Your client’s flat roof is probably out of sight, out of mind. But the roof is what keeps water out of their building. Once handover is complete, keeping a flat roof functioning is a building owner’s responsibility.
In this article we look at the most common issue with flat roofing warranties: not the warranties themselves, but the failure of building owners to look after them, and how you can assist your client to ensure a long lived and fully functional flat roof.
What is most likely to invalidate your flat roof warranty?
If you’ve specified a roof which qualifies for a 20-, 25- or 30-year warranty, you’ll want it to live up to those numbers, and if anything does go wrong, you’ll want to ensure that the warranty hasn’t been inadvertently invalidated through some action or omission.
AccuRoof has been providing flat roof design, technical support, supply and warrantees for over 20 years. In our experience, these are the most common reasons why flat roofing warranties are invalidated.
1. Mechanical Damage
The first cause of an invalid flat roof warranty is mechanical damage. This is commonly intentional, such as making holes in the waterproofing to pass cables through. We have seen this done with air conditioning units, television aerials, CCTV and security lighting, and solar panels.
To warrant a flat roof, the manufacturer of the roofing system needs to be sure that the roof has been designed and installed correctly; otherwise there would be a likelihood that they would go out of business due to excessive claims.
For this reason, manufacturers produce standard details for upstands, penetrations (holes through the roof), parapets and abutments (roofing up to a wall). These details are proven to work in the weather conditions expected for the roof concerned, and their installation is inspected by our team to ensure it is done correctly. Any bespoke details to be approved by the manufacturer and installed according to their instructions. The manufacturer needs to be assured that the entire roof has been correctly installed, before it will issue its warranty certificate.
If a contractor comes along and drills a convenient hole, slaps in some sealant and goes away, there is no way of knowing how the seal will perform and whether the materials used are compatible with the roofing fabric.
Of course this doesn’t mean your client can’t put aircon or a TV aerial on your roof, simply that it needs to be done in accordance with the terms of the warranty. Otherwise if something does go wrong (and this is more likely with an unregistered contractor not using approved details) you may, understandably, get a nasty surprise when the claim is put in.
2. Follow on Trades
Another common cause of mechanical damage is follow on trades – other trades going up on the roof and using it for access to other parts of the project, or even for storage of materials.
Whilst the project may not have been handed over, if damage is caused by another subcontractor, you’re likely to get in dispute about responsibility, but more particularly the terms of the flat roof warranty may have been invalidated.
Completed flat roofs are increasingly used for materials storage during roofing works, particularly on tight city centre sites where using the roof is often more secure.
This is one reason why AccuRoof recommends early involvement in the process, so that we can help the main contractor avoid unnecessary access to a finished roof surface, assist with programming if it is required, amd advise on system robustness to ensure that if access is required, the system is specified to achieve this.
3. Failure to Maintain
The third most common cause of invalidating a flat roof warranty is a failure to adhere to the maintenance requirements that come with it. There is no roofing product on the market that doesn’t require maintenance, and at AccuRoof we always supply a maintenance scheme with every warranty.
Maintaining a flat roof properly not only avoids invalidating your warranty; it avoids creating hazards for the occupants of the building and for those who must access it. A well-designed, well-maintained flat roof can give a full life of service and may last well beyond its warranty period.
Advice for Clients on Flat Roof Warrantees
To make sure that a flat roof warranty is available throughout its period, we recommend that clients do the following:
Do your due diligence
Don’t assume that a big figure warranty is the end of the process. Do your due diligence on the warranty provider, but also on the warranty terms. Don’t just look at the numbers.
Check the system has been tested
Make sure the necessary testing of the flat roof system and its products have been carried out and that the results are appropriate to your requirements. Don’t wait for the project to be signed off to discover something isn’t right.
Budget for Maintenance
Your warranty should come with a maintenance programme that details the specifics of what must be done and who must do it. Ensure your chosen maintenance contractor is up to the job. Allow for the cost of proper maintenance and if required, a renewal of the roof within your whole life costs.
Manage, Monitor and Maintain
It is the client or building owner’s responsibility to manage the maintenance process. Ensure your maintenance contractor is carrying out the works by having those works inspected. Keep proper records so that you can evidence what has been done and to smooth the process for resolution of any issues.
Work with the right Support Team
Genuine warrantees are part of a total service that runs from estate management through design and technical support, construction with registered contractors and a proper maintenance regime. Have a flat roofing specialist on hand to support the whole process and ensure everything runs smoothly.
