The home’s location was perfect and Katherine loved its serene back patio, overlooking water.
But for Katherine, a first-time homebuyer, it was the seller’s willingness to replace the home’s old, leaky roof with a new one that sealed the deal.
“That was a very big deal for me, that was the selling point, it’s once there was a new roof, then I would be able to buy the house,” Katherine said.
Katherine bought the house in August of last year, with the understanding that the roofing company would send her a copy of the roof’s 30-year warranty – under her name – within 60 days, she said.
“They promised to send it to us by email and by mail,” she said.
But more than 6 months later, Katherine was still waiting. Her calls and emails to the roofing company were getting her nowhere.
“I thought we had dotted all our I’s and crossed all our T’s,” she said. “I’m in shock that I had to come to you to help me with this because it really is a simple piece of paper.”
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NBC 6 Responds called the roofing company and spoke with the owner, who promised to look into the situation. In an email, she explained that the 30-year roof warranty was “…filed under the original roof purchaser … as contracted.” The manufacturer, the company explained, requires “…that the owner of the roof warranty … contact them directly to request the transfer to the new homeowner.”
A few days later, NBC 6 received a follow-up email from the company saying they were able to reach the previous owner and that he “has successfully completed and submitted the … warranty transfer form, as required”. After waiting a few weeks, Katherine finally received what she had been waiting for – the roof’s warranty documents from the manufacturer listing her as the owner.
If you buy a home that has a new roof or even new windows, do your research. Look into whether the warranties are transferrable – sometimes they’re not. If they are, you should check to see what you need to do to get the warranties transferred to your name before you close on the property. Keep in mind that some companies do charge a transfer fee and have a limit on how many times a warranty can be reassigned.
