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Limited Lifetime Workmanship Warranty
Here is our workmanship warranty explained in plain English — what it protects, the one deadline that matters, what falls outside it, and how a repair actually works. The signed warranty document you received with your job is the governing agreement; this is the summary so you know what you have long before you need it.
What the warranty covers
When we install your roof, we stand behind the labor — the workmanship itself. If your roof leaks because of how it was installed, we come back and fix it, and that repair costs you nothing.
Two details make this stronger than most warranties in the trade:
- It is non-prorated. The protection does not shrink a little every year the way prorated warranties quietly do. It is worth the same in year fifteen as in year one.
- It is transferable. If you sell the home, the coverage can pass to the buyer — a genuine asset at the closing table, and one most roofing warranties do not offer.
Coverage applies to the roof and roof system we installed, for the term shown on your warranty document, at the property listed on it. Our crews are in-house employees rather than subcontractors, which is what makes a workmanship promise mean something — we are standing behind our own people.
Report a leak within 24 hours — this is the one rule to remember
If you ever see a leak, call us right away. Not next week, not after the next storm — immediately.
Call 800-564-6232 within 24 hours of discovering a leak, then follow up in writing. Waiting past that window can end your coverage entirely. It is the single most common way a homeowner loses a warranty they otherwise had.
Why so strict? Because water that sits does damage that spreads, and because the cause of a leak becomes much harder to establish weeks later. Reporting fast protects the house and protects your claim.
We answer the phone around the clock, so there is never an hour when you cannot make that call. See 24/7 emergency service.
Labor vs. materials — two warranties, not one
Every new roof comes with two separate protections, and knowing which is which saves confusion later.
- Our workmanship warranty covers the installation — how the roof was put on. That is ours to answer for.
- The manufacturer's warranty covers the shingles and materials themselves. If a product turns out to be defective, that is a claim against the manufacturer, and their authorized representative inspects and approves those claims under their own warranty terms.
We are not handing you off when that happens. We help you identify which category the problem falls into and coordinate the manufacturer's inspection — but the manufacturer has to stand behind its own product, and we cannot approve a claim on their behalf.
How a warranty repair works
- Call us within 24 hours of finding the leak, and put it in writing afterward.
- We come out and inspect. We will have a reasonable window to get eyes on it and determine the cause.
- We identify what caused it — our installation, a material defect, or something outside what any roofing warranty covers, like storm damage.
- If it is our workmanship, we repair it at no charge to you. If it is a material defect, we coordinate the manufacturer's inspection. If it falls outside coverage, we tell you what the repair costs before we touch anything.
Give us the chance to make it right before going anywhere else — the warranty works by letting us inspect and correct the problem, and that is exactly what we want to do.
What is not covered
No roofing workmanship warranty covers everything, and you should know the boundaries before you need them rather than during a claim.
Acts of nature and outside forces. Wind gusts beyond what your shingle is rated for, hail, tornado, hurricane, lightning, sleet, fire, flood and earthquake are not installation defects. Neither is damage from falling limbs or other objects striking the roof, animals and insects, vandalism, or anyone else's actions.
Building and environmental issues. Structural movement and settlement, ice dam backup, vibration, warping, deflection, gutter backup and condensation forming below the roof deck all originate outside our workmanship.
Maintenance and unrelated work. Routine upkeep is not warranty work — things like peeling paint, wood repair, cleaning gutters, chimney waterproofing and dormer side flashing carry a normal service charge. Importantly, the warranty covers the roof area where the shingles were installed, not the chimney.
Two conditions that can void it outright:
- Payment. Coverage does not take effect until the job is paid in full within the required window after the work is substantially complete.
- Other contractors on your roof. If anyone other than us alters or repairs the roof — including mounting equipment on it — the warranty is void. This is the one that catches people. Call us before a solar, satellite, HVAC or handyman crew puts anything through your roof. A five-minute call protects your coverage.
Storm damage is an insurance claim, not a warranty claim
This is the most common misunderstanding we hear, so it is worth stating clearly: when hail or high wind damages your roof, that is not a workmanship defect and no contractor's warranty covers it. That is what your property insurance is for — and handling those claims is a large part of what we do.
The path is different but we are still the people you call. We inspect, document the damage with dated photographs, and meet your adjuster at the property. See storm damage and roof insurance claims.
One caution while you are collecting bids: in Missouri and Illinois alike, a contractor offering to waive, absorb or rebate your insurance deductible is breaking the law. A company willing to commit fraud to win your job is not one whose warranty will mean much a decade from now.
