Do Gutter Guards Void Your Roof Warranty?

You paid for a roof. Now a guard company wants to put something on the edge of it. It is fair to ask whether that could cost you the shingle warranty.

The short answer: a gutter guard does not void a roof warranty just by being there. What can cause trouble is how it is attached. This guide goes through what a shingle maker’s own bulletin says to avoid, what a hurricane-rated roof adds, what a guard maker’s warranty does and does not cover, and the questions to ask before you sign.

Where the Warranty Question Really Comes From

Gutter guards attach in one of two broad ways. Some mount to the gutter itself. Others slide up under the first row of shingles so the guard sits flat from the roof to the gutter lip. The second kind is the one that raises the roof warranty question, because it means touching the roof.

Bob Vila’s guard review says prying up the lower shingles to fit slip-under guards “voids certain roof warranties.” It tells buyers with concerns to “contact the shingle manufacturer before installing” this type (Bob Vila). Note the word “certain.” Not every shingle warranty reads the same, and that is the first thing to know. The rule for your roof is in your roof’s paperwork, not in a general article.

Atlas, another shingle maker, puts the same idea in a sentence on its website: improperly installed guards “could void the shingle warranty” (Atlas Roofing).

What One Shingle Maker’s Bulletin Says

The clearest document we could read is a technical bulletin from Atlas Roofing titled “Gutter Covers and Atlas Asphalt Shingles.” It gives a direct answer, and the answer is not “never.”

Atlas says that in most instances, gutter covers installed in accordance with good roofing practices and the guard maker’s written instructions “do not have an impact on the Atlas asphalt shingle warranty.” Then it lists what to avoid. Skip any gutter cover whose instructions require:

• Fasteners that go through the shingles to hold the guard in place.
• Removing and replacing shingles during the install.
• Removing or leaving out the drip edge, the metal strip along the roof edge.
• Trimming, cutting or changing the shingles.
• Removing the underlayment or installing the guard under it.

(Atlas technical bulletin)

Two more points from the same bulletin are easy to miss. Atlas suggests homeowners not install guards themselves unless they can get the guard maker’s instructions, and it recommends a professional who knows good roofing practices. And it says its shingle warranties “exclusively” cover manufacturing defects of the shingles, not the gutter covers or damage from installing them.

Read that last line twice. A shingle warranty is a promise about shingles. If a guard installer cracks a shingle or lets water under the edge, the shingle maker is not going to pay for that. That is why the install method matters more than the brand name on the box.

One caution. That bulletin is from Atlas. Your shingles may come from GAF, Owens Corning, CertainTeed, IKO or someone else, and each maker writes its own rules. The Atlas list is a good guide to what makers worry about, but it is not your warranty. Your roofer or your warranty paperwork has the maker’s name on it. Ask for the maker’s gutter cover guidance in writing.

Putting guards on a roof you just paid for? Call (727) 857-3714 or get a free estimate. Chris will look at your roof edge and your gutters and go over the options with you in person.

What a Hurricane-Rated Roof Adds

If your roof was built or redone to the FORTIFIED standard from the Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety, there is a second set of rules. FORTIFIED is a set of storm-resistance details, and it pays close attention to the roof edge.

FORTIFIED’s technical bulletin on leaf guards and gutters explains why. The program’s roof edge detail has the drip edge, a fully adhered starter strip and the first row of shingles locked together, and it says “anything that interrupts the edge details” can disqualify a home from a new roof designation. On guards, it is specific: a leaf guard put in by “insertion under the shingle or starter strip” interrupts that edge, and the home will not qualify for the “New Roof” designation.

The same bulletin shows the way around it. Leaf guards “may be installed underneath or adjacent to the drip edge” without interrupting the details (FORTIFIED technical bulletin FH 2023-09).

So there are two different questions, and they are easy to mix up. One is whether a guard voids a shingle warranty. The other is whether a guard keeps a FORTIFIED designation. A slide-under guard can be a problem for the second even when the first is fine. If you have a FORTIFIED roof or plan to get one, tell any guard company before they quote. Our post on how much gutter guards cost in Florida touches the same point in its list of price factors.

What the Guard Maker’s Warranty Covers

The shingle warranty is one document. The guard warranty is another, and it has its own conditions.

ONE Gutter Guard’s maker, UMD, publishes its warranty. The 20 year performance warranty covers clogging of the gutter interior when the product is “installed to our factory specifications.” If it fails, the maker may replace the failing insert or refund the cost of the guard material. Labor and installer shipping are not included. To validate the warranties, UMD asks owners to complete a form “within 90 days of installation,” and it says the warranties are void for improper installation or damage during installation (ONE Gutter Guard warranty). Lock N Mesh carries a lifetime material defects warranty.

Notice what is not in there. Neither warranty covers your roof, and neither promises anything about your shingles. They are promises about the guard. That is normal for a guard warranty, and it is why you want to settle the roof question separately, with your shingle maker’s rules in hand.

It also shows the other half of the problem. A guard maker’s warranty depends on a correct install. A shingle maker’s warranty depends on nothing being done to the shingles. The right install satisfies both.

What We Can and Cannot Tell You About Ours

Rain Storm Solutions installs two guards, ONE Gutter Guard and Lock N Mesh, both micro-mesh. Which one fits your house depends on your trees and your roof. If your home has pine trees, we fit ONE Gutter Guard only. With no pines, you can choose, and roof type is part of the decision. Our ONE Gutter Guard and Lock N Mesh pages show the differences.

Here is where we hold the line. The maker pages we read give warranty terms but do not spell out, in words we can point to, exactly how each guard attaches to a roof edge. So we are not going to tell you in a blog post that any guard is safe for any roof. Chris goes over the options with you at the estimate, with your roof in front of him. That is also when to hand him your shingle paperwork.

Guards are not a “never clean again” product, either. They cut the work down to a rare rinse. Our post on whether gutter guards need maintenance covers what upkeep still looks like, including the spots near splash shields.

Who Pays If Something Goes Wrong

Say a guard install cracks a shingle, or water gets under the roof edge a month later. Who is responsible?

Not the shingle maker. Atlas says its warranties cover manufacturing defects of the shingles and not damage due to a guard’s installation. Not the guard maker either: the ONE Gutter Guard warranty is for the product, and the maker voids it for damage during installation. That leaves the installer’s own workmanship warranty, and it is the one most people never read.

So ask any installer what their workmanship warranty covers and whether it reaches roof damage they cause, and get the answer in writing. Ours is a 20 year installation warranty that covers leaks and faulty installation on gutters and downspouts. It is about the gutter work. Ask the same question of everyone you are comparing, because it shows who stands behind the job.

Questions to Ask Before You Sign

Take these to any guard company, ours included.

• How does it attach? To the gutter, under the shingles, or through the shingles. Ask for the answer in writing.
• Does the attachment match your shingle maker’s rules? Ask to see the maker’s guidance for gutter covers, not a sales line that says “approved.”
• Does it touch the drip edge or the underlayment? Atlas lists removing the drip edge and working under the underlayment as methods to avoid.
• Is your roof FORTIFIED, or will it be? If so, say so before anyone quotes.
• What does the guard warranty need from the install? For ONE Gutter Guard, factory specifications and registration within 90 days.
• Who is on the ladder? The same Atlas bulletin recommends a professional who knows good roofing practices, not a rushed crew.

If a company says its guards “never affect any warranty,” treat that as a reason to ask for the paperwork. Warranties differ by maker and by shingle line.

We serve Hernando, Pasco and Citrus counties, from Spring Hill and Brooksville to Inverness. Call (727) 857-3714 or get a free estimate, and see our gutter guards page for how the job works.