Certified Roof Inspections
Stop Insurance Cancellations Before They Happen. Has your insurance company sent a letter about your roof age? We provide professional 5-Year Roof Certifications and Wind Mitigation Inspections. We document the “Health Score” of your roof with high-resolution photos and structural analysis to help you qualify for lower premiums or keep your current coverage.
Left Side: “What Insurance Looks For” (Age, Wind Straps, Shingle Condition).
Right Side: “How We Help” (Certification, Photo Documentation, Repair Estimates).
When a roofing contractor performs an inspection for insurance purposes, they aren’t just “looking for leaks”—they are acting as a forensic documenter. Insurance companies care about risk mitigation, so the inspection is focused on proving the roof won’t fail in the next few years.
Here is what is involved in that process, specifically for Discounts (Wind Mitigation) and Certifications (5-Year Life Expectancy).
1. The 5-Year Roof Certification
This is often required when a home is being sold or when an insurer threatens to cancel a policy due to the roof’s age. The contractor must certify that the roof is “serviceable” and has at least 5 years of life left.
What the Contractor Inspects:
- Granule Loss: Checking if the asphalt is exposed to UV rays (which causes rapid “aging”).
- Shingle Pliability: Gently lifting a shingle to see if it’s brittle or if it cracks. Brittle shingles cannot be repaired and fail the certification.
- Seal Integrity: Ensuring the factory adhesive strips are still “tacked down” and won’t lift in a light breeze.
- Previous Repairs: Evaluating if past patches were done to code or if they are “hack jobs” that pose a leak risk.
- Flashing & Penetrations: Checking the metal around chimneys and pipe boots (the #1 spot for leaks).
2. The Wind Mitigation Inspection (For Discounts)
In many states, homeowners get massive premium discounts (sometimes 20–40%) if the roof is built to survive high winds.
The Key “Discount” Factors:
- Roof Shape: Hip roofs (sloping on all four sides) usually get better discounts than Gable roofs because they “shed” wind better.
- Nailing Pattern: The contractor/inspector verifies if shingles were “over-nailed” (6 nails instead of 4).
- Deck Attachment: They check the length and spacing of the nails holding the plywood to the rafters. (8d nails spaced every 6 inches is the gold standard).
- Roof-to-Wall Connection: They look in the attic to see if the rafters are attached with Clips or Hurricane Straps rather than just “toenails.”
- Secondary Water Barrier: They check if a specific peel-and-stick underlayment was used, which prevents water from entering the home even if the shingles blow off.
3. The Documentation (The “Paper Trail”)
An insurance company will not take your word for it. The contractor must provide a Digital Inspection Report including:
- Date-stamped Photos: Close-ups of the shingles, the eaves, the flashings, and the attic connections.
- The “Chalk Test”: Rubbing sidewalk chalk over a 10×10 area to highlight hail “bruises” or wind creases that aren’t visible to the naked eye.
- The Contractor’s License & Signature: The insurer needs a licensed professional to take the liability for the 5-year claim.