Roof certifications are not stipulated in all purchase contracts. Some cities have truth-in-housing guidelines and regulations governing repairs before resale. The housing market used to be a seller’s market. It could be raining into the living room through a hole in the roof the size of a basketball hoop, and home buyers in seller’s markets wouldn’t blink an eye. Today, lenders and home owners alike want to make sure they know what the condition of the house is in, not just the color of the paint.

What is a Roof Certification?

Roof certifications are separate from a home inspection. Home inspectors, for the most part, do not perform thorough roof inspections. Instead, roofing inspectors climb up on the roof and issue reports on:

Movement in structure of home or building
Condition of roofing materials
Ridges, caps and drip edges
Soundness of drains, downspouts, and gutters
Flashing around roof pipes, chimneys, vents, valleys and mounting of HVAC units

​If the roof does not require repairs, the roofing company will then estimate the remaining years of life for a roof and certify its inspection. The certification is good for two to five years, depending on the requirement of the lender and the condition of the roof.

If the roof requires repairs, after the repairs are performed, the roofing company will then issue the roof certification.