By The Roofing Brief Team. Last reviewed: October 2026.
A roof warranty transfer to a new owner is allowed once at each of the six shingle makers checked here, and where a deadline is stated it runs from 30 days after the sale (IKO, TAMKO) to 60 days (Owens Corning; Malarkey for roofs installed after July 2016) to one year (GAF). A “lifetime” asphalt shingle warranty is not a promise to replace your roof for free for life: it is a limited warranty with a 10-year window of full coverage on most standard lines, followed by a prorated tail that pays a shrinking share of shingle material, falling to a 20% floor after year 40 at Owens Corning, CertainTeed, Malarkey and TAMKO, and in most cases none of the labor. Every figure below comes from a manufacturer warranty document, the NRCA Professional Roofing analysis “30 years to life” (June 2011) or the FTC’s Businessperson’s Guide to Federal Warranty Law, cited at the point of use. This is a companion to our Roofing Warranty Comparison Database (2026), which parses the full tier structures side by side; here the focus is transfer, proration and claim reality.
Executive summary
- Every asphalt shingle warranty sold in the United States and Canada is a limited warranty, not a full warranty, under the federal Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act, which requires the Full or Limited title on written warranties for consumer products costing more than $10 (NRCA, 2011; FTC).
- The non-prorated window, the only period during which 100% of material defect cost is covered, is 10 years for the standard lifetime warranties of GAF, CertainTeed, Owens Corning and TAMKO on a single-family home; Malarkey runs 10 to 20 years and IKO 5 to 15 years by product.
- After the non-prorated period, the remedy drops to a prorated share of replacement shingle material only, with removal and installation labor excluded (NRCA, 2011).
- “Lifetime” applies only to a single-family home owned and occupied by individuals; on a corporate, HOA, apartment or institutional building, GAF, Owens Corning and IKO cap the same warranty at 40 years and TAMKO at 480 months.
- All six brands allow one transfer. IKO and TAMKO want written notice within 30 days of the sale, Owens Corning and Malarkey within 60 days, and GAF within one year; CertainTeed’s 2026 warranty states no day-count deadline.
- Late transfers shrink: Owens Corning, CertainTeed and Malarkey cut a transfer made after the non-prorated period to 2 years of coverage, IKO caps any transferee at 10 years from original installation, and TAMKO allows no transfer after the first 5 years.
- NRCA states that a warranty “does not necessarily ensure satisfactory performance” and that warranty length “should not be the primary criterion” when choosing shingles.
Key findings
- GAF standard non-prorated period: 10 years. GAF’s non-prorated period is 10 years on the Shingle & Accessory and Roofing System warranties and 50 years on System Plus, Silver Pledge, Golden Pledge and President’s Club; after it, claim compensation shifts to a prorated basis. Source: GAF Roof Warranty Comparison Guide, 2026.
- GAF “Lifetime” is owner-and-property specific. “Lifetime” means as long as the original owner (or a second owner whose coverage was properly transferred during the non-prorated period) owns the property, and applies only to a single-family detached residence owned by individuals; for a corporation, government entity, HOA, apartment, office or multi-use building the term is 40 years. Source: GAF Roof Warranty Comparison Guide, 2026.
- GAF Golden Pledge: 50 years non-prorated. The Golden Pledge Limited Warranty provides 50 years of non-prorated material coverage plus 25 years of non-prorated workmanship coverage on Timberline HDZ and 30 years on Timberline AS II and UHDZ. Source: GAF Roof Warranty Comparison Guide, 2026.
- Owens Corning non-prorated period: 10 years. TruPROtection runs 10 years on Duration, Oakridge, Woodcrest and Woodmoor shingles on a single-family detached home whose owner lives in it, and 5 years on other structures, where the warranty is 40 years. Source: Owens Corning Limited Lifetime Warranty, Pub. No. 10023873-H, January 2026.
- Owens Corning transfer: once, within 60 days. The second owner must contact Owens Corning within 60 days after the real estate transfer with proof of purchase, the installation date and ownership history. A transfer inside TruPROtection passes on the balance of coverage; after it, coverage is reduced to 2 years. The document lists no transfer fee. Sources: Owens Corning Pub. No. 10023873-H; Owens Corning, “How to Transfer a Roof Warranty”.
