Roof Warranty Coordination in Orlando, FL

Capability

What Warranty Maintenance Actually Requires

Every major manufacturer's NDL warranty has a maintenance clause. The specific language varies, but the common requirements are: semi-annual inspection by a manufacturer-approved contractor, written inspection report submitted to or available for the manufacturer's review, all repairs made by or approved by the manufacturer's approved contractor, and drain and debris clearance on a defined schedule. Failing to meet these requirements does not automatically void the warranty — but it gives the manufacturer grounds to contest a claim by arguing the building owner did not perform its maintenance obligations.

In Central Florida, the post-storm inspection requirement adds specific weight to the maintenance cadence. After Hurricane Irma, several manufacturers included language in their warranty communications indicating that post-storm inspections were required within 90 days of a named storm event for coverage to remain intact. Building owners who did not know about this requirement and did not schedule inspections after Irma found it difficult to support warranty claims for progressive damage that developed in the 2018 and 2019 storm seasons.

We run warranty-maintenance inspections formatted to each manufacturer's documentation requirements. The GAF inspection format differs from the Carlisle format differs from the Johns Manville format — we know the distinctions and do not use a generic template. The inspection report we submit on your behalf will

Claim Support and Manufacturer Communication

When a leak develops on a warranted roof, the correct sequence is: document the interior water event, call the manufacturer's warranty desk to open a claim file, have the manufacturer-approved contractor make the temporary dry-in repair, and then have the manufacturer's field inspector visit to determine warranty coverage. Most building owners invert this sequence — they call a contractor, get the repair done, and then try to file a warranty claim on a repair that is already complete without the manufacturer's field inspection that would have confirmed coverage.

We have managed warranty claims for Orlando buildings with GAF, Carlisle, Johns Manville, and Sika Sarnafil. The process requires patience and documentation. Manufacturers do not automatically accept claims, and their field inspectors are looking for evidence that the failure was a manufacturing or installation defect rather than a maintenance or third-party cause. We provide the roof zone diagram, the inspection history, and the condition documentation that gives the claim the best chance of being accepted as warranted.

For buildings that took damage from Hurricane Irma or Ian's remnant bands and have not yet resolved the warranty position on that damage, it is worth having us walk the roof and assess whether any of the remaining conditions are within the warranty scope. The statute of limitations on contract claims in Florida is five years from discovery of the condition — there may still be recoverable warranty coverage on buildings where the owner did not pursue the claim at the time.

Coverage Recovery on Lapsed or Uncertain Warranty Positions

If a building has a warranted system but has not been maintaining it per the manufacturer's requirements, the warranty is not automatically void. Most manufacturer warranty desks will reinstate a lapsed maintenance record if the building owner can demonstrate that the system is in otherwise good condition and commits to a going-forward maintenance program. We have navigated this process for buildings in the Lake Nona and Maitland office corridors where the original warranty was intact but the maintenance documentation had lapsed for 2-4 years.

The process involves a current condition inspection, a written report documenting that the warranted system is in acceptable condition with no active failures, a commitment letter from the approved contractor (us) to run the going-forward maintenance program, and a submission to the manufacturer's warranty desk. Approval is not guaranteed, but in our experience with the major manufacturers, a clean current-condition inspection significantly improves the chance of reinstatement.

Frequently asked questions