Roof Warranties in Canada: What a Lifetime Shingle Warranty Really Pays, and Who Covers a Leak

On this page

1. Which warranty pays for your leak
2. What "lifetime" means on a shingle warranty
3. What shrinks or voids a shingle warranty
4. The roofer's warranty, and why it matters more than the brochure
5. Selling or buying a house with a newer roof
6. How to make a claim without losing it
7. Questions Canadians ask about roof warranties

Which warranty pays for your leak

Three promises sit on one roof, and each covers a different failure. The shingle maker covers factory defects, with separate wind and algae terms. The defect promise itself is narrow. IKO's warranty applies "only for a manufacturing defect that significantly affects the water shedding performance of the product."

The maker doesn't cover the installation. In its own certified-roofer warranty, IKO says it "does not warrant or guarantee or make any representation whatsoever regarding the workmanship of this or any other contractor." BP's warranty excludes water that gets in because the shingles or flashing were installed badly. The work itself falls under the roofer's own workmanship warranty.

Hail damage belongs to neither of them. IKO and BP both exclude it, along with other acts of nature. The Insurance Bureau of Canada says standard home insurance policies cover damage caused by hail or wind. None of the four makers pays for water damage inside the house, either.

So the rule of thumb is short. A defect in the shingle goes to the maker, a fault in the work goes to the roofer, and a storm goes to your insurer.

What "lifetime" means on a shingle warranty

It means your ownership, not the roof's life. IKO defines lifetime as lasting "so long as the Owner owns the building", and BP and Owens Corning also require that you live in the house. Sell it, and the warranty ends unless it's transferred. A condo or a company-owned house gets 40 years from IKO, Owens Corning, GAF and BP on its Mystique and Signature lines. Rental coverage depends on the maker.

None of the makers promises durability, either. IKO says its warranty periods "are not guarantees of the useful lifetime of the Shingles". BP says plainly that its lifetime warranty is no promise about how long its shingles will last. What decides that is sun, shade, summer heat and how well the attic breathes, not the number printed on the bundle.

The full-coverage years, and what they leave out

Each maker splits its lifetime warranty into a short stretch of full coverage and a long tail of shrinking payments.

What four makers' lifetime shingle warranties pay

Lifetime means for as long as the original owner owns the single-family home, and BP and Owens Corning also require that you live in it. A square is 100 sq ft of roof. Each row is the maker's own document for its lifetime lines.

Two makers give 15 full years (IKO and BP) and two give 10 (Owens Corning and GAF). "Full" means new shingles plus some labour, and BP caps it at what the original job cost. It doesn't mean a new roof. None of the four standard warranties pays to tear off the old shingles or haul them away, and on a re-roofing quote that's real money. Flashing and metal work fall outside all four, and IKO and BP leave out vents too. So even a claim inside the full-coverage years leaves you paying for part of the job.

What the maker pays once those years run out

After year 15 (or year 10), labour drops out entirely and the shingle money shrinks. IKO pays 20% of the cost of replacement shingles from year 16 and 10% after year 40. Its own worked example lands on exactly that 20%. BP pays a fixed dollar amount per square instead: $9 for Mystique, $10 for Signature and $15 for Vangard. Owens Corning's example is 72% of the product cost in year 15, with no labour. GAF reduces its payment by the months the roof has been on out of 600, so a claim at 25 years gets 50%.

Now put a real roof under those numbers. A roof of 20 squares is 2,000 sq ft of roof surface. If all 20 squares qualify for a claim, BP's year-16 payment is 20 times $9, or $180. Our planning budget for replacing asphalt shingles runs $5 to $11 per square foot of roof area, tear-off and disposal included, which puts the same 2,000 sq ft at $10,000 to $22,000. That's the gap the word "lifetime" papers over.

Payouts that small are the best argument for judging a shingle by its weight and build, not by the length of its warranty.

What shrinks or voids a shingle warranty

Before proration comes up, a claim has to survive the exclusions, and these are the ones you can do something about.

What the fine print punishes

1. Weak attic ventilation, because all four makers exclude damage it causes and IKO and BP cut the warranty to 10 years on an unventilated or insulated deck.
2. Spray foam insulation in the attic, which IKO excludes outright.
3. Anything added to the roof later, such as a skylight, a satellite dish or solar panels, because IKO excludes damage that follows an alteration.
4. A repair the maker didn't approve first, since IKO won't pay for repairs unless it authorized them in writing and Owens Corning wants every cost pre-approved.
5. IKO limits slopes from 2 in 12 to below 4 in 12 to 12 years of coverage for materials only. Its specified installation methods can preserve regular coverage from 3 in 12.
6. Water from ice dams, which IKO doesn't cover.
7. New shingles laid over an old layer, which ends the five extra years of IKO's certified-roofer warranty.

