Roof Inspections and Certifications for a Home Sale
The roof is the single most expensive line in most Valley inspection reports. Here is how it is handled in escrow, what a roof certification is, and what each side should do about an older roof.
In a Los Angeles home sale, the buyer's general inspection rarely walks the roof; a separate roof inspection by a roofing contractor does, and on an older roof the buyer, the lender or the insurer often asks for a roof certification: a written statement, issued after any required repairs, that the roof is sound and free of leaks for a stated term.
Sellers must disclose known roof defects on the California Transfer Disclosure Statement, and a closed permit for the last re-roof is worth more in escrow than any description. Our inspection is free and the certification is quoted with the repairs it depends on.
Most buyers find out about the roof from a general home inspector who looked at it from a ladder, photographed a stain in the garage and wrote "recommend evaluation by a licensed roofing contractor." That sentence is where the roof inspection starts.
For sellers: before you list
- Know what you have. A free roof inspection before listing tells you the roof's remaining life and what, if anything, it needs. A $900 flashing repair done before listing is a $900 repair; the same item found by the buyer's inspector is a negotiation.
- Find the permit. If the roof was replaced, the closed LADBS or Burbank permit and the manufacturer warranty registration are the two documents buyers and lenders want. If there is no permit, disclose it.
- Disclose known problems. California's Transfer Disclosure Statement asks directly about the roof; known leaks and past repairs belong on it. A disclosed repair is a non-issue; a concealed one is a lawsuit.
- Consider a certification. On a roof past 15 years, a roof certification issued after any needed repairs takes the roof off the table in negotiation.
For buyers: during the inspection period
- Get a roofer on the roof. The general inspection is not a roof inspection. A roofing contractor walks every slope, checks the flashing, penetrations and attic side, and tells you the remaining life and the cost of what it needs.
- Ask for the permit. A re-roof without a permit is a question mark for your insurer and your future buyer.
- Price it. A written quote from the inspection is the number you negotiate with, whether as a credit, a price reduction or a seller-completed repair.
- Check the insurance angle. Some carriers decline or surcharge roofs past a certain age; find out before the contingency expires.
What a roof certification is
A written statement by a roofing contractor that the roof has been inspected, that specified repairs (if any) have been completed, and that the roof is expected to remain free of leaks for a stated term, commonly two to five years, under normal conditions. It is not a warranty on the whole roof and it does not cover damage from later storms or other trades; it is a professional opinion with the repairs it depends on. Lenders and insurers ask for one on older roofs; buyers use it to settle the roof question.
We issue certifications after our own inspection and after the required repairs, and we price the certification with those repairs, because a certification on a roof that needs work is only as good as the work.
The usual escrow sequence
- Buyer's general inspection flags the roof.
- Roof inspection by a contractor, free, with a written photo report and quote.
- Request for repair, credit or certification.
- Seller completes repairs, or credits the buyer, or the parties split it.
- Certification issued if required by the lender, insurer or agreement.
- Permit and warranty paperwork delivered at closing.
Repair, credit or replace?
A roof with a few years left and a specific repair need is best handled as a seller repair with a certification. A roof at the end of its life is usually a credit, priced from a replacement quote, so the buyer chooses the material and the contractor. Replacing a roof in escrow is possible, two to four days for shingle, but the timeline has to allow for the permit and the final inspection.
Sources
Questions We
Hear About This
Ours is free whether the buyer or the seller books it. The certification, if one is needed, is quoted with the repairs it depends on.
Commonly two to five years, stated on the certificate, for leaks under normal conditions. It is a professional opinion issued after the required repairs, not a warranty on the whole roof.
Yes. The roof's age is disclosed, its condition is inspected, and the parties settle it with a repair, a credit or a certification. What stalls a sale is an undisclosed leak or an unpermitted re-roof, not an old roof honestly described.
No. The seller has to disclose what they know; what gets repaired or credited is negotiated. A replacement quote from the inspection gives both sides the number to negotiate with.
Get an Answer for
Your Roof
The guide covers the rules; a free inspection covers your roof. A roofer walks it and gives you a written quote with photos.
(818) 619-2948