If you have visible, non weather-related damage to your roof, you most likely have defective shingles. There are currently thousands of roofs with CertainTeed shingles that are deteriorating at a much quicker pace than the industry standard. This is due to a manufacturer defect. This defect was so widespread that many lawsuits were filed against CertainTeed over the past few years, lawsuits which eventually became one large class-action lawsuit. In February of 2010, CertainTeed entered into an agreement to settle the class-action alleging that their organic asphalt shingles manufactured from July 1, 1987 through 2005 are subject to premature failure. Please be aware that this defective roof shingle issue also looks like the manufacture ATLAS Chalet Shingles and it’s Class Action Law Suite. Here is a link to that Blog ATLAS Defective Shingles.
So, what does this defect look like? The defective shingles deteriorate in similar patterns including cracking, curling, pitting, blistering, balding and degranulation. These organic shingles were made with recycled paper materials as their base, as contrasted with the fiberglass base used in today’s shingles. Once the shingles experience granular loss, the UV rays from the sun deteriorate the paper materials rapidly. The recycled paper based organic shingles were designed to be a “green” product as they would break down more quickly once they made it to our area landfills.What specific shingles are involved? The settlement includes organic shingles under the brand name Hallmark, Independence, Horizon, Custom Sealdon, Sealdon, Hearthstead, Solid Slab, and Master Slab, among others. Although the settlement covers potential class members throughout the U.S. and Canada, the organic shingles in question were sold primarily in the upper Midwest.What typed of financial settlement should a qualified applicant expect? The settlement agreement provides enhanced compensation for the removal and replacement of organic shingles during the warranty period. The amount paid per claimant depends upon a number of factors including but not limited to; (1) whether the claimant originally purchased the shingles (or purchased the home within 5 years); (2) the terms of the warranty; (3) how many damaged shingles are on the roof; (4) how long the shingles have been on the roof; (5) whether the shingles are damaged as defined in the settlement Agreement; (6) whether the damage was due to a manufacturing defect or caused by circumstances outside of CertainTeed’s control; and (7) whether the claimant has already settled the warranty claim under CertainTeed’s standard warranty.At Scro’s Roofing Company we highly suggest you get your roof inspected to determine if you have this issue on your roof. You can call our office for more details regarding this issue (919) 891-8414.
