Your general home inspector will look at the roof. In most cases they won’t get on it, they’ll look from a ladder or the ground, and the report will say something close to “roof appears serviceable, recommend evaluation by a licensed roofing contractor.” That last sentence is the one that matters. A separate roof inspection usually costs little or nothing, and it’s the difference between buying a house and buying a house plus a roof.
Isn’t the Home Inspection Enough?
It’s a generalist’s look at a specialist’s system. Home inspectors are covering the foundation, framing, electrical, plumbing, HVAC and everything else in a few hours, and the standards of practice most of them work under don’t require walking a roof at all. Many won’t if it’s steep, wet, or more than one story up. What they’re not going to do is age the shingles, evaluate whether the chimney flashing was done right or just done, tell you whether a previous repair is holding, or say what the roof will cost you in year three. A roofing contractor will.
What a Roof Inspection Tells You Before You Close
Three things you can act on. 
1. How many years are left
This is the number that drives the negotiation. There’s a real difference between a roof with 12 years in it and a roof with three, and from the curb they can look identical. Age alone doesn’t tell you either, since two roofs of the same age on the same street can be a decade apart depending on ventilation, sun exposure and how the original install was done.
2. What it needs now, itemized and priced
Not “the roof is old.” A list: two pipe boots, resecure the chimney counterflashing, replace 14 shingles on the north slope, with a number next to each. That’s a document you can hand to a seller.
3. Whether you’re looking at one roof or two
Layering a new roof over an old one is common on older homes and legal in most jurisdictions up to two layers. It matters to you because a second layer hides the condition of the decking underneath, and because eventual replacement costs more when everything has to come off first. You want to know before you own it.
What Does It Cost, and Who Pays?
Many roofing contractors, L&L included, inspect for free. A standalone paid inspection with a formal written certification costs more and is usually only worth it when a lender or insurer specifically asks for one. Price varies with the roof’s slope, size and height, since all three change how long it takes and what access equipment is needed.
How to Use the Report in the Negotiation
Three moves, in rough order of how often they work:
- Ask for a credit at closing. Usually the cleanest option, because you control the money, the timing and the contractor.
- Ask for a price reduction. Similar effect, though it changes the appraisal math on a financed purchase.
- Ask the seller to repair before closing. Fine in principle, but you’re inheriting work you didn’t supervise, done by whoever was cheapest. If you go this route, ask for the invoice and any warranty paperwork.
One piece of timing advice: schedule the roof inspection early in your inspection or due diligence period, not at the end of it. Roofers book solid after storms, and you don’t want the clock running out while you wait on a slot.
Ask About the Warranty
If the roof is recent, there may be a manufacturer warranty still on it, and many are transferable to a buyer. Transfers are typically allowed once, within a set window after the sale, sometimes for a fee, so it’s worth asking before closing rather than after. Ask the seller for the original invoice, the manufacturer paperwork, and any workmanship warranty from the installing contractor. On a five-year-old roof that documentation is worth real money.
What About Homeowners Insurance?
Carriers have gotten noticeably stricter about roof age and condition. Depending on the carrier and the roof, an older roof can affect whether they’ll write the policy at all, or push the coverage from replacement cost to actual cash value, which pays out depreciated rather than what a new roof costs. That’s a conversation worth having with your insurance agent before the closing table, not after. The roof inspection report gives you what you need for it.
Buying in Middle Tennessee?
L&L Contractors inspects roofs for homebuyers across Murfreesboro, Nashville, Franklin, Brentwood, Smyrna, Spring Hill and the surrounding area. We’ll get on the roof, photograph what’s there, and give you a written report with remaining service life and itemized pricing, usually within a day or two, because we know you’re on a clock. Call (615) 577-9103 or book a free roof inspection online.