Ventilation is the one exclusion all four makers share, so the fix belongs on the quote: a scope line saying what intake and exhaust venting the roofer will install. If you're planning attic work too, talk to an insulation contractor about how much attic insulation your home needs before the roof goes on. And since IKO won't cover ice-dam leaks, keeping your eavestroughs clear before freeze-up is warranty maintenance as much as housekeeping.

The roofer's warranty, and why it matters more than the brochure

The shingle maker won't touch the work, so ask what the roofer's workmanship warranty covers. Get it on paper, and make sure it answers four things. How long does it last? What does it cover: leaks at the flashing, nailing faults, the vents? Does it pay for damage inside the house from a covered leak? And does a later owner get it?

Quebec's consumer protection office puts it plainly: "If a document detailing the warranty exists, you should request a copy. Otherwise, ask the contractor to write the warranty details on your invoice or in your contract." That works in every province.

We'd take a shorter written promise from a roofer with a long track record over a long one from a company that opened last spring. When you shortlist roofing contractors near you, ask each for its warranty wording before you look at prices. And if you hired a roofer through us and they don't stand behind the work, our satisfaction guarantee means we'll work with you and the roofer in good faith to sort it out.

When the roofer is certified by the maker

You don't have to register a standard shingle warranty. None of the four makers asks you to, and IKO's form says, in capitals, "DO NOT SEND TO IKO." Registration belongs to the extended warranties, and the roofer files it.

IKO's upgrade is the ROOFPRO extended warranty, sold only through its certified roofers. On roofs installed from January 15, 2026, it stretches full coverage to 20 years. For the original owner, it also pays a reasonable allowance to tear off and dispose of the old shingles. The roofer must apply online within 90 days of finishing, with proof of purchase and a $75 processing fee. IKO is blunt that the warranty "will not be in effect until the homeowner receives written confirmation of approval". The roof has to qualify, too. It needs at least three IKO accessories and a slope of 4 in 12 or steeper. It must be a whole single-family roof of 10 to 100 squares. And the attic must be vented to the highest of ARMA's, IKO's or the local code's standard. Shingles laid over an old layer void the extra five years.

BP's version is called Weather-Tite. It needs a BP Certified Roofer and registration, plus BP shingles, hip and ridge and starter, and BP or CertainTeed eave protection and underlayment. On Mystique it pays tear-off and disposal in years 1 to 4, then everything except disposal to year 50. The roofer submits the form, and BP emails the warranty to the roofer, not to you. Ask for the extended warranty number.

Neither upgrade covers the roofer's workmanship. And an upgrade pays off mainly if you'll stay in the house long enough to use it. If you might sell within a few years, we'd skip it.

The warranty the law gives you in Ontario and Quebec

In Ontario, the roofer owes you a warranty whether or not anyone writes one down. Section 9(1) of the Consumer Protection Act, 2002 says: "The supplier is deemed to warrant that the services supplied under a consumer agreement are of a reasonably acceptable quality." Section 9(3) voids any term that tries to cancel or change that warranty. Ontario has passed a replacement, the Consumer Protection Act, 2023, but it isn't in force yet. It carries the same deemed warranty in its section 13. So a roofer who does sloppy work can't contract out of it, whatever the paper warranty says or leaves out.

Quebec covers the materials too. Its Office de la protection du consommateur says the goods you buy for renovation work come with warranties set by law, and that "These warranties apply automatically and without charge." They must do the job they're meant for, last a reasonable time and have no hidden defects. You can take a problem to the merchant, the manufacturer or both, and "A merchant may not require that you deal with the manufacturer."

The makers admit as much in their own fine print. IKO's and BP's warranties both tell you that you may have other legal rights that vary by province. IKO's clauses on binding arbitration and its one-year time limit for suing don't apply to Quebec consumers. Extended warranties sold in Quebec carry a legal-warranty notice and a 10-day right to cancel the add-on, as printed on IKO's own ROOFPRO form.

We're not lawyers. If a claim is big enough to fight over, have a lawyer or your province's consumer protection office read your documents before you send anything.

Selling or buying a house with a newer roof

A shingle warranty doesn't follow the house on its own: someone has to tell the maker by a deadline, and the four makers disagree about who.

Selling the house: who tells the maker, and by when

Each maker allows one transfer. IKO's warranty ends at the original owner's death if it was never transferred.

With IKO the paperwork is the seller's job, so a buyer should ask before closing whether the notice went in. Owens Corning and GAF put the job on the buyer instead. IKO and Owens Corning both want proof of purchase with the transfer, one more reason to keep the roofer's invoice with the house papers. A home inspector can tell you what shape the roof is in, but not what its paperwork says. For that, ask the seller. If you're buying, it helps to know what a home inspection costs and covers before you book one.

