Fixing Roof Items From a Home Inspection Report

Home inspection standards set what an inspector must do on the roof, and it is less than many buyers assume. InterNACHI's Standards of Practice, one of the two national standards inspectors commonly follow, have the inspector inspect the roof covering, flashing, vents, skylights, chimney and other penetrations from ground level or the eaves. The inspector must report observed indications of active leaks.

The same standard says the inspector is not required to walk on the roof, predict its service life, perform a water test, confirm proper fastening or installation, or warrant or certify the roof. It also says the inspector is not required to estimate repair costs.

That is why so many roof items end with a referral. The inspector saw something that may matter and handed it to the trade that can measure it, price it and fix it. Ask your inspector which standard they follow and how they viewed the roof: walked, from a ladder at the eaves, by drone or from the ground.

Inspection contingencies in Michigan purchase agreements are usually short, and roofers get busy after storms. Book the roofer the day the report arrives, not after the agents have talked.

If the buyer is using an FHA loan, the appraiser has a roof rule of their own. HUD Handbook 4000.1 says the appraiser must notify the lender if the roof covering does not keep moisture out or lacks reasonable future utility, durability and economy of maintenance, and does not have a remaining physical life of at least two years.

When the roof has less than two years of remaining life, the appraiser must report it and make the appraisal subject to inspection by a professional roofer. If the appraiser cannot see the roof, they must explain why and report on the underside of the roof, the attic and the ceilings.

In practice, a roof with an urgent item on the inspection report may also be a roof the appraiser calls out. Fixing urgent items before the appraisal, or having a roofer's written findings ready, can keep the loan moving. VA, conventional and USDA loans have their own standards, covered in our buying and selling guide.

Michigan's Seller Disclosure Act has timing rules that matter when an inspection turns up roof problems. Under MCL 565.954, the seller must deliver the disclosure statement before signing a binding purchase agreement. If a disclosure, or an amendment to one, is delivered after the purchase agreement is signed, the buyer may terminate the purchase agreement by written notice within 72 hours after delivery in person, or 120 hours after delivery by registered mail. That right ends when the deed is delivered.

The Act also sets the standard for what the seller says. Disclosures must be made in good faith, which MCL 565.960 defines as honesty in fact, and must be based on the best information available and known to the seller (MCL 565.956). If something is unknown, the seller may say so. If information becomes inaccurate because of something that happens after delivery, such as a storm, that later inaccuracy is not a violation of the Act.

For a seller, the practical point is that an inspection report and a roofer's letter are now known information. If the form said "no" to roof leaks and the inspection found active staining, talk to your agent or attorney about whether the disclosure should be amended, and remember that an amendment delivered after signing can reopen the buyer's short termination window. For a buyer, the termination right is narrow and depends on how and when the disclosure was delivered; your purchase agreement's inspection contingency is usually the more important clock.

One more Michigan-specific step for buyers: call your insurance agent early. Michigan lets home insurers base underwriting rules on the physical condition of the property, as long as the rules are objective, tied to the perils insured and based on a housing or safety code, a manufacturer's specification or a similar standard (MCL 500.2117(2)(b)). An inspection report that calls the roof near the end of its life can affect the policy you need to close.

This summarizes the statute and is not legal advice; for a specific transaction, ask your agent or a Michigan real estate attorney.