What Happens If You Have a Problem With Your New Roof After the Contractor Has Been Paid?

Replacing your roof can cost tens of thousands of dollars, so it’s understandable to think about what could go wrong before committing to such a large project. What if there’s a problem with the roof after the work is finished? What if you don’t notice until you’ve already paid the contractor in full?

At Happy Roofing, we’ve replaced hundreds of roofs throughout the greater Naperville area, and we know a contractor’s responsibility doesn’t end when the roof is finished and the final payment is made. A reputable roofing contractor should stand behind their work and take responsibility if something doesn’t go as planned.

Even experienced, reputable roofing contractors can make mistakes. What matters is whether the company takes responsibility when it does happen, figures out what went wrong, and makes it right.

In this article, we’ll explain what typically happens if you have a problem with a new roof after the project is complete, what determines who is responsible for fixing it, and what you can look for before hiring a roofer to protect yourself if a problem ever comes up.

Key Takeaways

Table of Contents

• What Happens if You Have a Problem With Your Roof After the Contractor Has Been Paid?
• Who Pays to Fix a Problem With a New Roof?
• What if the Roofer Says the Problem Isn’t Related to Workmanship?
• What if Your Roofing Contractor Won’t Come Back After You’ve Paid Them?
• How Can You Tell if a Roofing Contractor Will Stand Behind Their Work?
• What Should You Know Before Choosing a Roofing Contractor?

What Happens if You Have a Problem With Your Roof After the Contractor Has Been Paid?

Before anyone can determine who or what is responsible for the issue, or offer any solutions, someone needs to figure out what actually caused the problem.

If you notice a problem with your new roof after the contractor has been paid, your first step should generally be to contact the contractor who installed it and give them an opportunity to inspect the issue.

Paying the final invoice doesn’t necessarily end the contractor’s responsibility for the roof they installed, but if a problem comes up afterward, that doesn’t always mean the contractor or their workmanship is responsible for it.

Roofing issues can happen for a number of reasons, so the first step is figuring out what caused the problem and whether it’s related to the installation. For example, if you notice water staining on a ceiling after your roof was replaced, the existence of the stain alone doesn’t tell you why it happened.

It could be related to:

• An installation problem, like reusing old and worn materials
• A defective roofing material, like weak shingle adhesive that causes shingles to lift prematurely
• Storm damage after installation of the new roof
• An attic ventilation or condensation issue that was never addressed
• A problem unrelated to the roof itself, like HVAC or plumbing issues causing leaks that could appear as though the roof has an issue

Getting the problem properly evaluated can help determine what caused it and what needs to happen next. Having those findings documented also gives you something to reference if there’s a disagreement about who’s responsible or you need to take the issue further.

Who Pays to Fix a Problem With a New Roof?

Who pays for the repair usually depends on what caused the problem and what kind of coverage you have.

As we mentioned previously, a problem appearing after a new roof installation doesn’t always mean the roofing contractor is at fault. Who is ultimately responsible for fixing it will depend on what caused the problem.

Here are a few common possibilities:

• Installation or workmanship issue: If the problem was caused by how the roof was installed, it may be covered by the roofing contractor’s workmanship warranty if they offered one.
• Material or product defect: If a roofing product fails despite being installed correctly, the issue may fall under the manufacturer’s warranty instead.
• New storm or accidental damage: If the roof is damaged by hail, high winds, a fallen tree, or another event after installation, it generally wouldn’t be considered a workmanship issue or manufacturer defect. Depending on the extent of the damage and your coverage, this may be something you need to address through your homeowners insurance instead.
• An issue unrelated to the new roof: Sometimes a problem that appears to involve the roof can actually come from somewhere else, such as condensation, ventilation, plumbing, or another part of the home. In that case, the appropriate solution will depend on what the inspection identifies as the actual cause.

Because of the wide range of possibilities, determining the cause of the problem comes before determining who should pay to fix it.

How Does a Workmanship Warranty Protect You?

