What Is a Roof Certification? What It Says and What It Does Not

What a roof certification is

A roof certification is a formal document, issued after an inspection, that says a roof's current condition is sound ¹.

Most also give a number of years the roof should keep working without major repairs.

NRCIA, a roof inspection trade group, calls it a snapshot in time of the roof's health on inspection day ¹.

The name sounds official, but there is no single national form. Each roofer or inspection firm writes its own. Some insurers publish a form they want used. Florida's Citizens Property Insurance, for example, has a sample Roof Inspection Form that asks for the roof's material, age, remaining useful life and overall condition ².

How it works: what a certification usually records

The Citizens form is a useful model because it sets the minimum detail that insurer will accept ². It records:

• The covering material and the roof's age in years, for the main roof and any second roof.
• Remaining useful life in years.
• The date of the last roofing permit and whether the roof was fully or partly replaced.
• Overall condition: satisfactory, or unsatisfactory with an explanation.
• Signs of wear: cracking, cupping or curling, heavy granule loss, exposed asphalt or felt, loose or cracked tabs or tiles, soft spots in the deck, and visible hail damage.
• Signs of leaks in the attic, on the underside of the deck, or on ceilings.
• Photos of every roof slope and every problem found, plus the inspector's signature, license number and date.

Types: who asks for a roof certification

Example: a certification for a Florida home sale

Illustrative only. A buyer in Florida is buying a house with an asphalt shingle roof installed 16 years ago. The buyer's insurer wants proof of roof condition before it will write a policy.

If the inspector had found soft decking or active leaks, the form would say unsatisfactory, and the buyer would likely need repairs or a new roof before coverage.

Where roof certifications come up

Most roof certifications are tied to a home sale. NRCIA says many banks and mortgage companies want one before they approve a loan, especially on an older roof ¹.

Others come from insurance. In Florida, insurers can ask for an inspection on roofs 15 years or older, and state law sets who may do it ³.

Government-backed loans also look at the roof. A summary of HUD Handbook 4000.1, the FHA single-family handbook, says roof coverings must have at least two years of remaining useful life ⁴.

An FHA appraiser who doubts that may ask for a roofer's inspection, which often takes the form of a roof certification.

We could not load the handbook itself or the VA lender handbook, so ask your lender for the exact rule on your loan.

Benefits

• It gives a buyer, seller and lender the same written picture of the roof ¹.
• It can speed up a sale by answering roof questions early ¹.
• In Florida, an inspection showing 5 or more years of useful life can keep insurance on a roof 15 years or older ³.
• It records the roof's condition on a date, which can help later if there is a dispute about storm damage.
• The inspection itself may catch small repairs before they become leaks.

What a roof certification does not do

• It is not a crystal ball. NRCIA says it does not predict future performance or cover surprise damage from a storm or a falling limb ¹.
• It does not cover problems from neglect or from changes someone makes to the roof later ¹.
• It is not a warranty. A warranty is a promise to act if something goes wrong later; a certification only rates condition now ¹.
• Citizens says its form is used only to decide insurability and is not a warranty or assurance of the roof's fitness or longevity ².
• It does not record wind-resistance features. Citizens points to a separate wind mitigation form, OIR-B1-1802, for that ².

What drives the cost

We do not publish a price. The fee depends on:

• Roof size, height and steepness, which set how long the inspection takes.
• Material: tile, slate and metal take different checks from shingles.
• Access to the attic and how many slopes must be photographed ².
• Whether repairs are needed before the roofer will sign. Many roofers will only certify after fixing what they find.
• Whether a lender or insurer wants its own form filled in.
• If the roof needs work first, see our repair vs replace calculator.

How to get a roof certification

1. Ask the lender, insurer or buyer what they need: any form, any license type, and how many years of life.
2. Hire someone they accept. In Florida, Citizens accepts licensed general, residential, building or roofing contractors, building code inspectors and Florida-licensed home inspectors ².
3. The inspector checks every slope, the flashing and the attic, and photographs each slope and any problem ².
4. If repairs are needed, decide who pays and get them done before the document is signed.
5. The inspector writes the condition, the remaining useful life and the certification term, then signs and dates it.
6. Send it to whoever asked, and keep a copy with your home records.

