The Problem – Traditional Metal Roofing Guarantees & System Warranties
Guarantees and warranties are a key part of any roofing and cladding system whether it is a single skin metal roof sheet or insulated thermally efficient built up metal roofing system for a pitched roof, liquid applied ‘cool roof’ technology, single ply or hot melt system for a flat roof.
Metal Roofing Guarantees and warranties are sold to maximise the sales / commercial appeal to the specifier or decision maker, and yet minimise the risk to the company offering the guarantee or warranty. In most cases the small print in the paperwork needs to be carefully read and understood, since the risk is that when the guarantee or warranty is required, at a point of a claim, you may find holes in the guarantee between the manufacturer and the “approved” contractor that could invalidate any such claim, leaving you holding the bill.
Simple questions to ask of any company offering a guarantee or system warranty, you may be surprised :
- Is the guarantee on the metal roof sheet you are being offered on the base metal, the coating or both?
- Does the guarantee include the ability of the roof sheet to keep water out of the building i.e. does it guarantee thermal, structural or acoustic performance?
- Does the warranty include workmanship, and does the term of the workmanship warranty match the term of the metal roof sheet warranty?
- How does the ‘approved’ contractor guarantee the performance of the metal roof system? Or the performance of the installation? Are the actual installation labour ‘approved’ by the metal roof system manufacturer?
- What guarantee do you get on the fixings that hold the metal roof systems together? Is the guarantee on the ability of the fixings to ‘fix’ the metal materials together?
You’ll be surprised or heart broken by the answers!!
- You could be sold a system warranty guaranteeing all the individual components and yet the incorrect installation of those components could invalidate the warranty.
- Will the use of an “approved contractor” guarantee the quality of installation?
- If the “approved contractor” or main contractor ceases to trade, then is the warranty still valid for the client?
Are your metal roof system guarantees REALLY worth the paper they are written on! Or is the main headline nothing more than a performance statement or paint finish guarantee on the metal of the top sheet with the small print excluding all the areas of risk from design, performance and excluding workmanship / maintenance!
THE TIME MOST PEOPLE FIND OUT ABOUT GUARANTEES ARE ……. IS …….. WHEN ITS TOO LATE!