- CertainTeed SureStart: 10 years at 100% of material and labor. On Landmark, Landmark PRO, Grand Manor, Presidential Shake and other Lifetime lines, CertainTeed pays the reasonable cost of replacement shingles and labor for the first 10 years; for the Lifetime “A” products it also covers tear-off, metal work, flashing and disposal. Source: CertainTeed 2026 Limited Warranty, Code No. 00-02-5540-NA-EN.
- CertainTeed proration: 1/600 per month, 20% floor. After SureStart, CertainTeed’s maximum contribution is the replacement-shingle cost less 1/600 for each month since installation, labor excluded; on Lifetime products the reduction stops at 480/600 after year 40, leaving 20%. Source: CertainTeed 2026 Limited Warranty, Table 1 footnotes.
- IKO Iron Clad Protection: 60 to 180 months. Under the US warranty for shingles installed on or after February 1, 2025, Iron Clad runs 180 months on Dynasty, Nordic, Royal Estate, Crowne Slate and Armourshake, 120 months on Cambridge and 60 months on Marathon Plus AR. Source: IKO US Limited Warranty, asphalt shingles.
- IKO transfer cap: 10 years from installation. The original owner may transfer once during the first 10 years, with written notice received within 30 days of the real estate transfer; the transferee keeps coverage for a maximum of 10 years from the original installation date, after which all coverage expires. Source: IKO US Limited Warranty.
- Malarkey Right Start: 10 to 20 years. Highlander and Ecoasis carry 10 years, Vista 15 years, and Legacy and Windsor 20 years of non-prorated coverage, then reduce by 1/480 or 1/600 per month to a 20% floor for a primary residence. Source: Malarkey Shingle Limited Warranty, Rev. 02/26.
- Malarkey transfer: balance inside Right Start, 2 years after. One transfer from the original owner to the first subsequent owner; the application is due within 30 days of title transfer, or 60 days for roofs installed after July 2016. Sources: Malarkey Rev. 02/26; Malarkey Shingle Warranty Transfer Application.
- TAMKO transfer window: first 5 years. The original owner of TAMKO laminated shingles may transfer once during the first 5 years of the term (2 years for Elite Glass-Seal), with written notice within 30 days; Heritage and Proline lines carry a 10-year Full Start non-prorated period. Source: TAMKO Fiberglass/Asphalt Shingle Limited Warranty, effective March 31, 2024.
- Labor is excluded from prorated claims. During the prorated period the customer receives only a portion of the shingles’ cost, and the costs to remove existing shingles and install new shingles are not included. Source: NRCA, Professional Roofing, “30 years to life,” June 2011.
- Federal law bars branded-parts tie-ins. Under Section 102(c) of the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act, a warrantor cannot condition coverage on the consumer using specific branded parts or a specific service provider unless those are provided free or the FTC grants a waiver. Source: US Federal Trade Commission (15 U.S.C. 2301 et seq.).
How the coverage clock actually works
A shingle warranty has two stages. Stage one is the non-prorated period, 10 years on the standard GAF, Owens Corning, CertainTeed and TAMKO lifetime lines: the manufacturer covers the full cost of replacement material for a covered manufacturing defect, and labor too on CertainTeed SureStart, Owens Corning TruPROtection and Malarkey Right Start. Stage two is the prorated period, which fills the rest of the “lifetime” or fixed term; the remedy shrinks with each month or year of service and is capped at the value of replacement shingles, not the installed cost of a new roof.
The named non-prorated windows differ by brand. GAF sets its period at 10 years for the standard warranty (GAF, 2026). CertainTeed calls it SureStart and sets it at 10 years for its lifetime shingles (CertainTeed, 2026). Owens Corning calls it TruPROtection and sets it at 10 years for lifetime shingles on an owner-occupied single-family home (Owens Corning, 2026). IKO calls it Iron Clad Protection and sets it at 60 to 180 months by product (IKO, 2025). Malarkey calls it the Right Start Period and sets it at 10 to 20 years (Malarkey, Rev. 02/26). TAMKO calls it Full Start and sets it at 10 years on Heritage and Proline lines (TAMKO, 2024).
