A flat roofing guarantee is designed to provide protection for your roof. This means you’re protected from poor workmanship (the cause of 1 in 3 defective flat roofs) and defective systems and materials.
Why do I need a guarantee for my flat roof?
As insurance companies frequently tell us, most defective flat roofing systems are likely to break down within the first 1 to 2 years following installation. This is in contract to their expected lifetimes; most flat roofing systems should last at a very minimum 20 years and ideally well above 30 years, as our systems have demonstrated.
In the section below, we provide more detail on flat roofing guarantees.
What are the main causes of a defective flat roof?
Poor specification: this involves the use of sub-optimal materials, often on complex roofing designs. This is typically because the installer is unskilled in the best system available – or, the customer might prefer a system like single ply, without realising that the main failure point of such systems occurs at detailed joints or on roofs subjected to high levels of foot traffic. In both instances, this is why we prefer to offer ‘hybrid’ flat roofing systems, combining the best of both single ply and liquid-applied membranes, rather than attempting a ‘one-size fits all’ approach.
Poor workmanship: incorrectly installed flat roofing systems are a major cause of premature breakdown. Most flat roofing systems should be installed by experienced, trained professionals. Customers should be advised to look closely at a company’s past workmanship and track record – how long have they been operating for, what is their standard of work like?
Unprescribed conditions: if the roof has been specified as single ply as a ‘low foot traffic roof’, yet it’s exposed to frequent foot traffic with equipment movement or placement, then the chance of a tear is high.
Low quality ingredients: cheaper EPDM and rubber-based single ply systems that lack UV-resistance will break down quickly in direct sunlight. This is a common sight that we encounter and should
What types of guarantees are there?
Company guarantees: these cover the company workmanship and material quality. For instance, we offer a 20-year guarantee on our glass fibre flat roofing work, from repairs to new installations. This covers our workmanship and the roofing system and materials used. Strandek have been operating since 1976 and have an outstanding track record of customer satisfaction.
Manufacturer guarantees: these guarantees cover the waterproofing system (e.g. the single ply membrane) as well as the underlying system where approved materials are used (e.g. insulation, vapour control layers, etc.). They typically require installers to be trained in system installation.
Insurance guarantees: these insurance-backed guarantees are typically from the Independent Warranty Association (IWA), which is regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA – https://www.fca.org.uk). These schemes are designed to cover your roof for materials, workmanship and repairs required within the policy and have lifetimes of 10 years.
Our guarantee: Since 1976, we’ve been installing a range of flat roofing systems and are consistently awarded a 100% customer satisfaction rating from the IWA.
What systems come with guarantees?
Regardless of the system installed, you can expect a minimum of two guarantees to be provided to protect your flat roofing installation. We provide more detail about our guarantees below:
Glass fibre – also known as GRP or Fibreglass
20-year Strandek® guarantee
PLUS
a 10-year insurance-backed guarantee from the FCA-regulated Independent Warranty Association (IWA). Since 1976, we’ve consistently found that our Strandek® Glass Fibre systems are still performing well since they were first installed in the late 70’s!
Single ply
Our BBA-certified systems typically come with increasing levels of thickness matched with longer guarantees supplied by the manufacturer:
15-, 20- and 25-year guarantees
PLUS
10-year insurance-backed guarantee
Liquid-applied
This covers polyurethane and silicon systems in the liquid-applied class of flat roofing types.
10 – 25-years depending on the specific type and manufacturer.
PLUS
10-year insurance-backed guarantee
Where are flat roofing guarantees applied?
- New flat roofs
- Flat roof repairs
- Flat roof overlays
- Selected gutter work
Our Guarantee
In business since 1976 and we’ve provided exceptional performance for thousands of customers. Many of our roofs have lifetimes well above 30-years and we’ve had a 100% Customer Satisfaction rating from the IWA (Independent Warranty Association) for several years running!