Roof problems found during a home inspection

Roof issues on a home inspection: an active leak, a sag or soft decking come first. Book a roofer before your deadline and price each fix.

UpdatedOctober 30, 2026 · By Ben Sikes

What roof issues show up on a home inspection, and which are serious?

Of the roof problems found during a home inspection, start with an active leak, a sag or soft decking, the rows where the International Association of Certified Home Inspectors (InterNACHI) points to correction or possible structural trouble. Book a licensed roofer for those before your inspection deadline, and a structural engineer for a sag. The biggest figures in the 14 rows below come from replacing a roof after hail, age or decay, and from truss repair under a sag.

Key takeaways

Under InterNACHI's standards, your inspector doesn't have to walk the roof or run a water test. A roofer's visit tells you if a leak is still live.
On a Federal Housing Administration (FHA) loan, the appraiser must report a roof with less than two years of life left.
Most home insurance policies won't pay for leaks from an aging roof or wear and tear, so settle roof lines in this deal.

Finding	What the source says	Cost to fix	Guide
Chimney or kick-out flashing	American Society of Home Inspectors (ASHI): chimney flashings "are a common source of roof leaks"	$150 to reseal to $1,400 to replace an oversize chimney's flashing (Modernize; Roofing Calculator HQ)	Guide
Delaminated roof sheathing	InterNACHI: sagging decking "may indicate serious structural concerns"	$70 to $150 per sheet (MyHomePros; ArchitectureCourses.org); $3.50 to $9.00 per sq. ft. (Global Exterior Experts, local, Aurora, Illinois)	Guide
Flat roof ponding	Asphalt Roofing Manufacturers Association (ARMA): ponding can erode the membrane in a way "that can result in failure of the roof system"	$70 to $8,000+ (Fixr; General Roofing, local, Bay Area)	Guide
Hail damage	InterNACHI: functional damage "diminishes the ability of a roof to shed water"	$300 for a few shingles to $25,000 for severe damage (Modernize)	Guide
Missing shingles or granule loss	CertainTeed: displaced or broken shingles create "direct paths for water infiltration"	$150 to $1,500 (Modernize)	Guide
Moss on roof	InterNACHI: "mostly a cosmetic issue"; ARMA: moss "can be detrimental to asphalt shingle performance"	$300 to $1,500+ (The Roofing Titan, local, Western Washington)	Guide
Old roof	InterNACHI: a typical residential roof lasts 15 to 20 years on average	$7,500 to $15,000+ to replace (Fixr; Staydry Roofing, local, Indianapolis)	Guide
Roof leak or ceiling stain	InterNACHI Standards of Practice: "observed indications of active roof leaks" are reported as needing correction	$100 to $8,000+ for the leak (Fixr); ceiling from $150 or less to $10,000 for a main support beam (SERVPRO)	Guide
Roof nail pops	InterNACHI: under-driven nails "will wear a hole in the overlying shingle"	$200 for a simple repair to $3,000 with a rotted deck sheet (Joyland Roofing, local, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania)	Guide
Sagging roof	InterNACHI: sagging rafters "can cause the ridge to sag and the exterior walls to bow out"	$750 for localized framing (Today's Homeowner) to $15,000+ for truss repair (Econo Roofing, local, Stanislaus and Merced counties, California)	Guide
Skylight leak	Environmental Protection Agency (EPA): hidden mold can grow in "roof materials above ceiling tiles" after roof leaks	$50 for a minor flashing patch (A1 Home Improvement, local, Berlin, Connecticut) to $5,300+ for a new skylight (Sunsquare Skylights, a skylight maker)	Guide
Tarp on roof	EPA: dry water-damaged areas "within 24-48 hours to prevent mold growth"	$150 to $1,500 for the tarp alone (Sky Light Roofing, local, Central Florida; Happy Roofing, local, Naperville, Illinois area). The repair under it needs a roofer's bid	Guide
Two layers of shingles	InterNACHI: "shingles won't last as long, although the roof is less likely to leak"	$1.25 to $1.75 per sq. ft. to tear off both layers (SquareDash)	Guide
Wood shake roof	Oregon State University Extension: decay fungi "can degrade the wood to the point where it is no longer serviceable"	$11.51 to $15.41 per sq. ft. for a new shake roof before tear-off (Homewyse)	Guide

Kept prices every line of an inspection report for $79, usually under 4 hours, and marks the ones that need a professional quote.

Which roof problems are the biggest red flags?

The biggest red flags are the roof problems where water is getting in or the structure is moving. That means an active leak, a sag, soft or delaminated decking, or a tarp over damage nobody has fixed. Get a licensed roofer up there before your deadline, not after closing. Don't climb up yourself; CertainTeed says only your contractor should set foot on the roof.

A sag on a truss roof goes to an engineer. InterNACHI tells inspectors to recommend one for truss roofs, because "most of the defects related to trusses require calculations." Today's Homeowner puts a structural engineer's home inspection at $350 to $800. Ask for a written repair plan a contractor can bid on.

Price the other rows too. Each can grow if the roofer finds water under it, so the bid should say whether the deck is sound.

Who prices roof problems, and what does a stain cost to fix?

Outside the sag, a licensed roofer prices every row. Ask one roofer to look at every roof line on your report in the same visit, and to put each line in a written bid with its cause, scope and price.

Say your report shows a ceiling stain, and the roofer traces it to damaged flashing. Add Fixr's $200 to $600 flashing repair and Fixr's $325 to $1,100 to replace and repaint the ceiling drywall. That comes to $525 to $1,700. The low end is $200 + $325, and the high end is $600 + $1,100. Wet insulation or deck damage would add lines that only the roofer's bid prices.

How to use this list before your deadline

Work down the list in this order:

Match each roof line on your report to a row above, and read its guide for the request wording.
Book the roofer on the red-flag rows first.
Ask for the repair, or a credit sized to the written bid, and attach the bid. If the seller does the work, ask for the roofer's invoice, the final scope and the permit, if your town requires one, before closing.
Settle it now. Liberty Mutual says most policies "typically won't cover roof leak repairs or damage that are a result of an aging roof, lack of upkeep, or general wear and tear."

If the seller says no, you can ask for a credit or price cut instead, or cancel while your inspection contingency is open. Your contract sets the exact dates and terms, so confirm them with your agent or attorney.

What do home inspectors look for on a roof?

Under InterNACHI's Standards of Practice, the inspector checks the roof "from ground level or the eaves." That covers the covering, gutters, downspouts, vents, flashing, skylights, chimney and other penetrations. The inspector is not required to walk on the roof or "perform a water test." So a stain on the report doesn't prove the leak is live or fixed. The roofer's visit settles it.

What will fail a roof inspection?

On an FHA loan, a roof near the end of its life can fall short of FHA's minimum property requirements. The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Handbook 4000.1 says the appraiser "must report if the roof has less than two years of remaining life." The appraisal then becomes subject to "inspection by a professional roofer." On any other loan, ask your loan officer what the appraisal checks on the roof.

Local code decides the next reroof. San Bernardino County, California, for example, bars a new layer over "two or more applications of any type of roof covering." Your building department answers for your address.

How do I know what my whole list is worth?

Your whole list is worth the roofer's line-by-line bid plus a price for every other line on the report. That total is your ask, and each line shows the seller where the number came from.

If the roof is one part of a long report, upload your inspection report to Kept and spend your remaining days on the roofer's bid.

Sources

Cost figures are modeled from public wage and materials data unless a line says observed. Kept is accountable for the numbers on this page, and corrections go to support@usekept.com. How we price.