What a prorated claim actually pays
NRCA describes the prorated remedy directly: “Coverage for the remainder of a warranty’s length is limited to the cost of replacement shingles prorated by the amount of use received,” and “costs to remove existing shingles and install new shingles are not included” (NRCA, Professional Roofing, June 2011). A claim approved in year 20 of a “lifetime” roof therefore does not pay for a new roof; it pays a manufacturer-calculated fraction of the shingle cost, and the homeowner still pays tear-off and reinstallation labor.
Five of the six makers print the formula in the warranty itself; GAF’s comparison guide does not. The table applies each printed formula to a claim filed 15 years and 45 years after installation on a lifetime line on an owner-occupied single-family home.
| Brand and line | Non-prorated period | Published proration after it | Year-15 claim pays | Year-45 claim pays |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Owens Corning Duration, Oakridge | 10 years (TruPROtection) | Year 11 starts at 80%, reduced 2% each year to year 40; 20% from year 41 | 72% of material (Owens Corning’s own example), no labor | 20% of material |
| CertainTeed Landmark, Grand Manor | 10 years (SureStart) | Cost less 1/600 per month since installation; reduction capped at 480/600 | About 70% of material (1 minus 180/600) | 20% of material |
| TAMKO Heritage, Proline Titan XT | 10 years (Full Start) | Reduced 2% for each year elapsed to year 40; 20% from year 41 | About 70% of material | 20% of material |
| Malarkey Legacy, Windsor | 20 years (Right Start) | 1/600 per month, up to 480 months; 20% retained after year 40 | 100%, inside Right Start, installation included | 20% of material |
| Malarkey Highlander, Ecoasis | 10 years (Right Start) | 1/480 per month to a 20% floor | About 62.5% of material (1 minus 180/480) | 20% of material |
| IKO Dynasty, Nordic | 180 months (Iron Clad) | Reduction figure 384/480 for months 181 to 480, 432/480 from month 481 | 100%, month 180 is the last Iron Clad month | About 10% of material (1 minus 432/480) |
Roofing Brief calculation from the formulas printed in each maker’s current warranty (Owens Corning Pub. No. 10023873-H; CertainTeed 2026 Limited Warranty; TAMKO, effective March 31, 2024; Malarkey Rev. 02/26; IKO US warranty for installs on or after February 1, 2025). GAF does not print its prorated schedule on its comparison guide, so it is omitted. Wind, algae and workmanship coverage follow separate terms.
For a dollar worked example on a fixed-term product, see our 25-year shingle warranty payout example.
Transfers: where “lifetime” quietly becomes a fixed term
Each brand allows a single transfer, and most shorten the clock for the buyer. Owens Corning permits one transfer at any time during the warranty and requires the second owner to contact it within 60 days of the sale; the buyer gets the balance of coverage if the transfer falls inside the 10-year TruPROtection period, and 2 years if it falls after (Owens Corning, Pub. No. 10023873-H). GAF’s residential warranties can be transferred within the first year after the property transfer, per GAF’s transfer guidance, and a transfer after the 10-year non-prorated period shrinks coverage to two years (GAF Shingle & Accessory Limited Warranty, RESWT160L). CertainTeed allows one transfer from the original owner to the first subsequent owner; inside SureStart the buyer keeps the original terms, capped at 50 or 40 years on Lifetime lines, and after SureStart coverage drops to 2 years (CertainTeed, 2026). Malarkey passes the balance of the warranty inside Right Start and 2 years after it, with the application due within 30 days of title transfer, or 60 days for roofs installed after July 2016 (Malarkey). IKO allows a transfer only during the first 10 years, with notice within 30 days, and ends the transferee’s coverage 10 years after original installation (IKO, 2025). TAMKO allows one transfer during the first 5 years of the term, with written notice within 30 days (TAMKO, 2024).
For a homebuyer, a “lifetime” roof advertised in a listing may carry only the balance of a 10-year non-prorated window, or 2 years of prorated coverage, and only if the paperwork lands inside the brand’s deadline, which runs from 30 days (IKO, TAMKO) to one year (GAF).
