Roof certification letter: who in Texas can sign one, and what it states in a sale

A roof certification letter is a written opinion on the roof's condition, and in a home sale it is one that somebody in the transaction has asked for. The Texas resale contract does not name one. Paragraph 7A of TREC form 20-18 lets the buyer have the property inspected by inspectors the buyer selects who are licensed by TREC or otherwise permitted by law, and a roof certification is something a lender, a carrier or a buyer asks for on top of that.

Because it has no standard form, the request has to be read for three things: who must sign it, what it must say, and who it must be addressed to. The roof certification page describes the sealed letter this firm issues.

Who can sign one in Texas

A home inspector reports on the roof but does not certify it. Rule 535.228(c) does not require the inspector to determine remaining life or the number of layers, or to identify latent hail damage, and rule 535.227 does not require the inspector to determine insurability or to recommend or provide engineering services. The inspection report is not written to be a certification.

A roofing contractor can write a letter about a roof, and for some readers it is enough. It is a contractor's statement, it carries no engineer's seal, and it often comes from the business that would be paid for the repair.

An engineer's letter is the sealed version. Section 1001.003 of the Occupations Code includes evaluation in the practice of engineering, section 1001.301 restricts that practice to license holders, and section 1001.401 requires a license holder's report on a Texas project to carry the seal. Under rule 137.33 the engineer who seals it takes full professional responsibility for what it says. 254 Engineering LLC is a Texas registered engineering firm, TBPELS Firm Registration F-29811.

What a sealed roof letter states

On this firm's roof line, a letter issues only on a pass. It is addressed to the recipient recorded when the job was opened, for the purpose recorded then, and it identifies the property, the inspection date, the covering type, how the evidence was gathered and reviewed, and the condition observed. It says the inspection was visual and non destructive and makes no representation about concealed conditions.

What it is not

• A warranty. It is an opinion on condition as of one date.
• A remaining life figure. This firm's letter does not estimate one, and a lender who requires years should say so before anything is started.
• A promise that the roof will not leak.
• Transferable. It is not reissued to another recipient, purpose or date; a new inspection is needed.
• A windstorm certificate. On the coast that is a different document from a different issuer, set out in roof certification versus WPI-8.

Timing inside the contract

The resale contract's termination option gives the buyer an unrestricted right to terminate by notice within the time the contract sets, and the option fee is not refunded. A certification the buyer needs has to land inside that window, which means it is started as soon as the request is in writing.

A roof that needs repair gets a written repair list rather than a letter, and the letter waits until every repair has been checked on a return visit. Who pays for those repairs therefore becomes part of the negotiation.

For the seller

The seller's notice under section 5.008 of the Property Code asks for the roof type and approximate age, and about previous structural or roof repair, completed to the best of the seller's belief and knowledge. A letter a seller commissions before listing becomes part of what the seller knows. How an agent or lender reads any engineer's report is in the structural engineer report guide.

Name every party the letter must be addressed to at the start, because that cannot be changed afterwards. Start the roof certification online, or read what the sealed letter covers first.