Protect your investment: understand your guarantee

By Jennifer Long, GAF.

Understanding owner responsibilities for maintenance critical to roof warranties and guarantees.

It’s happened to all of us: You buy a TV (or an HVAC… or a refrigerator… ) for your home and drop the manufacturer’s warranty into a folder with the other warranties you hope to never need. Years later, the appliance starts making a noise that sounds a little bit like a power drill in a bucket of broken glass. So, you dig out the warranty, read it for the first time, and discover that “noise like a power drill in broken glass” is specifically excluded from your coverage.

I’m exaggerating, but only slightly. How many of us take the time to really dig into the fine print? For example, in a study done by NPR in 2016, 98 percent of participants clicked “agreed” on a terms and conditions statement that not only said all personal information would be sent to the National Security Agency, but that they also agreed to give up their firstborn child in exchange for access to a new social media app.

I suspect the two percent who actually read NPR’s hoax T&Cs and noticed the absurd clauses may have been building managers. Details are everything in our industry, and it’s safe to say we’re responsible for assets significantly more valuable than, say, a TV or refrigerator. The cost for a new roof — or even a significant roof repair — is usually ample incentive to become familiar with every word of a warranty or guarantee.

And yet it’s worth the reminder: To protect your roof investment, know what coverage you have. Know your responsibilities.

One of the most important details of most roof warranties and guarantees is the maintenance clause. As discussed in earlier posts, most No Dollar Limit guarantees requires preventative maintenance and repair. For example, under a section titled Owner Responsibilities, the EverGuard® DIAMOND PLEDGE™ NDL ROOF GUARANTEE includes the following language:

Preventative Maintenance and Repairs

• You must perform regular inspections and maintenance and keep records of this work.

As it also says on the warranty document itself,

“Simply put, maintenance is a responsibility of ownership. Without basic maintenance, your assets will diminish in value. With basic maintenance, you can preserve them and enjoy years of reliable service.”

GAF recommends that all inspections and maintenance be performed by properly trained roofing professionals (such as the GAF Certified™ Contractor who installed your roofing system or a GAF Certified Maintenance Professional). They can be a critical part of your team to help protect your investment instead of inadvertently causing harm. They know from experience how to perform these duties and may have a much better understanding of how to “cause no harm” to the roofing membrane!

As always, for more on roof maintenance and NDL warranties and guarantees, check out the GAF Certified Maintenance Professional (CMP) program!

For more insights on commercial roof maintenance:

Three Myths About Roof Maintenance

Proactive vs. Reactive Maintenance

Generating Revenue with Commercial Roof Maintenance

Learn more about GAF.

Editor’s note: This article was first published on GAF’s blog and can be viewed here.