I have a Malarkey roof in Lincoln. Do I still have a warranty?

If the shingles on your house are Malarkey, you probably still have a warranty. Registering it is not what creates it.

Malarkey says that on their own FAQ. You still have a warranty if nobody filled out a registration form. The warranty that was in effect the day the roof went on is the one that still applies, registered or not. They would rather you keep the invoice. A claim needs proof of purchase. You can register years later if you want to. You do not have to. [1]

The money question is the next one. A manufacturing defect, a workmanship promise, and a hail bruise do not get paid from the same document. In Lincoln the shingle warranty gets treated as the hail claim. It usually is not.

You did not have to register it

Standard shingle warranties go on a public form if you choose to register. Certified Pro, Premium, and Commercial warranties are different. The contractor registers those inside Malarkey’s portal. The homeowner form will not do it. [3]

What you should not do is treat today’s sample warranty on their website as the contract for a roof installed in 2014, or 2018, or last spring. Malarkey’s own guide says the limited warranty in effect at installation is the only one that counts, and that a sample on the website can differ from yours. If the paperwork is not in the closing packet, ask their warranty desk for the copy that matched your install date before you trust a number from a blog. Including this one. [2]

Which warranty you actually have

The ordinary Malarkey shingle warranty covers manufacturing defects. It comes with the product. Malarkey does not require the installer to be on an approved list for that coverage. [1]

It does not cover a bad install. The exclusions include improper fastening and installation that does not follow their written instructions. Wrong nails are a workmanship problem. The shingle warranty is the wrong pile of paper. [2]

A second warranty shows up only on certain jobs. A Malarkey Certified Premium contractor who installs a complete Secure Choice system, with at least four Malarkey accessories, can offer a 25-year workmanship warranty on that installation. Certified Pro is a separate enhanced warranty. Both get registered by the contractor, not by the public form. If your paperwork does not say Certified Premium, do not assume you have the 25-year workmanship piece. [3]

Then there is the promise in the roofing company’s own contract. That page is not Malarkey’s. If the company that wrote it is gone, Malarkey does not pick up their labor promise.

You bought the house after the roof went on

The warranty does not ride along with the deed.

Malarkey’s shingle warranty guide, revised February 2026, says a transfer application has to be completed within 60 days of the title change. During the Right Start period, only the original owner can transfer it, and only to the first next owner. If the transfer happens after the Right Start period, the guide says the next owner’s coverage is limited to two years from the title date. Miss the notice and Malarkey says the warranty does not transfer. [2]

Their website transfer form still describes a different clock. Thirty days after title transfer. Sixty days if the roof was installed after July 2016. Certified Pro and Premium warranties, on that same site, transfer once in the life of the warranty, within 60 days of title transfer, and they do not go on the standard form at all. That page sends Certified holders to a different application. [3] [4]

Those two pages do not say the same thing. Use the warranty that shipped with your roof, or get Malarkey to send the version for your install date. When they process a standard transfer, a confirmation is supposed to go to the new owner’s address within 45 days. The application needs proof of purchase. [4]

If the closing was months ago and nobody sent a transfer form, call Malarkey and ask what is left on that address. There is no second form that reopens a missed deadline.

Lifetime coverage has another catch. It stays in effect only while the house is the owner’s primary residence. Turn it into a rental and the lifetime piece does not stay. Churches, condos, and houses owned by a company get a shorter term, listed in the warranty for that shingle. [1] [2]

The shingles look wrong

File before you repair.