Keeping your coverage intact
Four habits protect it:
- Pay the job in full on schedule — coverage activates on payment.
- Call the moment you see a leak, inside that 24-hour window, and follow up in writing.
- Let no one else work on the roof. Call us first, every time, including for equipment installs.
- Keep your warranty document with your home records, and photograph it so a copy lives on your phone. Lost yours? Call us — we keep records of the work we have done.
Sensible maintenance helps too: keep gutters clear, have the roof looked at after major storms, and address small problems while they are still small. We are glad to take a look.
A warranty is only as good as the company behind it
Any contractor can print the word lifetime on a form. The real question is whether that company will answer the phone in fifteen years — and that is a claim about the business, not the paperwork.
We have been family-owned since 1947, across three generations, with more than 50,000 customers served, in-house crews, seven local offices across four states, and a BBB Torch Award for ethics. We install more roofs each year than the overwhelming majority of roofing companies in the country.
Compare that to the crews that appear after a hail event, sell hard, install fast, and are unreachable by spring. Their lifetime warranty is a piece of paper with a dead phone number on it. That contrast is the entire reason this page exists.
See also our Best Value Guarantee — bring us a qualifying written estimate and if we decide not to match or improve it, we refund your deposit and pay you $200.
Our seven local markets — 143 cities
Our Limited Lifetime Workmanship Warranty applies across all seven of our markets — 143 cities in Missouri, Kansas, Illinois and Indiana. Each market runs its own crews and its own number.
Questions, answered
Tap any question to open it.
What does John Beal Roofing's workmanship warranty cover?
It covers the labor — how your roof was installed. If your roof leaks because of our workmanship, we come back and repair it at no charge to you, for the term shown on your warranty document.
Is the warranty prorated?
No. It is non-prorated, so the protection does not shrink year by year the way many prorated warranties do. It is worth the same later in its term as it was on day one.
Is the warranty transferable if I sell my home?
Yes. The coverage can transfer to the buyer of the property, which makes it a real asset at the closing table — most roofing warranties are not transferable at all. Call us when you are preparing to sell and we will walk you through it.
How fast do I have to report a leak?
Within 24 hours of discovering it. Call 800-564-6232 and then follow up in writing. Waiting past that window can end your coverage, and it is the most common way homeowners lose a warranty they otherwise had. We answer the phone around the clock.
Why is the reporting deadline so strict?
Because water that sits spreads damage quickly, and because the cause of a leak is far harder to establish weeks after the fact. Reporting immediately protects both your home and your claim.
Is the workmanship warranty the same as my shingle manufacturer's warranty?
No, they are two separate protections. Ours covers the installation. The manufacturer's covers the shingles and materials themselves, and their authorized representative inspects and approves those claims under their own terms. We help you determine which applies and coordinate the inspection.
Does the warranty cover storm or hail damage?
No, and no roofing contractor's workmanship warranty does. Wind beyond your shingle's rating, hail, tornado, lightning, fire, flood and other acts of nature are not installation defects — those are insurance claims. We still handle it with you: we inspect, document the damage and meet your adjuster.
Does the warranty cover my chimney?
No. Coverage applies to the roof area where the shingles were installed. Chimney waterproofing, dormer side flashing, wood repair, peeling paint and gutter cleaning are maintenance items that carry a normal service charge rather than warranty work.
Can another contractor work on my roof?
Not without voiding the warranty. If anyone other than us alters or repairs the roof — including mounting equipment on it — coverage ends. Call us before a solar, satellite, HVAC or handyman crew penetrates your roof. A five-minute call protects your coverage.
When does coverage take effect?
Once the job is paid in full within the required window after the work is substantially complete. Until then the warranty is not yet active.
What happens after I report a leak?
We come out and inspect within a reasonable window, determine what caused it, and act: if it is our workmanship we repair it free of charge, if it is a material defect we coordinate the manufacturer's inspection, and if it falls outside coverage we tell you what the repair will cost before doing anything.
What if I lose my warranty document?
Call us. We keep records of the work we have done. It is worth photographing your document so a copy lives on your phone alongside your other home records.
Are your crews employees or subcontractors?
In-house employees, not subcontracted labor. That is what makes a workmanship warranty meaningful — we are standing behind the work of our own people rather than a crew we hired for the week.
Where does this warranty apply?
On the roofs we install across 143 cities in Missouri, Kansas, Illinois and Indiana, served by seven local offices: St. Louis, Kansas City, Indianapolis, Springfield, Columbia and Jefferson City, the Lake of the Ozarks, and Metro East and Southern Illinois.