It isn’t a great mystery, but it is important to know when looking to buy a home, sell a home, or are thinking about replacing your roof. Buying a home is an investment, so future homeowners should be aware of when another investment is around the corner. To figure out how long you have until your house is due for a roof replacement, it’s important to know how long a roof lasts. When properly installed, a new roof will last 25 to 30 years. So how do homeowners figure this out; it’s not exactly included in the house listing… There are a few methods to uncovering how old your roof is.
Contact the Previous Owner
The easiest way to uncovering your roof’s age is to get in contact with the previous owner. Reach out, and ask if they have any information regarding any previous roof installations. If you are have just recently purchased your home, then it wouldn’t be a bad idea to stay in touch with the previous owners. If you don’t have a way of contacting the previous owners- don’t worry- there are many other ways to find out just how old your roof is.
Contact Your Neighbors
Another way you can try to uncover the age of your roof is to contact your neighbors. Not every neighborhood has longstanding house owners, but if by chance you do, they might be a helpful resource to you. They might remember when they saw roofers working on your house, or maybe they remember the name of the roofing contractor. If you receive the name of a contractor, then you can contact them to discover when your roof was replaced or repaired as most roofing contractors will keep records of their work orders.
Check Public Records
So long as your city or town has zoning laws and building codes, you will be able to find a public record of any major exterior renovations completed on your property. All states have laws that protect the public’s right to obtain public records from local government, so no matter where you live, you’re entitled to see this information. Depending on your state and area, different offices hold these records. Most of the time, the city code enforcement office is the place you will want to go. There you will provide your address to a code or zoning officer and ask them to find building permits issued for any exterior renovations made to your property.
Talk to a Trusted Roofer
If you have tried your hand at the methods above and still don’t have any idea how old your roof is, there are other ways to find out. There are some signs that you can look for that will tell you if you’ll need a replacement, but if you’d rather leave it to the professionals, reaching out to a local roofing company is your best bet. Let them know you are concerned about needing a roof replacement and let them come to your house to inspect. They will let you know if they see signs of significant aging and when they feel you’ll need a replacement.
There are some obvious signs you might need a roof replacement. If you want to try assessing the damage before you call in the professionals, then you must know what you should be looking for.
Consider the following signs that you should call your local roofing company:
- Leaks or visible water damage when it rains
- Shingles are peeling up from the roof
- There are large areas of discoloration
- Shingles are cracked or have bald spots
