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Prorated and Non-Prorated Roof Warranties, in Dollars
Two roofs can carry a twenty year warranty and be worth completely different amounts in year fifteen. Here is the difference with numbers on it.
a hypothetical roof
when it fails
of the term left
what a prorated warranty pays
An illustration of how proration works, not a quote and not Better Built pricing.
What Each One Actually Pays
Non-prorated pays the same in year fifteen as in year two.
Coverage does not shrink as the roof ages. If a covered failure happens inside the term, the remedy is the remedy, whenever it happens. That is what you are actually buying when you buy a warranty.
Prorated pays a shrinking share.
Coverage declines with the age of the roof, usually in proportion to the term elapsed. It is still a warranty. It is just worth progressively less exactly as the roof gets more likely to need it.
The word rarely appears in the sales conversation.
It is in the document, not the pitch. Which is why the useful move is to ask directly, in those words, and get the answer in writing before you compare two prices.
A Worked Example, So the Difference Is Concrete
Take a hypothetical roof
This is an illustration to show how proration works, not a quote and not Better Built’s pricing. Say a roof system with a replacement value of $100,000 and a 20 year warranty.
A covered failure in year 15
Under a prorated warranty, 15 of 20 years are used, so roughly 25 percent of the value remains covered. That is about $25,000 toward a $100,000 problem, and you fund the other $75,000.
The same failure, non-prorated
The covered remedy is the covered remedy. The age of the roof does not reduce it, because the term has not expired.
Now compare the bids again
A $20,000 price gap between two quotes looks very different once you know one of them stops being worth much around the halfway mark.
Warranty Term Questions
Which type do you offer?
We install systems whose warranties are honored the full term rather than prorated down, up to twenty years depending on the system and the thickness specified for your roof. The exact term and type is stated on your quote rather than implied in conversation.
Is a prorated warranty a scam?
No, and it is worth being fair about this. It is a legitimate product that is cheaper to underwrite, which is part of why the bid carrying it can be cheaper. The problem is not that it exists, it is that two bids get compared on price while one of them quietly contains it.
How do I check which one I am being offered?
Ask for the warranty document, not the brochure, and search it for the word prorated. If it is prorated, ask what it pays in year fifteen and get the number. A contractor who has thought about it will answer immediately.
Does a manufacturer warranty behave differently to a contractor warranty?
They are separate things and you want to know about both. Manufacturer coverage has to be registered by a certified installer against the finished roof. Workmanship coverage comes from the contractor and is worth whatever the contractor is worth later. Both are covered here.
What voids either of them fastest?
Other trades on the roof. Equipment installs, conduit runs and penetrations left undetailed are the most common cause we see, and they are avoidable with a phone call before the work happens.
Still not sure which of these matter most for your building? Call 814-720-1081 and ask.
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