A workmanship warranty is designed to protect you from problems caused by how your roof was installed, even after the project has been completed and paid for.

This is different from a manufacturer’s warranty.

The main difference between a workmanship and manufacturer’s warranty comes down to who offers the coverage, and what is being covered:

• A manufacturer’s warranty: This covers the roofing materials that the company provides, like the shingles. These usually have tier levels of coverage (depending on what materials were chosen and whether the contractor who installed them is certified), and are offered directly from the manufacturer.
• The roofing contractor’s workmanship warranty: This is meant to cover the installation and is typically created and enforced by the contractor themselves.

Because workmanship warranties are typically backed by the roofing contractor themselves, the company standing behind the warranty matters just as much as the terms and length of coverage. A ‘lifetime’ workmanship warranty may sound reassuring, but ultimately, you’re trusting that contractor to hold themselves accountable and make things right if a covered workmanship issue comes up.

What if the Roofer Says the Problem Isn’t Related to Workmanship?

If your contractor determines that the problem isn’t related to their workmanship, they should be able to show you what caused it and explain how they reached that conclusion.

Having the issue properly evaluated and documented is crucial. You may initially assume a problem is related to the installation because the roof is relatively new, but an inspection could uncover a different cause.

For example, a leak could be traced back to recent storm damage, a material defect, or even something unrelated to the roofing system. Regardless of what the contractor determines, you should expect more than simply being told, “It’s not our fault.”

Ask your contractor to show you:

• What they found during their inspection of the concern; photos or videos are the best way to show homeowners what’s happening with their roof.
• What they believe caused the problem, and what evidence they have that supports that conclusion.
• Why it isn’t considered a workmanship issue if that’s their determination. For example, how did the storm damage lead to the leak?
• What they recommend doing next to resolve the problem.

If their findings clearly support their explanation, you’ll have a better idea of what happened and who may be responsible for addressing it.

What If You Don’t Agree With the Contractor’s Assessment?

If you still have questions or disagree with their assessment, getting a second opinion can give you another set of findings to compare. Scheduling an inspection with a separate roofing contractor can help provide an unbiased, external evaluation. If both contractors identify the same cause, that can give you more confidence in the diagnosis. If their findings differ, you’ll have more information to work with as you determine what to do next.

You can then bring those findings back to the original contractor and ask them to explain the differences. Having documented findings from both gives you more information to work with and can help you have a more productive conversation about what caused the problem and who may be responsible.

In the event that you’re unable to reach a resolution with your contractor, that documentation may also be helpful if you eventually need to pursue the issue through a manufacturer, insurance company, or another appropriate next step.

If you’re already dealing with a roofing concern and want another professional assessment to compare against what you’ve been told, you can schedule a roof inspection with our team for a second set of findings.

What if Your Roofing Contractor Won’t Come Back After You’ve Paid Them?

If you believe your contractor is responsible for a problem but they’re unwilling to address it, you may need to take additional steps to document the issue and hold them accountable.

Start by reviewing your original contract and workmanship warranty so you understand exactly what the contractor agreed to cover. Then, make sure your attempts to resolve the problem are documented in writing, including:

• when you contacted the company
• what you reported
• how (if in any way) they responded.

If the contractor still won’t address what you believe is a covered workmanship issue, your next steps may include:

• Requesting a written response from the contractor: Ask them to explain whether they believe the problem is covered by their workmanship warranty and, if not, why.
• Getting an independent inspection: A second contractor can document the condition of the roof and provide another professional opinion about what caused the problem.
• Keeping records of the issue: Save your contract, warranty, photos, inspection findings, invoices, emails, text messages, and other communication related to the problem.
• Looking into formal options for resolving the dispute: Depending on the circumstances and where you live, this could include filing a complaint with an appropriate state or local agency, using a dispute-resolution process, or speaking with an attorney about the options available to you.

Hopefully, a roofing issue never reaches this point. But if it does, having a written warranty, documented findings, and records of your communication with the contractor can become especially important when you’re trying to establish what the contractor agreed to do and what happened afterward.

