kept. Failing to do so can give an insurer or a contractor grounds to decline. This is not usually onerous, and it is worth knowing at the outset rather than discovering at the point of claim. If there is such a condition, keep the receipts for gutter clearing and any inspections in the same file as the paperwork, since the requirement is generally to demonstrate that maintenance happened rather than to prove any particular standard of it.

Your statutory rights, which exist anyway

Separately from any paperwork, work carried out for a consumer must be performed with reasonable care and skill, and materials supplied must be of satisfactory quality and fit for purpose. Those rights come from consumer law rather than from a contract term, they cannot be signed away, and they are frequently stronger than the written cover offered. There are time limits for bringing a claim, and they are generous compared with most contractor undertakings. This is why a contractor who declines to offer written cover has not thereby escaped responsibility, and it is worth knowing before accepting that nothing can be done.

Trade association schemes

Membership of a trade body or competent person scheme sometimes brings a cover arrangement, and the value varies considerably between schemes. Some provide genuine insurance backing and a dispute resolution service. Others are effectively a directory with a logo. The useful questions are the same either way: what does membership actually provide, is there an insurer behind it, is there a complaints process that can compel anything, and can the membership be verified independently with the scheme rather than by looking at a certificate on a van. Any legitimate scheme allows you to check a member's status directly.

What to obtain and keep

At completion you want a written document stating what work was covered, for how long, what is excluded, and who to contact. Where a manufacturer's enhanced cover applies you want the registration confirmation, not just a mention that it was done. Where an insurance backed policy applies you want the policy document and the insurer's name. Add the quotation, the final invoice, photographs of the work including anything covered up afterwards, and any correspondence about variations. Keep all of it in one place with the deeds, since the person most likely to need it in fifteen years is either you or the person buying the house from you.

How to judge an offer

Length is the least informative feature and it is the one most heavily advertised. What matters is who stands behind it, what it excludes, whether labour and access are included or only materials, whether it survives the firm disappearing, and whether you receive a document rather than an assurance. A short, clearly worded undertaking from an established business, backed by an insurer, with the exclusions stated plainly, is worth considerably more than an impressive number offered verbally by a firm you cannot look up. Ask for the wording before the work rather than after, because after completion you have lost any leverage to negotiate it.

When something does go wrong

Report it in writing as soon as it appears, describing the defect and when it started, with photographs. Give the contractor a fair opportunity to inspect and put it right, which is both reasonable and usually a requirement of any cover. Keep a record of every contact. If the response is inadequate, escalate through any scheme they belong to, then consider your statutory rights, which do not depend on the written cover at all. And if the firm has ceased trading, that is precisely the situation an insurance backed policy exists for, which is the moment you discover whether the policy you were told about was ever actually put in place. It is worth checking that at the time rather than years later, by contacting the insurer directly with the policy number and confirming that the cover genuinely exists in your name and against your address. A policy number that nobody can trace is worth precisely nothing at the point you need it.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between the types of roofing cover?

Manufacturer cover applies to the materials and usually supplies replacement product without labour. Contractor cover applies to workmanship and depends on that business still existing. An insurance backed policy is a separate contract with an insurer that responds when the contractor has ceased trading. They are three different promises.

Does a long period mean better cover?

Not on its own, and length is the most advertised and least informative feature. A five year undertaking from a long established firm backed by an insurer is worth more than twenty years from a business incorporated last spring, because the promise is only as durable as whoever is making it.

What is usually excluded?

Storm and weather damage, wear and tear, damage caused by others working on the roof afterwards, failure attributed to lack of maintenance, and building movement. Cover also usually applies only to the specific work carried out rather than to the roof generally. The exclusions define the scope far more than the headline period does.

Am I protected if the roofer goes out of business?

Only by an insurance backed policy, which is a contract with an insurer rather than with the contractor and responds when the firm no longer exists. A contractor's own undertaking becomes worthless in that situation. Ask who the insurer is and to see the policy wording rather than a certificate.

Do I have any rights without written cover?

Yes. Work for a consumer must be carried out with reasonable care and skill and materials must be of satisfactory quality, and those rights come from consumer law rather than any contract term. They cannot be signed away and the time limits are generous compared with most contractor undertakings.

What paperwork should I keep?

The written cover stating scope, duration, exclusions and contact, any manufacturer registration confirmation, the insurance backed policy document and insurer name, plus the quotation, final invoice, photographs of the work and any correspondence about variations. Keep it with the deeds, since a future buyer may need it.