Transferring a Roof Warranty When You Sell Your Home

A roof warranty moves to a buyer only if its terms allow it, and the deadlines are short: GAF’s base shingle warranty for products installed after January 1, 2025 can be transferred once, with the new owner notifying GAF in writing within one year of the property transfer, while Owens Corning asks the new owner to contact it within 60 days and may charge a transfer fee upwards of $100. Both clocks start on the date the property changes hands.

Sellers carry the paperwork; buyers carry the deadline. If either side assumes the warranty simply “goes with the house,” the buyer can end up with less coverage than the listing promised, or none.

Can Your Warranty Transfer at All?

Start with the transfer clause in the warranty document itself. The National Roofing Contractors Association’s bulletin on roof system warranties notes that some warranties include “a prohibition against assignment or transfer of the warranty.” If yours does, there is nothing to file, and the buyer should know before closing.

If the clause allows a transfer, note three things: how many transfers are allowed, who must act and by when, and what happens to coverage after the transfer. Those answers can differ between a base product warranty and an enhanced warranty from the same maker, so read the document for the warranty you actually have. What each type of roof warranty covers explains the difference between them.

GAF and Owens Corning Transfer Terms Side by Side

The table below is a dated example of how much two makers’ terms can differ, as of November 2026. It is not a rule for other brands or older warranty versions: whatever maker is named on your paperwork, its own warranty document sets the count, the deadline and the fee.

The GAF terms come from the GAF Shingle & Accessory Limited Warranty, form RESWT160L-0426, which applies to products installed after January 1, 2025: “This limited warranty may be transferred only once,” and “the second owner must notify GAF in writing within one year after the property transfer.” If the transfer happens after the Smart Choice Protection period, “the length of this warranty shall be reduced to the two-year period after the ownership changes.”

The Owens Corning terms come from two places. The Owens Corning roofing warranty page says, as of November 2026, the new owner “must contact Owens Corning within 60 days after the date of the real estate transfer” and lists a “Transfer Fee, upwards of $100 (based on the terms of the warranty).” The Standard Product Limited Lifetime Warranty, Pub. No. 10023873-I printed August 2026 for shingles purchased after August 1, 2026, says the purchaser “may only transfer this limited lifetime warranty one time” and that a transfer after the non-prorated period reduces the balance “to a 2-year period after the date of ownership change.”

CertainTeed’s article My Roof Warranty: What It Is and What It Covers says a CertainTeed warranty “is only transferable by the original property owner to the first subsequent property owner,” that it is no longer transferable after one transfer, and that it “does not require a monetary fee to transfer.” The article does not give a notice deadline, so a CertainTeed buyer should contact the company right after closing.

Hypothetical example: Two houses close on the same day, and both buyers send notice on day 90. The first has shingles whose warranty gives the new owner one year to send written notice, so that buyer is well inside the window. The second has shingles whose maker wants contact within 60 days, so that buyer is a month late. Same closing date, same filing day, opposite results, because the clocks differ by maker.

A transfer inside the non-prorated period keeps far more coverage than one after it, when both GAF and Owens Corning cut the remaining term to two years. A seller with an older roof should not advertise the original term.

What the Seller Hands Over

A buyer can only file what the seller provides. Put these in one envelope or folder before listing:

• The warranty document itself, with its form or publication number.
• The original contract or invoice showing the install date, the product names and the installer.
• The registration confirmation for any enhanced warranty. GAF’s Residential Roofing Warranties page says enhanced warranties require registration, handled by the GAF Certified Contractor.
• The roofer’s workmanship warranty, if one exists.
• The permit number and final inspection record, where the job had a permit.
• Any record of a previous transfer, since each warranty above allows only one.

If you are missing the install date, the records that establish a roof’s age show where to look. State in the listing or disclosure which warranty exists and that the buyer must act within its deadline.

What the Buyer Files After Closing

Before closing, get the seller’s packet and confirm two facts: which warranty covers the roof, and whether it has already been transferred once. If the seller was the second owner, there may be nothing left to transfer. The buyer’s roof check before closing covers the inspection side of that decision.

After closing:

1. Mark the deadline on your calendar from the deed date: 60 days for Owens Corning, one year for GAF’s base shingle warranty.
2. For GAF, send written notice following the instructions on GAF’s residential warranties page, which says GAF “will need a copy of your deed or other proof of the date the property changed hands.”
3. For Owens Corning, contact the company within 60 days and pay any fee its warranty sets.
4. For CertainTeed, contact the company right away, since no deadline was published in the article cited above.
5. Keep the confirmation of the transfer with your closing papers.

If you find out that a deadline has already passed, write to the manufacturer anyway, explain the dates, and ask in writing what coverage remains. Do not assume an answer in either direction; get it on paper.

The Roofer’s Workmanship Warranty Is a Separate Request

The roofer’s own warranty is a contract between the roofer and the original owner. Whether it moves to a buyer depends entirely on its wording. Ask the roofer in writing whether the workmanship warranty transfers, what notice it requires, and whether it charges anything. If the answer is yes, ask for a short letter naming the new owner and the remaining term.

If the roofing company has closed, its workmanship warranty may have no one left to honor it, and the manufacturer’s warranty may be the only written coverage the buyer can rely on. That is one more reason for the buyer to confirm the manufacturer transfer on time.

Transfer Now or Lose Coverage: Reading Your Deadline

Find the manufacturer’s name on the warranty or invoice, then count from the date the property changed hands. Owens Corning gives 60 days; GAF’s base warranty gives one year. Those windows come from the current documents cited above, and a warranty issued for an older roof can carry different terms, so check the form or publication number on yours. If you cannot identify the maker yet, treat 60 days as your deadline, because it is the shortest stated window among the warranties above.

If the roof is past the non-prorated period, expect a transfer under the GAF or Owens Corning documents above to leave two years of coverage, and price the roof accordingly. If the warranty bars transfer, rely on the inspection rather than the paperwork.

A seller who wants the buyer to keep coverage can help by drafting the transfer notice with the buyer’s details ahead of closing, so the buyer only has to sign it, attach proof of the transfer date and send it by a method that gives proof of delivery. When the roof later needs work, the steps for choosing a roofer cover the next hire.

This guide is general information for U.S. homeowners, not legal, insurance, tax, or engineering advice. Codes, laws, and policy terms vary by location and change over time; confirm details with your local building department, your insurer, or a licensed professional.

Sources

• Roof System Warranties (Consumer Advisory Bulletin Issue 1), National Roofing Contractors Association
• GAF Shingle & Accessory Limited Warranty (RESWT160L-0426), GAF
• Owens Corning Roofing Warranties, Owens Corning
• Standard Product Limited Lifetime Warranty (Shingles + Accessories), Pub. No. 10023873-I, Owens Corning
• My Roof Warranty: What It Is and What It Covers, CertainTeed
• GAF Residential Roofing Warranties, GAF