Keeping a certification valid

A certification describes the roof on one day. NRCIA says how long it stays valid depends on keeping up the roof and following the maker's maintenance guidance ¹. Neglect can void it ¹.

ARMA, the asphalt roofing trade group, suggests a routine inspection by a qualified professional roofing contractor, usually in the spring and the fall ⁵.

Keep gutters clear, have storm damage looked at promptly, and keep invoices for any repair.

If you plan to sell in a few years, time the certification close to the listing, because buyers and lenders want a recent one.

Risks and red flags

• A certificate from someone who did not climb the roof or look in the attic.
• A signer whose license your insurer or lender does not accept ².
• No photos. The Citizens form will not be accepted without photos of each slope ².
• A seller's roofer certifying a roof they also want to sell you a replacement for, or vice versa. Ask for a second opinion if the stakes are high.
• Treating it as storm cover. If a storm damages the roof the week after closing, that is an insurance matter, not a certification matter ¹.

Use the checklist on any certification you are handed, including one a seller supplies.

Rules that shape roof certifications

No national law defines a roof certification. The rules come from insurers, lenders and some state laws.

In Florida, Section 627.7011 of the Florida Statutes says an insurer may not refuse to issue or renew a homeowner's policy solely because a roof is less than 15 years old ³.

For older roofs, it must allow the homeowner an inspection, and may not refuse cover on age alone if an authorized inspector finds 5 or more years of useful life left ³.

Authorized inspectors include licensed home inspectors, building code inspectors, licensed contractors, engineers and architects ³.

For FHA loans, HUD Handbook 4000.1 sets the property rules. A published summary of the handbook says roof coverings must have at least two years of remaining useful life ⁴.

We were not able to load the handbook text itself, so confirm the current wording with your lender. Other states and loan programs have their own rules.

Roof certification vs related documents

Common misconceptions

Myth A roof certification is a warranty.

Reality No. It rates condition now; a warranty promises to fix something later ¹.

Myth It covers the roof if a storm hits.

Reality Storm damage is an insurance claim. The certification does not pay for it ¹.

Myth Any roofer's letter is accepted everywhere.

Reality Insurers and lenders can require their own form and certain licenses ².

Myth A certified roof has 5 years left.

Reality The term and the years left are whatever the inspector writes, often 2 to 5 years ¹.

State and local differences

What a roof certification must say depends on who is asking and where you live. Florida has a state law tying insurance to roof age and an inspection ³, and its largest state-backed insurer publishes its own form ².

Other states may not have a rule at all, leaving it to the lender or insurer. Ask your agent and lender which form, license type and term they need before you book anyone. We do not list state rules we have not read.

When you need one and what to do next

• Selling a home with an older roof: get one before listing to answer buyer questions early.
• Buying: ask for a recent certification, or order an independent inspection.
• Your insurer asks about roof age: ask which form and license they accept.
• The roof fails inspection: compare repair and replacement before you negotiate.

Keep going

• Roof inspectionBook a written condition check
• Roof inspection reportWhat a full report includes
• Roof life expectancyHow long roofs last, by source
• Roof warrantyWhat a warranty does that a certification does not
• Repair or replace?If the roof fails its inspection

Related terms

Roof Inspection Report

A roof inspection report is the written record of a roof inspection: what parts of the roof were looked at, how they were looked at, what defects were found, photos of those defects, and what the inspector recommends doing next.

Roof Life Expectancy

Roof life expectancy is the number of years a roof covering is expected to keep the weather out under normal conditions, before it needs replacing.

Roof Inspection

A check of the covering, flashing, penetrations, ventilation and attic to report the roof's condition and any damage.

Roof Warranty

A roof warranty is a written promise to repair or pay for certain roof failures for a set time.

Manufacturer Warranty

A manufacturer warranty is the shingle maker's written promise to repair, replace or pay toward its products if they fail from a manufacturing defect within a set period.

Roof Moisture Inspection

A roof moisture inspection is a survey that finds water trapped inside a roof, usually in the insulation under a flat or low-slope membrane, using infrared cameras, electrical impedance scanners or nuclear gauges, then confirms the readings with small core cuts.

Reroofing

Reroofing is the work of putting a new roof covering on a house that already has one, either by tearing the old covering off down to the deck (a replacement) or by laying the new covering over the old one (a recover, often called an overlay).

Also referenced from: Roof Inspection Report, Roof Life Expectancy