Home Inspector Did Not Find Roof Leak

Knowing what to do when a home inspection is bad can be tricky.

Home inspector did not find roof leak. A typical home inspection starts on the home s outside. If you had a home inspection done review your report. The purpose of a home inspection is to report defects that are visible and accessible at the time of the inspection. The original home inspection missed all of these.

Vents for plumbing gas appliances attic fans and other items that penetrate the roof s membrane are potential sources of leaks especially in older homes. For example if the inspector said the roof was in good condition but there was a leak months later during a big storm you would have to prove that nothing happened in the intervening time that. Vents are usually on walls or roofs but sometimes they re in the soffits. That small leak could be an easy fix.

Or it could mean replacing an entire section of the roof. A home inspector cannot always predict future roof leakage but defects that are likely to cause leaking or that indicate past leakage should be reported. Start by checking the damper inside the fan housing and the one on the vent outside. You won t know unless you have someone check.

Regardless of the inspection results home inspectors should not be advising buyers as to whether they should move forward with the purchase. The home inspector technically works for the buyer. Buyers choose their own home inspector and occasionally a seller will feel like the report is incorrect or exaggerated. Claims against the home seller or builder.

Just because they think something s seriously wrong with your roof doesn t mean there is. A bath fan duct that s not insulated or poorly insulated gets really cold in the attic. Defects commonly uncovered during a roof home inspection a roof system is made up of several components other than its outer covering of shingles tiles or other materials. Remember that home inspectors are not professional roofers.

Your general inspector will likely note any potential issues they see. He checks out drainage and tests the gutter system. Once your roofer gives you the scoop you have options. You hire an engineer at great expense who surveys the home and notifies you that the the leak is one of several major structural deficiencies.

The inspector looks for problems with the roof exterior foundation and crawl space. So if there s even a small sign of a potential problem they ll suggest you get an inspection from a roofing company. However they also know they aren t roofing experts. As with the seller s disclosure if the inspector found evidence of a roof leak and you didn t do anything about it your ability to go after.