After your new roof is installed, you’re not expecting it to leak anytime soon. Unfortunately, this isn’t always the case.
If this happens, you'll immediately ask yourself and go to Google to look up, “Why is my new roof leaking?” While it can happen for a few different reasons, there's one that I see the majority of the time.
We at Bill Ragan Roofing want you and every other homeowner to have the information needed during a stressful and frustrating time. That’s why we’re going to give you the main reason your new roof could be leaking.
After learning why a new roof leaks, stick around because I’m also going to give you the 3 things you need to do about it.
Why is your new roof leaking?
After getting a new roof, you’re not expecting it to leak. I mean, you just invested your hard-earned money into it.
But when a new roof leaks, it’s most likely caused by improper installation. Improper roof installation can be caused by a roofing contractor being lazy, using shortcuts to cut down on time and cost, or not caring about doing a good job.
If you hired the cheapest roofing contractor in the area, this is more likely. However, mistakes do happen, so it doesn’t necessarily mean that a roofing contractor did anything malicious.
If a roofing contractor used correct roofing techniques and gave it the attention to detail it needs, your new roof shouldn’t have problems. Remember, this isn’t the only reason why your new roof could be leaking.
You won’t know the exact cause until after an inspection. However, more often than not, a new roof starts leaking because of improper installation.
3 things to do when your new roof starts leaking
Now that you know what could be causing your new roof to be leaking, you need to know what to do once you notice it.
1. Contain the roof leak
Once you notice your new roof is leaking, the first thing you should do is contain the water to prevent widespread damage. This is usually done by putting a bucket or pot in your attic to catch water as it comes through your roof.
If you don’t contain the water, the cost to repair the water damage inside your home gets expensive very quickly. Don’t do anything to the roof itself to try to stop water from coming in.
This voids any roof warranties you have and leaves you with no options to fix the leak without paying for it.
2. Call the roofing contractor that installed your new roof
After containing the leak, you need to call the roofing contractor that installed your roof immediately. If they’re a reputable roofing company, they’ll come take a look as soon as possible to find a solution.
However, there are situations where they don’t call you back or answer your phone calls at all. If you can’t get a hold of the roofing company that installed your roof, you’ll have to start the process of finding another one to repair the leak.
After finding one, you’ll have to pay for the repairs out of pocket, and it will void the warranty you had from the other roofing contractor.
3. Check your roof warranty paperwork
After talking to the roofing contractor, the next thing you need to do is check your warranty paperwork. The warranty information helps you figure out if your roof leak will be covered.
If it’s a leak caused by improper installation, your roofing contractor’s workmanship warranty should take care of it. This means that you shouldn’t have to pay to repair the roof leak.
Be warned, a contractor’s workmanship warranty is only as good as the paper it’s written on. If you made the wrong hiring decision, they might not honor the warranty at all and make you pay for the repair.
On the other hand, you’ll have to rely on the material warranty you received from the manufacturer if it’s a problem with the roofing materials. If there’s a defect or a malfunction with the materials themselves, they’ll pay to replace them.
Both these warranties will be on your estimate, and you should have them in writing just in case. But which warranty you’ll have to rely on to fix your roof leak depends on what the roofing contractor finds during their inspection.
Get the tips you need to find a great roofing contractor
The truth is, no one expects their new roof to start leaking. But if you hired a roofing contractor that does things the right way, they should honor their warranty and take care of the problem.
Unfortunately, this isn’t always the case. If your roofing contractor doesn’t honor their warranty, you’ll be back at square one of finding another roofing contractor.
This is not only frustrating, but now you're also wary of other roofing companies. The last thing you want is to make another bad hire.
That’s why we wrote another article to give you the 7 tips every homeowner needs to find a great roofing contractor.
Since 1990, the team at Bill Ragan Roofing has provided high-quality roof repairs, roof replacements, insurance help, and more to homeowners in the Nashville area. We take pride in the work we do and offer a lifetime warranty to back it up.
Whether you’re local to us or not, check out 7 Tips to Find a Great Roofing Contractor to avoid making the wrong hiring decision.