Roof warranty transfer decision table
| If the roof on the home you are buying or selling is | What the buyer gets after a filed transfer | File within |
|---|---|---|
| Under 5 years old | Balance of coverage at Owens Corning, CertainTeed, Malarkey and TAMKO; IKO coverage still ends 10 years after installation | 30 days (IKO, TAMKO); 60 days (Owens Corning; Malarkey roofs installed after July 2016); 1 year (GAF) |
| 5 to 10 years old | Balance of coverage at Owens Corning, CertainTeed and Malarkey; TAMKO laminated warranties can no longer transfer | Same deadlines; ask the seller for the original proof of purchase, which IKO and Owens Corning require |
| Over 10 years old on a 10-year non-prorated line | 2 years of coverage (Owens Corning, CertainTeed, Malarkey Highlander, GAF standard); IKO allows no transfer after year 10 | Transfer is still worth filing for the 2-year window; budget the reroof on its own |
| Under a 20- to 50-year non-prorated tier (Malarkey Legacy, GAF Golden Pledge) | Balance of the non-prorated period at Malarkey; GAF lifetime passes only if transferred during the non-prorated period | 60 days (Malarkey, post-July 2016); 1 year (GAF) |
| Owned by an HOA, company or landlord | No “lifetime”: 40 years at GAF, Owens Corning and IKO, 480 months at TAMKO, 50 or 40 years at CertainTeed | Check the document for the shingle line and install date |
Common exclusions that void or limit coverage
NRCA lists exclusions common across asphalt shingle warranties: defects in or improper application of the roof deck or underlying material, inadequate attic ventilation, improper storage of shingles, and traffic or storage of materials on the roof (NRCA, 2011). The maker documents add their own: CertainTeed limits shingles on an inadequately ventilated deck to a 10-year warranty without SureStart (CertainTeed, 2026); TAMKO ends all obligations if a claim is not reported within 30 days of discovery (TAMKO, 2024); and IKO excludes damage from inadequate ventilation (IKO, 2025). Workmanship problems are outside the material warranty unless a certified-contractor system warranty was purchased. Under the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act the warranty must be designated Full or Limited, and the warrantor cannot tie coverage to specific branded parts or a specific installer unless those are supplied free or the FTC has granted a waiver (FTC, 15 U.S.C. 2301 et seq.).
Roofing Brief calculations (original synthesis)
The four figures below are original Roofing Brief calculations from the cited 2024 to 2026 warranty terms of GAF, Owens Corning, CertainTeed, IKO, Malarkey and TAMKO, not manufacturer-published statistics.
1. Median standard non-prorated period: 10 years
Roofing Brief calculation. Taking the documented non-prorated period for each brand’s flagship lifetime line, GAF 10 years, CertainTeed 10 years, Owens Corning 10 years, TAMKO 10 years and IKO 15 years, the median is 10 years. Limitation: Malarkey’s Right Start spans 10 to 20 years by product and is reported as a range rather than a single flagship figure, so it is excluded from the median. On a “lifetime” roof, full non-prorated coverage typically ends around year 10.
2. The CertainTeed proration curve
Roofing Brief calculation. Using CertainTeed’s published rate of 1/600 per month counted from installation, the shingle-material credit is 70% at 180 months (year 15), 50% at 300 months (year 25) and 25% at 450 months (year 37.5). On Lifetime products the reduction stops at 480/600 after year 40, so the credit holds at 20% from year 40 onward rather than reaching zero. Labor is excluded throughout. Limitation: the curve models CertainTeed’s stated formula only; Owens Corning and TAMKO reach the same 20% floor through a 2%-per-year schedule.
3. Transfer registration is a 60-day median deadline
Roofing Brief calculation. Of the brands that set a day-count deadline after a home sale, IKO (30 days), TAMKO (30 days), Owens Corning (60 days), Malarkey (60 days for roofs installed after July 2016) and GAF (one year, about 365 days), the median is 60 days. All six documented brands restrict the warranty to a single transfer. Limitation: CertainTeed’s 2026 warranty sets no day-count deadline, and deadlines vary by warranty tier and revision date.
4. One brand caps every transfer at 10 years; four cut late transfers to 2 years
Roofing Brief calculation. IKO caps a transferee at 10 years (120 months) from original installation regardless of when the sale happens. Owens Corning, CertainTeed, Malarkey and GAF instead pass on the balance of coverage inside the non-prorated period and cut a later transfer to 2 years, and TAMKO allows no transfer after year 5. Limitation: this is a count of documented brands, not an industry census; Atlas Roofing terms were not reviewed.