A roof on a brand-new house

On a newly built house, check whether a provincial warranty program covers the roof as well.

A roof on a new house: what the provincial warranty covers

In Ontario and Alberta, the coverage stays with the house when it's sold.

Start with the provincial program. It covers the builder's work, while the shingle warranty covers only the product. IKO treats the first person to live in a new house bought from the builder as the shingles' original owner, so the full lifetime terms apply to you. Elsewhere in Canada, ask new home builders which program covers the house before you sign.

How to make a claim without losing it

The deadlines are short, and they run from the day you notice the problem. The IKO shingle warranty wants a call within 30 days of becoming aware of it, and the requested materials within 30 days of discovery. That means proof of purchase naming the IKO model, the quantity and the purchase date, clear colour photos, and two complete sample shingles from the roof, shipped at your cost. IKO then responds within about 60 days of having everything. Owens Corning and GAF also want notice within 30 days. BP's current document gives only a claims phone line and email. Its January 2026 edition asked for written notice within 30 days, so act inside a month there too.

Contact the maker before repairs. IKO won't pay for repairs "whether temporary or permanent" unless it agreed to them in writing first. Owens Corning says a claim "may be denied" if you repair or replace before it has decided. GAF says the same. Ask for a copy of the supplier's receipt along with the roofer's invoice.

If the roofer won't honour a workmanship claim, follow the order Quebec's consumer office sets out. It works anywhere: negotiate, then send a formal notice, then go to small claims court. If you haven't paid the final bill yet, read up on the holdback that protects you while the job is unpaid before you withhold any money.

Keep these papers with the house documents

1. The roofer's invoice, naming the shingle brand, the product line, the number of bundles or squares and the date the job finished.
2. The roofer's workmanship warranty in writing, with how long it lasts and what it covers.
3. The maker's written approval, or the warranty number, for any extended warranty you paid for.
4. The line in the scope that shows the ventilation work, with intake at the eaves and exhaust near the ridge.
5. A copy of the maker's warranty that applies to your purchase or installation date.
6. Photos of the finished roof and the attic, taken the week the job ends.
7. Outside Quebec, keep a copy of any written opt-out you send IKO within 45 days of installation or a valid warranty transfer.

Questions Canadians ask about roof warranties

Short answers to six roof warranty questions, taken from the documents and the law.

Does a roof warranty cover hail damage?

Not the shingle maker's. IKO lists hail among the causes it won't cover, and BP excludes hailstorms by name. Hail is a home insurance claim. The Insurance Bureau of Canada says standard home policies cover damage from hail or wind, including water that comes in through openings the storm suddenly creates. Damage that was already there before the storm isn't covered.

Does a shingle warranty pay for water damage inside the house?

No. IKO, BP, Owens Corning and GAF all exclude it. IKO rules out damage to the building, inside or out, and to anything in it. BP and GAF exclude the same damage, and GAF names mould. If water came in during a storm, call your insurer. If it came in because of how the roof was put on, the roofer is your first call.

How long should a roofer warranty their work?

Ontario's consumer law doesn't set a number of years for a roofer's own guarantee. It sets a standard instead. The work must be of "reasonably acceptable quality", whatever the written warranty says. Quebec's consumer protection office tells you to get the contractor's warranty in writing, on the contract or the invoice. We'd take a shorter written promise from a roofer with a long track record over a long one from a new company.

Does a roof warranty transfer when you sell the house?

Once, and only if the maker hears about it in time. IKO and BP want written notice within 30 days of the sale, and IKO allows it only in the roof's first 10 years. Owens Corning gives the buyer 60 days, and GAF gives the buyer a year. With BP, Owens Corning or GAF, a sale after the first 10 years leaves the buyer two years of cover at most.

Does Tarion cover a roof leak on a new home?

Yes, for two years from the day you take possession. Tarion's second-year coverage includes defects in work or materials that let water into the building envelope. It continues even if the home is sold. After that, only major structural defects are covered, until the seventh anniversary. IKO also treats the first person to live in a new house bought from the builder as the shingles' original owner.

How do I find out if my roof is still under warranty?

Start with the roofer's invoice. It should name the shingle brand, the product and the date the job finished. The purchase and installation dates help identify which warranty edition applies. If you bought the house, ask the seller whether the warranty transfer was filed in time. No paperwork at all? The roofer who did the job is your best lead, and each maker's warranty tells you how to reach its claims department.

Before you sign, get the invoice wording and the workmanship warranty in writing, and compare roofers on what they'll put on paper rather than on the length of the shingle warranty. Start with roofing contractors near you and ask each one for both.