Roof Inspection Types for Tallahassee Homes
Most people asking for a roof inspection are after one of five things. The roofer climbs the same roof each time, but what goes into the report changes with the reason you called.
Insurance Roof Inspection and Roof Certification
This is the visit an insurer asks for when a roof is getting old. Citizens' Roof Inspection Form (RCF-1 03 25) records the covering, its age, the remaining useful life, the date of the last roofing permit and whether the roof was fully or partly replaced. It has check boxes for cracking, cupping, granule loss, exposed felt, loose or cracked tabs or tiles, and soft spots in the decking, and it needs a photo of every slope. Under Fla. Stat. 627.7011, a roof's age runs from the last date all of its surface was built or replaced. If you need the inspection to keep a policy, you pay for it yourself.
- Certification letter: $75 to $200 on top of the inspection. HomeGuide says it's issued only when the roof has 2 to 5 years of life left, and only after any needed repairs are done.
- Citizens' cap: it credits at most five years of remaining life, whatever the inspection says.
Pre-Purchase and Pre-Listing Roof Checks
A general home inspection costs $250 to $400 and gives the roof a limited visual or physical look, HomeGuide says. A roof-only visit goes further: it counts layers, probes the decking and estimates remaining life. That matters at closing, because HomeGuide notes that many mortgage lenders want at least 3 years of useful life left on the roof. Sellers who order one before listing hear about a soft valley or a cracked boot before a buyer's inspector writes it up.
Post-Storm Roof Inspection
After wind or a falling limb, the first job is a record: photos of each slope and every torn tab, taken before anything gets moved or tarped. On a steep or two-story roof a drone pass ($100 to $450) can do that safely. Claim deadlines and what a roofer is barred from offering you after a storm are covered on the storm damage roof repair page. If water is already coming in, a tarp comes before the full write-up.
Leak Diagnostics: Attic, Moisture Meter and Infrared
Water often runs along a rafter and drips a few feet from where it got in, so a ceiling stain only gets you close. The roofer works from the attic with a flashlight and moisture meter, then matches the wet decking to the flashing or boot above it. An infrared scan ($400 to $600) shows trapped moisture because wet areas hold heat longer than dry ones. HomeGuide prices a separate attic inspection covering structure, insulation and ventilation at $200 to $500. Once the source is found, the fix belongs to roof repair.
Routine Maintenance Checks
HomeGuide suggests checking the roof yourself twice a year and after every major storm, and hiring a professional every 3 years for shingles and every 5 for tile. Under Tallahassee's tree canopy, a maintenance visit is mostly about valleys packed with straw, clogged gutters and lifted ridge caps. Spotting those early costs far less than letting water reach the decking.
Why Tallahassee homeowners call Tallahassee Expert Roofing
- Your request reaches one roofer, never a call list
- Homeowners pay nothing to use this line
- Ask for the shingle wind class and Product Approval number in writing
- The roofer's estimate is free and you're not obliged to hire
Which Florida Roof Form Goes to Which Inspector
Florida insurers work with several forms, and the signer each one accepts differs. Book the right professional for the paper the insurer actually asked for.
Citizens Roof Inspection Form (RCF-1 03 25)
Roof condition only. Citizens accepts it from a general, residential, building or roofing contractor, a building code inspector or a Florida-licensed home inspector. The form says it doesn't verify mitigation features.Roof-age inspection under 627.7011
The inspector has to be one your insurer approves. The statute's list includes roofing contractors, general, building and residential contractors, home inspectors, building code inspectors, engineers and architects.4-Point Inspection Form (Insp4pt 03 25)
It covers the roof plus the electrical, HVAC and plumbing systems, and Citizens wants any aluminum-wiring repair certified by a licensed electrician. Most of that is outside a roofer's trade, so plan on a home inspector.Uniform Mitigation Verification Form (OIR-B1-1802)
Only the qualified inspectors named on the form can sign it, and roofing contractors aren't on that list. See wind mitigation roof upgrades for who can.Proof of a new roof
For a replaced roof, Citizens asks for a finalized roof permit or a paid-in-full roofing contract, work order or receipt.
What a Good Roof Inspection Report Contains
HomeGuide describes a solid report as 3 to 4 pages. It should name the roof's size, material and pitch, list the findings area by area, include photos of every problem, and end with recommendations and a repair estimate (some roofers send the estimate separately). Two cautions apply. A certification is an expert opinion, not a promise that the roof won't leak. And HomeGuide warns that unsolicited "free inspection" offers are a common way roofing scams start. Before anyone climbs up, ask what the visit costs and what you'll get in writing.