Flat Roof Warranty

Started by AndersH • 10 replies • 1410 views

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AndersH (Arizona)
Posts: 30

Posted:

We have a 27-building 108 units community. The builings all have flat roofs. We have just finished replacing 12 roofs with 1.5 inch polyurethane foam and elestomeric coating. The roofer in the contract offered a 10 year no leak warranty. When the work was completed we reseived a warranty statement valid only if maintenance was performed by the roofer once every year.

We asked the roofer for a price for the maintenance and he quoted $99,000.00 per year. My feeling is that he should honor the warranty without requiring maintenance. What he is doing now is to cover his expenses for the warranty and the warranty therefore becomes meaningless.

Is it common to require maintenance to be a condition for a valit warranty?

Hope you can provide help .

Best regards,
Anders

GlenL (Ohio)
Posts: 5,491

Posted:

Quote:

Posted By AndersH on 10/03/2009 9:02 PM

Is it common to require maintenance to be a condition for a valit warranty?

Yes, take your car for instance; if you don't perform routine maintenance i.e. oil changes the warranty is void. The information of what is required to maintain the warranty should be on the warranty papers. More than likely the roof will require annual maintenance which I'm assuming is some type of sealant specific to that roof to protect it from the AZ sun. If that is the case and you think you can get it done cheaper elsewhere then you need to decide whether the warranty is worth the difference vs. paying for repairs. While the conditions on the warranty should have been disclosed upfront; I imagine the BOD heard 10 years and didn't ask about any terms or exclusions or read the fine print.

Studies show that 5 out of 4 people have problems with fractions

DonnaS (Tennessee)
Posts: 5,671

Posted:

Gads, You need to read this stuff before you hire a job. I would also seek another bid for maintenance. Then you have some negotiating power. What does the maintenance require?

TracieS (Colorado)
Posts: 460

Posted:

Quote:

Posted By AndersH on 10/03/2009 9:02 PM
We have a 27-building 108 units community. The builings all have flat roofs. We have just finished replacing 12 roofs with 1.5 inch polyurethane foam and elestomeric coating. The roofer in the contract offered a 10 year no leak warranty. When the work was completed we reseived a warranty statement valid only if maintenance was performed by the roofer once every year.

We asked the roofer for a price for the maintenance and he quoted $99,000.00 per year. My feeling is that he should honor the warranty without requiring maintenance. What he is doing now is to cover his expenses for the warranty and the warranty therefore becomes meaningless.

Is it common to require maintenance to be a condition for a valit warranty?

Hope you can provide help .

Best regards,
Anders

We have that same type of roof over our garages (I think...it's rubbery anyway and flat). There was no maintenance requirement for the warranty to be valid...well, other than the standard about keeping trees from rubbing, keeping people from walking on it...

Could you contact the manufacturer? Maybe the roofer is adding his own business practices to the warranty, but I always thought that the warranty was between the purchaser and the manufacturer.

DonnaS (Tennessee)
Posts: 5,671

Posted:

I also would contact the manufacturer of the roofs. Sometimes these installers, contractors add fees --just because no one catches them at it.

AnnaD2 (Florida)
Posts: 960

Posted:

We had the same type of roofing job done on our two buildings seven years ago, and we too are required to have an annual inspection of the roofs done by that same company. It costs us around $300.00-$400.00 per year.

AndersH (Arizona)
Posts: 30

Posted:

Thank you for your thoughts and suggestions. The fine print in the contract does not say that maintenance is required for the warranty to be valid.
Anders

GlenL (Ohio)
Posts: 5,491

Posted:

Anders, what does the warranty card / papers say?

Studies show that 5 out of 4 people have problems with fractions

AndersH (Arizona)
Posts: 30

Posted:

In the proposed warranty statement, one exclusion says:
"Abuse and/ or damage from neglect or lack of proper maintenance".
Anders

DonnaS (Tennessee)
Posts: 5,671

Posted:

Ah Ha!! There lies the majic phrase. What constitutes "proper maintenance". That should be written on the warranty, not coming out of the installers mouth.

MaryA1 (Arizona)
Posts: 7,043

Posted:

Anders,

Perhaps the board should consider writing -- or contacting -- the company and asking specifically what the warranty requirements are. Let them know what the installer has told the board. If he is giving you false info in order to get the maint. work, the company may drop him as a registered installer. If the warranty requirements are as he has stated it must be written somewhere in the contract or in the warranty document itself in order to be valid.

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