Roof Inspection Checklist: Residential, Commercial and Storm Damage
A leak shows up after the first storm, the customer says you looked at the roof last month, and all you have is a memory. A roofing inspection checklist fixes that: you walk the same points every time, flag what is wrong and keep a dated record. This free roof inspection checklist covers residential, commercial and storm-damaged roofs and the roof side of buying a home. Tick it on your phone, then print it or save it as a PDF.
Roof inspection checklist
Residential roof
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Quick answer: a roof inspection checklist walks six areas in the same order every time: the roof covering, the flashing, the penetrations, the edges and drainage, the attic or ceiling below, and the record (photos, date, recommendation). Pick your roof type above, tick each point, flag the problems and print the list.
What a roofing inspection checklist should cover
Most roof problems start at the same few places, and the checklist is ordered to find them. Work from the outside in: the roof covering first, because it is what you can see, then the details where water gets past it, then the attic or the ceiling below, where a leak shows itself.
- The covering. Missing, cracked or curled shingles, bare spots, granules in the gutters, nails working up. On a flat roof it is punctures, blisters, open seams and standing water.
- The flashing. Chimneys, valleys, sidewalls, skylights and curbs. Flashing and its sealant fail long before the shingles do.
- The penetrations. Vent boots crack with age and are a classic source of small leaks.
- The edges and drainage. Drip edge, gutters, downspouts, and on a commercial roof the drains and scuppers.
- The attic or ceiling. Stains, daylight, damp insulation and rusted nail tips tell you what the roof is doing even when the surface looks fine.
- The record. Photos, date and a repair-or-replace call. Without these the inspection cannot be used for a quote, a warranty or a claim.
Roof inspection checklist for a house
On a shingle roof, start with the age and the layers. A roof near the end of its expected life gets a different recommendation from the same defect on a young one. Then look at the shingles slope by slope in the same light, since a low sun shows curling and lifted tabs that a flat midday light hides. Flashing and vent boots come next, because a roof that looks good from the street often leaks at one of them. Finish in the attic with a flashlight.
Commercial roofing inspection checklist
A commercial roof is usually low-slope, with a membrane, seams, drains and rooftop equipment, so the checklist changes. Water that is still standing 48 hours after rain is a defect: it loads the deck and wears the membrane. Seams and laps, the base flashing at the parapet and the curbs around rooftop units are where most flat roofs open up, and foot traffic to the equipment wears the surface along the same paths again and again. Many commercial warranties ask for a documented inspection once or twice a year, so keep the printed or saved list with the roof file.
Roofing inspection checklist for Florida storms
After a hurricane or a hard thunderstorm, the order matters more than the list. Check from the ground first, look for lifted or missing shingles or tiles, torn-off ridge caps, exposed underlayment and bent edge metal, then check the attic for water. Photograph everything, wide and close up, before any temporary repair, then tarp what is open and keep the receipts. Write down the date of the storm and the policy and claim numbers while you are there. Insurers set their own deadlines for reporting a claim, so check the policy early. The "After a storm" tab has the full list, including hail.
Home inspection roof checklist: shingles, flashing and leaks
If you are buying a house, the roof is one of the largest repair bills in it, so look at the same points the inspector will. Ask how old the roof is, check the shingles for curling, cracking and granule loss, check that the flashing around the chimney and vents is sealed, and look for stains on the ceilings and in the attic. Fresh paint in one spot on a ceiling is worth a question. A home inspection of the roof is normally visual, so anything flagged should go to a roofer for a quote before you commit.
Signs of a roof leak and where to look
| What you see | Where to look on the roof |
|---|---|
| Brown ring or stain on a ceiling | Uphill from the stain: flashing, a vent boot or a lifted shingle. The entry point is rarely directly above it. |
| Paint bubbling or peeling near an outside wall | Sidewall or step flashing, the gutter edge, a failed drip edge. |
| Damp or flattened insulation in the attic | The nearest penetration or valley on that side of the roof. |
| Daylight through the roof boards | Missing or displaced covering, a rotted board or a failed vent. |
| Rusty nail tips on the underside of the deck | Condensation from poor ventilation, not always a leak. Check the soffit and ridge vents. |
| Granules in the gutters | Worn shingles. Not a leak yet, but a sign of age. |
| Wet ceiling tiles below a flat roof | Ponding areas, open seams, drains, rooftop unit curbs. |
How often to inspect a roof
| Roof | Commonly recommended |
|---|---|
| Residential, in good condition | Once a year, plus after severe weather |
| Older roof or heavy tree cover | Twice a year, spring and fall |
| Commercial low-slope roof | Once or twice a year, plus after storms |
| After hail, hurricane or high wind | As soon as it is safe |
| Before buying a home | Before the end of the inspection period |
These are common rules of thumb. Your warranty, your insurer and the local climate set the real schedule.
What this checklist does not do
It is not a licensed inspection, a code or permit inspection, an engineer's report or an insurance claim, and it does not say what an insurer will pay for. It also does not make a roof safe to climb. Do the ground and attic checks yourself, and leave a steep, wet or high roof to someone trained and equipped for it. What you get is a consistent list and a record, which is what a quote, a warranty file or a claim needs.
From the inspection to the estimate
The checklist tells you what is wrong. The rest of the job is the price, the schedule and the paperwork. OwnDesk Roofing is the business side of roofing: you build the estimate from your own price book with a roof takeoff by the square (the plan area of each section, the pitch and a waste percentage), put the job on the crew schedule, keep inspections and permits with a date and a status, track insurance claims and job costs, and print the invoice. When you have a number for the repair, the free markup vs margin calculator turns your cost into the price to quote.
It is a one-time payment, not a monthly subscription, and it runs offline on one computer. To be clear about what it is not: it does not build inspection reports or store photos, it does not measure roofs from aerial images, it does not sync between devices and it does not send texts or emails. Keep the checklist and your camera for the inspection, and use OwnDesk Roofing for what happens after it.
Frequently asked questions
What should a roof inspection checklist include?
How often should a roof be inspected?
What is on a commercial roofing inspection checklist?
What should I check on a roof after a storm in Florida?
What does a home inspector check on a roof?
How can I tell if a roof is leaking?
Can I inspect my own roof?
Is this a licensed roof inspection or an insurance report?
Is the roof inspection checklist free, and can I print it?
Does OwnDesk Roofing include an inspection report with photos?
Inspect it with the checklist, run the job in OwnDesk Roofing
OwnDesk Roofing builds the estimate with a roof takeoff, schedules the crew, tracks the insurance claim and the job costs and sends the invoice. One payment, no monthly fee, runs offline on your computer.