What is an insurance-backed roofing guarantee?
An insurance-backed guarantee is intended to provide defined protection if a contractor's own qualifying workmanship guarantee cannot be honoured in specified circumstances, such as the business ceasing to trade. The precise protection depends on the policy terms and should be checked before relying on it.
What the insurance element adds
An ordinary workmanship guarantee is a promise from the contractor. An insurance-backed guarantee adds a separate policy intended to respond if that contractor is no longer trading when a problem arises.
The cover is defined by the policy, not by the contractor's own promise, so the two documents can differ in what they include.
What to check
Ask who the insurer is, what the policy covers and for how long, whether it is registered in your name, and how a claim would be made.
Keep the documentation with your other property paperwork; it is normally needed to make any claim later.