Tables
Table 1. Non-prorated period and transfer terms by brand
| Brand | Non-prorated period name | Non-prorated length | Transfers allowed | Registration window |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GAF | Smart Choice Protection Period | 10 years (standard); 50 years (System Plus and up) | Once | Within 1 year after sale |
| Owens Corning | TruPROtection | 10 years (owner-occupied single-family; 5 on other structures) | Once, any time; 2 years if after TruPROtection | 60 days after sale |
| CertainTeed | SureStart | 10 years (Lifetime lines) | Once; 2 years if after SureStart | No day-count stated; register at certainteed.com/warrantyreg |
| IKO | Iron Clad Protection | 60 to 180 months by product | Once, during first 10 years; transferee capped at 10 years from installation | 30 days after sale |
| Malarkey | Right Start Period | 10 to 20 years by product | Once; balance inside Right Start, 2 years after | 30 days after title transfer; 60 days for roofs installed after July 2016 |
| TAMKO | Full Start | 10 years (Heritage, Proline); 5 years (Elite Glass-Seal) | Once, during first 5 years (2 for Elite Glass-Seal) | Written notice within 30 days |
Sources: GAF Roof Warranty Comparison Guide (2026); Owens Corning Pub. No. 10023873-H (January 2026); CertainTeed 2026 Limited Warranty; IKO US Limited Warranty (installs on or after February 1, 2025); Malarkey Rev. 02/26; TAMKO (effective March 31, 2024).
Table 2. What is covered before and after the non-prorated period
| Item | Non-prorated period | Prorated period |
|---|---|---|
| Replacement shingle material | 100% of cost | Prorated share only (20% floor after year 40 at four brands) |
| Tear-off (removal) labor | Only on some lines (CertainTeed Lifetime “A” products) or system warranties | Excluded |
| Installation labor | Yes at CertainTeed, Owens Corning and Malarkey; system warranties elsewhere | Excluded |
| Basis of value | Full material cost | Reduced by months or years of use |
Source: NRCA, Professional Roofing, June 2011; brand warranty documents, 2024 to 2026.
Table 3. CertainTeed proration credit over time (Roofing Brief calculation)
| Year from install | Months | Shingle-material credit | Labor covered |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 to 10 | 0 to 120 | 100% (SureStart) | Yes, during SureStart |
| 15 | 180 | 70% | No |
| 25 | 300 | 50% | No |
| 37.5 | 450 | 25% | No |
| 40 and later | 480+ | 20% (reduction capped at 480/600) | No |
Roofing Brief calculation using CertainTeed’s published 1/600-per-month rate and the 480/600 cap on Lifetime products (CertainTeed 2026 Limited Warranty). The June 2026 version of this table showed the credit reaching 0% at 600 months; that was wrong, because the cap holds it at 20%.
Recommended charts
- Non-prorated window by brand (bar chart). Data: 10 years (GAF standard, Owens Corning, CertainTeed, TAMKO), 10 to 20 years (Malarkey), 60 to 180 months (IKO). Source: brand warranty documents. Insight: how few years of full coverage a “lifetime” warranty includes.
- Proration decay curve (line chart). Data: CertainTeed 1/600-per-month credit by year, flattening at 20% after year 40. Source: CertainTeed warranty, Roofing Brief calculation. Insight: the value of a prorated claim falling toward zero. Citation-worthy as a plain-language depreciation visual.
- Transfer registration deadline by brand (bar chart). Data: 30-day to one-year windows and the TAMKO 5-year window. Source: brand warranty documents. Insight: how easily a transfer lapses at closing.
- Covered vs excluded cost stack (stacked bar). Data: material vs labor share of a reroof, mapped to what a prorated claim pays. Source: NRCA labor-exclusion language. Insight: why an approved claim rarely funds a full roof.