The claims procedure in the February 2026 guide says a claim has to be in writing within 30 days of discovery, and before any permanent repairs. Malarkey gets a chance to inspect and to ask for samples. Repairs you make before or during that look, without their written approval, are on you. If Malarkey denies it and you want to push, that same guide sends the dispute to binding arbitration, not to a Nebraska courtroom, and the arbitrator can make the losing side pay the winner’s legal fees. [2]

Email malarkey.warrantyinquiries@amrize.com. There is also a claims portal at malarkeyroofingwarrantyservices.com. The FAQ lists (888) 963-9501. The warranty guide lists (800) 545-1191. Use the number printed on your copy if you have one. [1] [2] [3]

A paid claim is not a new roof on their dime. In the Right Start period, if they agree the shingles have a manufacturing defect, they pay what they decide is a reasonable repair or replacement of the affected Malarkey products, plus the labor to put those products on. That excludes non-Malarkey accessories, metalwork, and flashing. They do not pay tear-off. They do not pay disposal. They do not pay to take solar panels off and put them back. They can choose to send materials and stop there. [2]

How long Right Start lasts depends on the shingle, and on the warranty from the year it was installed. In the February 2026 table, Highlander is 10 years, Vista is 15, and Legacy and Windsor are 20. After that window, the payment is prorated. On a primary residence it keeps falling until 20% of the replacement material value is left. You pay the gap. [2]

Hail is the Lincoln problem this warranty usually does not touch. The exclusions include hailstorms and impact from foreign objects. Wind blow-off is covered, but on its own 15-year clock inside the same warranty, only up to the wind speed listed for that shingle, and only if the shingles actually sealed. A ridge cap in the neighbor’s yard after a storm is a wind question. A field of bruises after hail is not a manufacturing defect. [2]

Malarkey does not come look at a normal residential roof just because it was installed. They inspect when there may be a manufacturing defect. [1]

What to pull before you call a roofer

Start with the invoice. If you bought the house after the roof, start with the closing documents instead. You are looking for the shingle name (Vista, Highlander, Legacy, Windsor), the install date, and the date on the deed. It also matters if you are the first owner, and if you still live there.

Someone still has to get on the roof. Granule loss that might be a defect is not the same job as a wind-blown ridge, and neither one is a hail bruise. If Carlson Projects put the roof on, we can start from our paperwork. If someone else did, bring what you have. The useful visit is the one that says which of those you are looking at, and if a claim is even the right next step, before a crew prices a tear-off. The longer version is on the Lincoln roofing page.

Questions worth answering before you pay for a roof

Do I have a Malarkey warranty if I never registered it? Yes. Malarkey says registration is not required. Keep the invoice. The warranty from the install date is the one that counts. [1]

I bought a house in Lincoln with a Malarkey roof. Did the warranty come with it? Only if someone transferred it in time. The February 2026 warranty guide says 60 days from the title change. Their website form still says 30 days, or 60 if the roof was installed after July 2016. After the Right Start period, the guide limits the next owner’s coverage to two years from the title date. Ask Malarkey for the warranty that applied on the install date before you rely on either page. [2] [3] [4]

What is the difference between a shingle warranty and workmanship? The shingle warranty covers manufacturing defects. Improper installation is excluded. A 25-year workmanship warranty shows up on Certified Premium paperwork, and only when that contractor installed a full system with at least four Malarkey accessories. Your roofer’s own contract is a third document. [2] [3]

Can I file a Malarkey claim myself? Yes. Put it in writing within 30 days of finding the problem, and before permanent repairs, with your proof of purchase attached. Email malarkey.warrantyinquiries@amrize.com or use their claims portal. They may want photos or samples, and the guide says that is at your expense. [2]

Will Malarkey pay for a whole new roof? Not as a default. During Right Start they pay to repair or replace the affected Malarkey products. Metalwork, flashing, tear-off, disposal, and moving solar panels stay on you. After Right Start the payment is prorated and you cover the gap. They can also choose to supply materials and stop there. [2]

Does a Malarkey warranty cover hail in Nebraska? The published shingle warranty excludes hail. Wind blow-off is covered on its own 15-year clock, up to a miles-per-hour cap, and only if the shingles sealed. A storm claim and a defect claim are not the same filing. [2]

Sources and references

[1] Malarkey FAQ, fetched 2026-09-21.

[2] Malarkey Shingle & Accessory Warranty guide, Rev. 02/26.

[3] Malarkey warranties page, fetched 2026-09-21.

[4] Standard shingle warranty transfer application, fetched 2026-09-21.