The roofing industry has recently made some amazing changes to the warranties on shingles (or at least their marketing departments would like you to think so). There haven’t been any actual changes made to the shingles, but now they have “LIFETIME LIMITED WARRANTIES”. Once one of their marketing departments came up with this idea, they all jumped on the bandwagon. 
Many years ago, the quality of roofing shingles was designated by the weight. The heavier the shingle, the more it cost and the longer it would last. Builders of tract housing at the time, typically used the lightest shingles and they were lucky if they lasted 15 years. We didn’t install anything less than 25 year type shingles and they weighed around 300 pounds per square (one square = 100 square feet or a 10′ x 10′ area). I distinctly remember that they were heavy, because part of my job, starting out was to carry them up to the roof top!
Now shingles are lighter and they are being marketed as “lifetime”. Why???….not because it has been scientifically determined that they will last a lifetime, but because you are more likely to purchase them. If you closely examine the warranty, you will understand that these companies are not really taking very much risk. Specifics vary by manufacturer, but for the most part the warranties cover defects in the manufacturing of the shingle. I once had a manufacturer’s rep tell me on a job site that…
They don’t care if it leaks or if the shingles are installed upside down, as long as they were manufactured properly.
These warranties are designed to protect the companies that sell the products. They are not designed to help you, and as such you should not make your decisions about what to use for your property on warranty length. These new “Lifetime” warranties only apply to individual homeowners with single family homes. If you have a commercial building or a church, the older 30 -40 or 50 year warranties still apply.
All asphalt shingle product warranties currently available in the U.S. and Canada provide for remedy only if shingles contain manufacturing defects that adversely affect performance; manufacturers determine whether the shingles are defective. Defects in application labor are not covered by asphalt shingle warranties.
Of all of the problems that I have seen with shingle roofs over my many years in the business, almost all of them have been due to poor installation. This would not be covered!
The warranty claims process is also very rigorous. You have to follow specific detailed instructions and everything has to be documented out the wazoo. If you want to make sure that the investment in your shingle roof lasts as long as possible, make sure that you partner with a good quality roofing company. One that has been in the business for a while, has good references that you can talk to, is licensed and insured.
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This article is states all the truth about the warranty. Manufacturers all the time have the contractors to blame so they are of the hook.
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