WHAT ARE ROOFING GUARANTEES?

Guarantees are good and you deserve one on your new roof. You should know, however, that a guarantee is only as good as the company that offers it. It won't make any difference if the guarantee says 100 years or 1 year. . .If the company is not in business. . .YOUR GUARANTEE IS NOT IN BUSINESS!!

A guarantee should tell you exactly what is being guaranteed. It should also tell you what is not covered. Most roofing guarantees carry some conditions that you will want to watch for since they will void your guarantee.

One of these is solar installations. If someone comes along and makes holes in your roof and then the roof leaks, it's not your fault. Consult your roofing contractor before you do anything to your roof.

You should also remember that when you buy your roof, you are also buying the guarantee. There are costs in living up to the promises guarantees make and those costs must be included in the price.

Because many consumers were being deceived into long and unrealistic guarantees, the 1980 state legislature passed Act 289. This new law took effect on June 17, 1980 and says that anyone who "claims" that they will guarantee your roof for longer than seven years must "put their money where their mouth is" and post a bond for the replacement value of the roof should it fail anytime within the guarantee period.

REMEMBER: A guarantee is only as good as the company that offers it. Your best guarantee of a good guarantee is the reliability and reputation of your roofing contractor. Select your contractor with care and be sure you know everything about the contractor BEFORE YOU SIGN YOUR CONTRACT.

If you have any questions about your roofing contractor, guarantees. or need to know if your contractor is properly licensed, call the RCAH office at 537-1224.