Fence Warranties: Labor and Materials

Manufacturer warranties, in plain English

Here’s what each manufacturer’s warranty covers, what it leaves out and how to use it. The PDF is the full legal document; where the two differ, the PDF wins.

Catalyst Fence Solutions: aluminum, vinyl and mixed material

Catalyst (part of Oldcastle APG) makes aluminum fence, vinyl, molded and composite fence, and mixed-material fence with aluminum frames and vinyl infill.

• How long: a limited lifetime on single-family homes; 30 years from purchase on any other property, including HOAs, condos, apartments, schools and businesses.
• What’s covered: defects in material and workmanship, plus peeling, flaking, rotting, chipping, cracking, blistering, splintering, corrosion, rust and abnormal fading. Some gradual fading is normal and isn’t a defect.
• What’s not covered: improper installation, misuse, damage from animals, impact, fire, flood, lightning, hail, hurricanes and other storms, and ground settling. The mixed-material warranty also excludes warping from grills, heaters, fire pits and intense heat reflected off nearby surfaces.
• What Catalyst does: replaces the defective product with new or equivalent product. Labor isn’t included.
• Registration: within 30 days of purchase, at CatalystFence.com.
• Claims: call 888-549-7350 or use the website within 30 days of finding the defect, with your proof of purchase and photos.
• Selling the house: transfers once, from the original homeowner to the next one, and then runs 30 years from the original purchase.

Catalyst aluminum fence warranty (PDF)Catalyst vinyl, molded & composite fence warranty (PDF)Catalyst mixed material fence warranty (PDF)

Homeland Vinyl Products: vinyl fence

• How long: for the life of a single-family homeowner who bought it; 30 years for any other purchaser.
• What’s covered: manufacturing defects, including peeling, flaking, blistering, rotting and corroding, under normal use and when installed to Homeland’s instructions.
• What’s not covered: bowing of pickets; warping from heat sources such as hot pavement, grills, fire pits or sunlight reflected off windows; normal weathering and fading; mildew and damage from chemicals like sunscreen, fertilizer, herbicides and rust; large animals; hurricanes and other storms; ground settling; and any vinyl that has been painted or coated.
• Check it in the first 30 days: Homeland asks you to inspect the fence within 30 days of installation and report anything wrong, or it can deny the claim.
• What Homeland does: repairs, replaces or refunds the price of the defective product. Labor to remove or install isn’t included.
• Registration: within 30 days after installation, by mailing the registration card with your proof of purchase.
• Claims: in writing to Homeland Vinyl Products, P.O. Box 170729, Birmingham, AL 35217-0729, Attn: Warranty Department, with proof of purchase, photo ID, proof of ownership, your warranty certificate number and a description of the defect. Phone: 800-999-6813.
• Selling the house: transfers once, to the next buyer, if you send Homeland a written transfer application within 30 days of the sale. It stays in full force for 10 years from installation, then coverage drops 5% a year, never below 10% of the original price.

Homeland Vinyl fence & rail warranty (PDF)

J&M Extrutech: vinyl fence

• How long: a limited lifetime for the original buyer of a single-family home; 30 years for commercial and other non-residential property.
• What’s covered: defects in material and workmanship, plus peeling, flaking, rotting, chipping, cracking, blistering and fading beyond normal weathering.
• What’s not covered: improper installation, lack of maintenance, dirt, mold and mildew, heat from grills, heaters, fire pits or open flames, impact, animals, vandalism, storms including hurricanes, ground movement, and painting or coating the fence. Labor, removal and reinstallation aren’t included unless agreed in writing.
• Registration: within 30 days of purchase, at jmextrutech.com.
• Claims: notify your installer (that’s us) within 30 days of finding the defect, with proof of purchase, installation and ownership, such as a property tax bill. The installer coordinates the claim with J&M. Phone: 1-888-655-0096.
• Selling the house: transfers once to the next homeowner if it’s registered within 30 days of the transfer, and then runs 30 years from the original purchase. Commercial coverage doesn’t transfer.

J&M Extrutech vinyl fence warranty (PDF)

Iron World: ornamental steel fence

• How long: depends on how far the fence is from salt water: 20 years more than 20 miles from the coast, 12 years at 2 to 20 miles, 5 years within 1 mile. Orlando and most of our service area are more than 20 miles inland, but check the distance for your address.
• What’s covered: the powder coat, against cracking, chipping and peeling, for the original purchaser.
• What’s not covered: accident, alteration, neglect, misuse, flood, fire and other acts of God. Any spot that was cut or drilled during installation is only covered if it was zinc-primed and given two coats of matching finish.
• What Iron World does: re-coats the defective portions. It doesn’t cover labor, transport or extra material, and the defective material has to be shipped to the factory, freight prepaid.
• Registration: the original purchaser registers with Iron World’s corporate office.
• Selling the house: not transferable.

Iron World ornamental fence warranty (PDF)

Severe Weather (Osmose): pressure-treated wood

• How long: a lifetime limited warranty for the first owner, on homes and farms.
• What’s covered: wood that structurally fails from rot, fungal decay or termite attack. Osmose replaces the wood or refunds what it cost.
• What’s not covered: normal weathering of wood, including splitting, checking, twisting, warping and shrinking; surface mold and mildew; corroded fasteners and hardware; commercial and industrial structures; and the cost of removing the old wood or installing the new.
• Wood in the ground: it has to be treated for ground contact. Each piece carries a plastic end tag that shows its rating.
• Keep: the end tags and your purchase receipt. A claim needs both.
• Claims: send photos, a description, an itemized list of the damage, the receipt and the end tags to Osmose, Inc., Attn: Consumer Affairs, P.O. Drawer O, Griffin, GA 30224-0249. Osmose answers within 60 days. Phone: 800-585-5161.
• Selling the house: not transferable.

Severe Weather treated wood warranty (PDF)