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Who’s Responsible for Roof Leaks?
If you have a leak in your new or near-new roof, your first call should be to the roofing manufacturer’s Warranty Claims Department. The Claims Department will issue a repair order for an approved contractor in your area to repair any warranty-related leaks.
However, when Standard’s Roof Maintenance and Repair crews are dispatched by manufacturers to perform warranty work on the manufacturer’s behalf, we often discover non-warranty repair work/damage on the roof caused by roof-top traffic, damage from roof-top HVAC work, bullet holes, and a myriad of other less common leak sources. In virtually all of these cases, the property owner will be invoiced for those repairs, not the roof manufacturer.
One way to avoid the unexpected costs of roof repairs that are not covered by the roofing product manufacturer’s warranty is for property owners to contract for a semi-annual roof maintenance program. A central component of Standard’s roof maintenance program is identifying and proactively repairing roof damage—before it becomes a leak that presents itself inside the building.
In the case of damage caused by various contractors accessing the roof, the owner should maintain a log of anyone with roof-top access. This will help identify the source of damage and go a long way toward the property owner getting a cost reimbursement from the offending party.
Roof Maintenance: do it and save yourself some money, headaches, and possible interior damage.
If you have any questions or comments, please email me, Pete Taylor, Chairman of the Board at Standard, at: ptaylor@standardexteriorsolutions.com.