When an appraiser/inspector is expected to say a roof is bad, should the seller just accept the inevitability of that conclusion? Or should the seller preempt it? How can the seller minimize exposure...as well as cost, while still presenting what seems to be a serviceable home to the buyer? What better answer could there be than a signed "roof certification" presented by a bonded roofing contractor to back their contention that the roof is good? How valuable is this shield, and for whom does it work best?

Have you ever seen a "roof certification" sample? They're interesting. They seem to guarantee a serviceable roof for a specified period of time, generally 3-5 years, while making sure the home owner knows they are merely expressing an "opinion," the actual guarantee having to do only with certain specifics, the most common being "leaks," extensive qualifying fine print to follow. On the surface, it seems to make sense. If the certifying roofer guarantees they'll return to back the guarantee in the event of a leak, what's the harm?

Roof certification is, first and foremost, designed to meet bank requirements at minimum cost. It allows sellers to present a property in its most favorable light, and do so with minimum cash outlay at a time of considerable financial discomfort in the mortgage industry. Some roofing contractors charge exorbitant amounts for bare-bones repairs so a roof no longer visibly leaks, then promise additional work within 1-3 years if the roof leaks again. This fails to address the fact that roofs frequently leak for years, rotting out the wooden structure and/or fostering toxic mold and mildew with no obvious evidence inside the living space that the roof has continued to leak.

It is important to note that some contractors who make these promises have closed and re-opened under different license numbers after collecting funds earmarked for future repairs. Other companies have simply closed down, leaving the buyer to, in effect, bear the cost of leak and interior damage repair a second time, issues that should have been handled prior to home sale completion. Time and again, buyers accept false claims, then replace roofs within a year of sale while the "certifying" roofer is nowhere to be found. Either that, or they find themselves with roof replacement bids offering a “deduction” for part or all of the cost of the original certification.

Unfortunately, when new buyers are presented with the above certification scenario, they frequently feel a false sense of security, thinking they've agreed to a scope of work and a guarantee supposedly already paid for. The new buyer then finds himself "stuck" with 100% out of pocket cost for a new roof. Under fairer circumstances, this cost is frequently split with the buyer’s portion worked into the mortgage, barely raising the monthly payment; or it is paid in full by the seller. A year later, this is no longer an option.

After having seen so many horrific roofs "certified" with no regard for their true condition, photos of which were somehow "lost" in the sales cycle, we have found an alternative we consider better suited to all concerned. It is the “shotgun” method of roof inspection and repair, a process based on the inspection of tens of thousands of roofs in various stages of aging. With this approach, we find and fix everything we see that may or is presently causing roof system problems. Although we frequently find the top layer too deteriorated to repair, it fixes known and unknown deferred maintenance issues and provides a leak and trouble-free roof for the buyer, proving to be the most equitable, accurate, and valuable approach for buyers and sellers alike.

Self-respecting roofing contractors face an ongoing struggle that differs from buyers, sellers and financial institutions: what is the truth about the roof, what is my exposure if I'm wrong and whom do I serve...the seller, the bank or the buyer?  We believe our approach offers starry eyed buyers a better way to realize their dreams of home ownership while postponing the pain of substantial roofing costs. Everyone's happy, no?