How old is my roof? Five records that can answer it, and what each proves

The age of a roof is usually established from paper, not from the roof. Five records can answer it, and each one dates something slightly different: a contract, a permit, a product, a claim, or a seller's memory.

The question matters because insurers ask it. The Texas Department of Insurance says a company will inspect the roof when you apply, that as roofs age some companies switch to actual cash value, and that under an actual cash value policy the amount paid for roof damage depends on how old the roof is.

1. The contract, invoice or warranty

The best record is the paperwork from the last full replacement: the roofing contract, the final invoice, or a warranty document. It carries a date, usually names the product, and ties both to this address. It is also one of the documents the engineer's intake on this firm's roof line asks for.

2. A re-roof permit

Some Texas cities require a permit to re-roof. The City of Arlington's building inspection bulletin, for example, says a building permit is required to replace roof covering materials, except for replacements covering 10 percent or less of the roof area. Where a permit was pulled, the building department that issued it holds a dated record.

A permit dates the work that was permitted. It does not prove that the roof on the house today is that roof, and work done without a permit leaves nothing to find.

3. A date code on the bundles

Leftover bundles in a garage or attic can help. GAF's technical bulletin TAB-R-129 says one end of each of its shingle bundles is printed with the color name and code, a date code, a time and the packaging line. That is one manufacturer's convention, and it dates manufacture rather than installation, so it sets the earliest the roof could have gone on.

4. The insurance claim history

TDI explains that a CLUE report shows the claims filed for a house over the past seven years, including claims made before the current owner bought it, and that a buyer can ask the owner to show one. A roof claim on that report gives a date to check against an invoice. It does not prove the roof was replaced.

5. The seller's disclosure notice

In a sale, item 1 of the notice form in section 5.008 of the Property Code asks for the roof type and its approximate age, and item 4 asks about previous structural or roof repair. The notice is completed to the best of the seller's belief and knowledge as of the date it is completed, so the age on it is the seller's estimate. How a buyer uses the notice is in the pre purchase home inspection guide.

On the coast there can be a sixth record. A re-roof is an improvement under section 2210.2515 of the Insurance Code, and the certificate issued for one is dated; the windstorm certificate lookup explains how to search for it.

What an inspection can and cannot say about age

Rule 535.228(c) says a TREC inspector is not required to determine a roof covering's remaining life expectancy or its number of layers. An estimate of age from wear alone is an opinion, and two people can reach two answers.

On this firm's roof line the engineer does not certify an age. The owner's stated age is recorded word for word, the technician photographs any product label, wrapper or stamp found on site, and the engineer judges whether the covering's condition is consistent with what was reported. Where the story, the photographs and the paperwork disagree, the engineer can send the technician back for the items that settle it, such as a label, a permit sticker or an invoice matched to the covering. The sealed letter states observed condition and does not estimate remaining service life.

When a carrier, a lender or a buyer needs a sealed opinion on the roof's condition rather than a guess at its age, that is the engineer's document. Start the roof certification online, or read what the sealed letter covers first.