How Can You Tell if a Roofing Contractor Will Stand Behind Their Work?

You can’t guarantee that a contractor will handle every future problem perfectly, but you can look for evidence of how they’ve operated over time before trusting them with your roof.

A workmanship warranty is only as valuable as the company responsible for honoring it. Rather than relying entirely on what a salesperson tells you, do some independent research into the company itself.

Here are a few things worth looking into:

• Verify that the company is properly licensed and insured: Check any licensing or registration requirements that apply where you live rather than simply taking the contractor’s word for it. You can also ask for proof of insurance and verify that the coverage is current.
• Read customer reviews from more than one source: Read reviews from different sources like both Google and Facebook, and pay particular attention to customers who experienced a problem or needed the company to return after the original project. How the contractor responded can tell you a lot about how they handle accountability.
• Verify manufacturer certifications or credentials when applicable: If a contractor advertises a certification or special status with a roofing manufacturer, you can often verify that directly through the manufacturer rather than relying on the contractor’s website or sales materials.
• Read the actual workmanship warranty before signing: Look at who is providing the warranty, how long it lasts, what it covers, what could void it, and what you’re required to do if you have a problem. The written terms matter more than a verbal promise that the company will “take care of you.”
• Look for evidence of how the company handles mistakes: Reviews, testimonials, and even the contractor’s own content can provide examples of what happened when a project didn’t go perfectly. A company acknowledging that problems can happen and showing how they’ve handled them can be more reliable than the company claiming a perfect reputation.

How Does Happy Roofing Handle Problems After Installation?

If you have a concern with a roof we installed, we want to know about it so we can figure out what happened and determine what needs to be done next.

As much as we’d love to say every roofing project we’ve completed has gone perfectly, that wouldn’t be true. We’ve made the occasional mistake, and we know that even with experienced installers, detailed processes, and quality-control measures in place, mistakes can still happen.

That’s why we have several protections in place for homeowners after their roof replacement is complete:

• 10-year workmanship warranty: Our workmanship warranty covers problems caused by our installation. If we find that an issue is the result of our workmanship and falls within the warranty, we’ll come back and address it. For a more detailed look into one of these scenarios and what we did about it, read our article Has Happy Roofing Ever Messed Up a Roofing Project?
• Manufacturer warranty coverage: Your roofing materials may also qualify for manufacturer warranty coverage depending on the roofing system installed. We register applicable manufacturer warranties after receiving final payment so you have the coverage your roofing system qualifies for.
• 7-day money-back guarantee: We also provide a 7-day money-back guarantee following completion of a roof replacement. If you raise a concern during that period, we’ll first work with you to understand the issue and try to make it right. If we’re unable to reach a resolution, the money-back guarantee provides an additional layer of protection.

Of course, a warranty or guarantee doesn’t mean every future problem with your roof will automatically be our responsibility. If you contact us with a concern, our first job is to understand what happened.

We’ll evaluate the issue, explain what we find, and determine whether it’s related to our workmanship, the roofing materials, new damage, or something else. If we determine that we made a mistake, we believe it’s our responsibility to own it and make it right.

What Should You Know Before Choosing a Roofing Contractor?

You should be able to feel confident in the contractor you hire before the project starts, without having to assume everything will go perfectly for that confidence to hold up.

Most homeowners will hopefully never need to use their workmanship warranty or call their roofer back to address an installation problem. But knowing what happens if you do can remove one more unknown from a major home improvement decision.

As you compare roofing companies, look for a contractor that can clearly explain what they’re responsible for, what protections you’ll have after installation, and how they’ve handled situations where something didn’t go according to plan.

If you’re ready to start planning your roofing project, or if you just need a second opinion on an issue you’ve found after a roof installation, schedule a no-commitment roof consultation with our team. We’ll inspect your roofing system, explain what we find, and help you understand your options so you can decide how you want to move forward, whether that’s with us or not.