What happened to Sears' roofing business?

For decades, Sears Home Improvement sold and installed roofs across the country — including throughout Southern California, under a statewide contractor license that carried the C-39 roofing classification. Then Sears Holdings filed for bankruptcy in October 2018. The home improvement arm passed to a successor entity, the California license was eventually cancelled, and the installed-products business quietly wound down.

Here's the part that stings if you bought a Sears roof: homeowners with warranty claims have been told in writing, by the successor company, that it did not buy the old warranty obligations and that "there is no longer a labor warranty on your installation." The window to file warranty claims in the bankruptcy closed back in April 2019. Most homeowners never knew it existed.

What survives — and what doesn't

Gone: the labor and workmanship warranty. The multi-year workmanship coverage Sears sold with its roofs has no company standing behind it anymore. If flashing was done poorly or a penetration leaks, that's nobody's promise now.

Usually alive: the shingle manufacturer's materials warranty. Sears marketed roofs with manufacturer shingle warranties of up to 50 years. Those warranties run from the shingle maker to you, not through Sears — so if your shingles themselves are defective (granule loss, cracking, premature failure), a claim may still exist. The catch: manufacturers require documentation and typically a licensed roofing contractor's assessment to process a claim — and materials warranties don't cover installation errors, which is where most leaks actually come from.

What we do for Sears-era roofs in San Diego

A Sears roof in San Diego is now anywhere from 8 to 25-plus years old. Whether it has another decade in it or is quietly failing at the flashing depends on things you can't see from the driveway.

• A $399 roof inspection report — credited toward your job — every penetration, valley, and flashing detail checked, condition and remaining-life assessment in writing. If a manufacturer materials claim looks viable, the report is your documentation.
• Leak repair and maintenance — fixing the workmanship issues no warranty covers anymore, under our own written warranty.
• Repair vs. replace, straight up — if your Sears roof has good years left, we'll tell you. If it's done, we'll show you why. (See: roof replacement in San Diego.)
• Roofing and solar under one license — if you're adding solar or already have it, we handle the roof and the array as one job: B, C-10, and C-39, one crew, one written warranty.

Estimates are always free. CSLB #1130793 — call (858) 541-1097.

Had a different contractor disappear on you?

See our guides for Secure Roofing & Solar, PetersenDean, and orphaned solar systems.