Methodology
Source selection prioritized primary documents: manufacturer limited warranty texts, the Federal Trade Commission’s Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act materials, and the National Roofing Contractors Association’s Professional Roofing analysis. Each brand figure was taken from that brand’s own published warranty language or its official warranty resource pages, re-checked on October 28, 2026 against GAF’s 2026 comparison guide, Owens Corning Pub. No. 10023873-H, CertainTeed’s 2026 Limited Warranty (Code No. 00-02-5540-NA-EN), the IKO US warranty for installs on or after February 1, 2025, Malarkey Rev. 02/26 and TAMKO’s March 31, 2024 warranty. That check corrected four June 2026 figures: Malarkey’s Right Start (now 10 to 20 years, not 7 to 20), Malarkey’s transfer terms (balance of coverage, 60-day window for post-July 2016 roofs, not a 10-year cap), IKO’s transfer rule (no 2-year tail; 30-day notice) and the CertainTeed curve (20% floor, not zero). Where a brand publishes ranges by product line (IKO, Malarkey, TAMKO), the range is reported rather than a single number. Conflicting or version-dependent figures were resolved in favor of the most recent published warranty document and flagged as version-dependent. Derived numbers are computed only from cited inputs and are labeled as Roofing Brief calculations. Figures that could not be verified from a retrieved source, including any claim-denial or approval rates, were excluded rather than estimated. Geography is the United States and Canada. Warranty terms change by product line and revision; verify the document in force on the installation date before relying on any figure. Last updated October 2026.
Source quality ranking
Tier 1 (primary): US Federal Trade Commission, Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act (15 U.S.C. 2301 et seq.); manufacturer limited warranty documents from GAF, Owens Corning, CertainTeed, IKO, Malarkey, and TAMKO; National Roofing Contractors Association, Professional Roofing.
Tier 2 (credible secondary): Manufacturer official warranty resource and comparison pages that reproduce warranty terms.
Tier 3 (expert commentary): Established roofing-contractor explainers used only to locate primary documents, not as the basis for any figure.
Excluded: Unsourced roundup pages, AI-generated summaries, and any figure not traceable to a retrieved primary document. The Roofing Brief did not review Atlas Roofing warranty specifics in this pass.
Journalist-friendly additions
Most quotable statistics
- Full, non-prorated coverage on a “lifetime” shingle roof typically ends around year 10 (GAF, Owens Corning, CertainTeed and TAMKO standard warranties, 2024 to 2026).
- After the non-prorated period, a warranty claim pays a prorated share of shingle material only, with tear-off and installation labor excluded (NRCA, 2011).
- On a corporate, HOA, or apartment building, GAF’s “lifetime” warranty is capped at 40 years (GAF, 2026).
- IKO limits a warranty transferee to 120 months from original installation (IKO US Limited Warranty, 2025).
- Owens Corning, CertainTeed, Malarkey and TAMKO stop prorating a lifetime shingle claim at 20% of material value after year 40 (brand warranty documents, 2024 to 2026).
- Owens Corning gives a home buyer 60 days after the sale to transfer its warranty, and allows only one transfer (Owens Corning, 2026).
Data limitations
Warranty terms vary by product line, tier and revision date: Malarkey alone carries 10-, 15- and 20-year Right Start periods, and IKO 60-, 120- and 180-month Iron Clad periods. This report does not include claim-approval or claim-denial rates because no verified claims dataset was available; statements about “what gets paid” describe the documented coverage mechanics, not observed claim outcomes. Atlas Roofing terms were not reviewed. GAF’s prorated schedule is not reproduced because its comparison guide does not print it.
Downloadable dataset recommended fields
Fields, matching the terms printed in the GAF, Owens Corning, CertainTeed, IKO, Malarkey and TAMKO documents: brand; product line; warranty tier; non-prorated period name; non-prorated length (years); prorated schedule; labor covered in non-prorated period (yes/no); transfers allowed (count); transfer fee (USD); transfer registration deadline; second-owner cap; “lifetime” definition; non-residential cap (years); source document; source URL; document revision date.
