It’s important you understand warranties and what they really mean. Part one of our warranties explanation will go over your labor warranty, and we will release part two next month that goes over manufacturers’ warranties.
When it comes to choosing which roofing company to go with for your residential or commercial roofing project, you need to make sure you go with a strong, healthy company. Unfortunately, 90% of roofing contractors will be out of business in less than seven years. That means seven of them will go out of business before the average labor warranty expires.
Only the strongest, healthiest roofing companies with good capital and high quality work will be able to withstand the test of time. If you opt to go with a roofing contractor that does okay work and promises an extended labor warranty, you likely will never get to cash in on that warranty if something goes wrong.
Your Labor Warranty Is Only As Strong As The Company Itself
Roofing companies that provide okay or poor work typically change their LLC three or more times in the 10 years they will last in business. Each time they change their LLC, they are no longer contractually obligated to honor your labor warranty.
This means you will not be able to get “free” repair work on a poorly installed roof. The roofing contractor that changed their LLC is off the hook and you will now need to obtain roofing estimates from another company. If the original work is beyond repair, you may be liable for an entire roof replacement.
You cannot rely on the promised labor warranty alone when choosing your roofing contractor. You need to consider the roofing company’s work history, the labor warranty itself, and the total contract price.
Consider the Roofing Contactor’s Previous Work
The roofing company you are working with should have some examples of their previous work and be able to provide all of their required licenses and insurance. Read up on their customer reviews and see if you can understand what kind of work they provide. If it’s mediocre and customers often need the contractor to come out two or three times to fix an issue, this should be a red flag.
Another red flag is to look at how long the roofing company has been in business. If the contractor boasts about their 10, 15, or even 20+ years of experience, their company should be in business for a number of years. If the company age is 5 or less, this could be a sign they are the type of contractor that changes their LLC often to get out of their labor warranty obligations
Understand Your Labor Warranty
If you don’t understand your labor warranty, you could easily be falling into a pitfall with the wrong contractor. Labor warranties can range for any number of years, but the most common ones you will run into are 5, 10, or 15 years. The labor warranty covers any issues that arise from a poor installation by the roofing contractor. This does not cover storm damage, manufacturer defects, or any other issues that may arise.
If your roofing contractor is promising to fix any issues regardless of the cause, this is a red flag. They are trying to oversell you and have you quickly sign the dotted line on your contract. In truth, roofing companies should stand behind their work and sell you on the fact they will not need to come back out to fix your roof. Your roofing contractor should be confident they will install the roof so well that it will last the average length of time for the chosen roofing material.
Roofing contractors that are quick to have you focus on the labor warranty alone are not going to provide you with the quality of workmanship you deserve. Even worse, they may not even be around to make those promised repairs in the future.
Your Total Contract Prices Matters
When it comes to roofing projects, great roofing companies and contractors will all charge around the same price. While it’s important to receive a variety of quotes, those that are far higher or lower than others usually indicate trouble with that roofing contractor. Roofing projects are typically large costs, so it’s understandable that you will want to go with the lowest quote you receive. However, you need to consider what that lowest quote involves.
Contractors who underbid on your project will likely not provide the same high-quality roof you expect and deserve. In fact, they will use the cheapest materials and take any shortcut they can along the way. The finished product they provide will last one to three years, and then problems will begin to arise. Your contract with them that promised a wonderful labor warranty will no longer be valid because they will have either changed their LLC or they are out of the roofing business altogether.
While the cheapest contractor is tempting to choose, it’s in your best interest to go with a trusted and reliable roofing company. These companies will not use their labor warranty as their main selling point. They will always sell you on the quality of their work and the longevity of your new roof.
Choose Tampa Bay’s Trusted Roofing Company
While we encourage you to obtain as many quotes as you need to make your most informed decision, you can never go wrong by turning to Mitchell and Sons Roofing. Our roofs continue to withstand the test of time and hurricane force winds. We understand that warranties are important, which is why created this post about your labor warranty. Contact us today to get started on your free no obligation quote. Be sure to stay tuned for next month’s post on manufacturers’ warranties and what they really mean!