Press summary (about 150 words)
A “lifetime” asphalt shingle warranty is a limited warranty, not free-roof-for-life coverage. Parsing the current published warranties of GAF, Owens Corning, CertainTeed, IKO, Malarkey, and TAMKO, The Roofing Brief finds that full, non-prorated coverage typically ends around year 10, after which claims pay only a prorated share of shingle material, falling to 20% after year 40 at four brands, and exclude the tear-off and installation labor that make up much of a reroof bill. “Lifetime” applies only to individual-owned single-family homes; GAF and Owens Corning cap the same warranty at 40 years on corporate or multi-unit buildings. Each brand allows one transfer, registered within 30 days to one year of a sale depending on the brand, and a transfer after the non-prorated period typically leaves the buyer 2 years of coverage. The National Roofing Contractors Association cautions that warranty length “should not be the primary criterion” when choosing shingles. Terms vary by product and revision; homeowners should read the specific warranty document.
Suggested headlines
- Your “Lifetime” Roof Warranty Really Lasts About 10 Years
- What a Roof Warranty Actually Pays: Shingles Yes, Labor No
- The 60-Day Trap That Voids a Home’s Roof Warranty at Closing
- When “Lifetime” Becomes 40 Years: The Corporate Roof Warranty Loophole
- How a Transferred Roof Warranty Quietly Shrinks to a 10-Year Clock
Frequently asked questions
How long is a shingle warranty actually non-prorated?
For the standard lifetime warranties of GAF, CertainTeed, Owens Corning and TAMKO, the non-prorated period is 10 years on a single-family home; Malarkey’s Right Start runs 10 to 20 years and IKO’s Iron Clad 60 to 180 months by product (brand warranty documents, 2024 to 2026).
What does “prorated” mean for a roof claim?
After the non-prorated period, the payout is reduced by how many months or years of service the roof has delivered and is limited to a share of replacement shingle material, with removal and installation labor excluded (NRCA, 2011). Owens Corning’s own example pays 72% of material on a year-15 claim.
Does a roof warranty cover labor?
Labor is covered during the non-prorated period at CertainTeed (SureStart), Owens Corning (TruPROtection) and Malarkey (Right Start), and on certified-contractor system warranties; in the prorated period the tear-off and installation labor are excluded (NRCA, 2011; brand documents).
What does “lifetime” mean on a shingle warranty?
It means as long as the original owner, or a properly registered second owner, owns the single-family detached home; for corporations, HOAs, apartments and other non-individual owners GAF and Owens Corning cap the warranty at 40 years (GAF, 2026; Owens Corning, 2026).
Is a lifetime warranty still lifetime on a rental or apartment building?
No. GAF, Owens Corning and IKO cap the warranty at 40 years for corporations, HOAs, apartment, office and multi-use buildings, TAMKO at 480 months, and CertainTeed at 50 or 40 years depending on the line (brand warranty documents).
Is a roof warranty transferable to a new owner?
Usually once. Owens Corning allows one transfer filed within 60 days of the sale; GAF one, with notice within one year; Malarkey one, within 60 days for roofs installed after July 2016; IKO and TAMKO one, with written notice within 30 days (brand warranty documents, 2024 to 2026).
Does the warranty stay “lifetime” after I sell?
Often not. IKO caps a transferee at 10 years from original installation, TAMKO allows no transfer after year 5, and Owens Corning, CertainTeed and Malarkey cut a transfer made after the non-prorated period to 2 years (brand warranty documents).
Is there a fee to transfer a roof warranty?
None of the Owens Corning (January 2026), CertainTeed (2026), IKO (2025), Malarkey (Rev. 02/26) or TAMKO (2024) warranty documents lists a transfer fee; they require proof of purchase and, at IKO and Owens Corning, property transfer or ownership documents.
What voids a shingle warranty?
Common exclusions include roof deck or underlayment defects, inadequate attic ventilation, improper shingle storage, and traffic or material storage on the roof (NRCA, 2011); CertainTeed limits shingles on an inadequately ventilated deck to a 10-year warranty.
Can a manufacturer require me to use its own branded parts to keep coverage?
Not unless it provides them free or holds an FTC waiver; Section 102(c) of the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act bars branded-parts tie-ins (FTC, 15 U.S.C. 2301 et seq.).
Related reports
See our Roofing Warranty Comparison Database (2026) for the full tier structures, the Roof Replacement Frequency Report for how often roofs actually reach warranty age, the Roof Age at Home Sale Report for the transfer context, and the Insurance Non-Renewal by Roof Age report. Start at the Roofing Brief Learn hub.
Reviewed by The Roofing Brief Team. Last reviewed: October 2026.