Professional Roof Inspection in Arizona

Thorough inspections with detailed reports and photo documentation. Ideal for homeowners, buyers, and pre-storm season preparation. Licensed ROC #358508. Call (602) 849-7990.

Roof Inspections in Arizona: What We Check, What We Find, and What Happens Next

A roof can look fine from the driveway and still be close to leaking. On most Valley homes, the part that keeps water out is hidden under tile or shingles, and the first sign of trouble is often a stain on a ceiling after the damage is done. An inspection is how you find the problem while it is still small.

This guide explains how a roofer's inspection differs from a general home inspection, what we look at on each type of roof and in the attic, the problems we find most often in the Phoenix area, when to schedule one, and what you get when we are done.

Roofer's inspection vs. home inspection

Arizona home inspectors are certified by the State Board of Technical Registration and follow its Standards of Professional Practice. Those standards require them to look at the roof covering, drainage, flashing and roof penetrations. They do not require the inspector to walk on the roof, and many don't, especially on tile, which can crack underfoot if you don't know where to step.

A home inspection is a good overview of the whole house. It is not designed to tell you how much life the underlayment has left or what a repair will cost. A roofer's inspection is narrower and deeper. Our estimator walks the roof, steps on tile where it is supported, looks under tile where needed, checks flashing by hand, and then gives you a price for anything that needs fixing.

If a home inspector's report says "further evaluation by a licensed roofer recommended," this is the visit that answers that note.

What we check on each roof type

Tile roofs: the tile is rarely the problem by itself. We look for cracked, slipped and missing pieces, mortar that has broken loose at ridges and hips, and debris packed into valleys. Where the roof is old enough or shows signs of trouble, we lift a few tiles to see the underlayment. Felt that is brittle, cracked or torn at the tile battens tells us how close the roof is to leaking.

Shingle roofs: we look at granule loss, cracking and curling, shingles that have lifted or creased in wind, exposed nails, and the condition of pipe boots and step flashing along walls. Bare spots and granules piled up at the gutters or scuppers mean the shingles are wearing through.

Foam and flat roofs: we check the coating for thin, chalky or cracked areas, press for soft spots that can mean wet foam underneath, and look for low areas where water stands after rain. We also check that scuppers and drains are clear, and inspect the seam where a flat section meets a pitched roof.

Metal roofs: we check fasteners for backing out or missing washers, sealant at panel laps and trim, and flashing at walls and penetrations.

What the attic tells us

When the attic is accessible, we look at it from the inside. Water stains on the underside of the deck, dark or soft boards, rusted nails and daylight showing through are all signs of where water or air is getting in. A stain inside the attic is often closer to the real leak than the stain on your ceiling.

We also look at ventilation. In our heat, a poorly vented attic bakes the underlayment and shingles from below. Building codes based on the International Residential Code call for vent openings equal to 1/150 of the attic floor area, or 1/300 when the vents are balanced between high vents near the ridge and low vents at the eaves. We check that the vents you have aren't blocked by insulation, debris or paint, and that there is both intake and exhaust.

What we find most often on Valley roofs

Every roof is different, but the same problems come up over and over in Phoenix-area inspections:

  • Original underlayment on tile roofs from the 1980s, 1990s and early 2000s that is at or past its 15 to 25 year life
  • Tile cracked by foot traffic from solar, satellite, pest control or holiday light installers
  • Pipe boots and roof jacks with cracked rubber or rusted metal
  • Bird stops missing at the eaves, letting birds and debris into the tile
  • Valleys packed with leaves and dirt, which slow drainage and push water under the tile
  • Flashing where a patio cover or addition was tied into the original roof, often done without proper flashing
  • Flat sections over carports and Arizona rooms with worn coating and standing water
  • Unsealed or loose solar panel mounts
  • Old evaporative cooler stands and abandoned roof penetrations that were never properly closed

When to schedule an inspection

The National Roofing Contractors Association suggests inspecting a roof twice a year, in spring and fall, and after any severe storm. In the Valley, the most useful time is late spring, before monsoon season starts on June 15. Problems found in May can be fixed before the first big storm finds them for you.

Other good times for an inspection:

  • After a monsoon storm with high wind, hail or falling limbs, even if nothing is leaking yet
  • When you are buying or selling a home
  • Before installing solar panels, since the roof under them is hard to reach once they are up
  • When a tile roof reaches 15 years old and has never had its underlayment checked
  • When you see a ceiling stain, granules in the gutters, or tile on the ground
  • After any other trade has worked on the roof

Inspections for buyers and sellers

Under the standard Arizona Association of REALTORS® resale contract, buyers usually have 10 days to complete inspections and send their list of requested repairs to the seller. That is a short window. If the home inspector flags the roof, calling a roofer early in that period gives you time to get a written finding and a price before the deadline.

For buyers, our findings help you decide what to ask for: a repair, a credit, or nothing at all if the roof is in good shape. We give you photos and a written price, so the number in your request is based on the actual roof rather than a guess.

For sellers, a pre-listing inspection lets you fix small problems on your own schedule instead of during escrow. Arizona sellers are expected to disclose known roof leaks and repairs on the Seller's Property Disclosure Statement, so keeping records of what was found and fixed is useful either way.

Storm inspections and insurance

After a storm, we photograph the damage before anything is moved or repaired, note where it is on the roof, and cover open areas to stop more water from getting in. If you decide to file a claim, those photos are yours to give your insurer, and we can be at the house when the adjuster inspects so they can see what we found.

Your insurance company decides whether damage is covered and how much it pays. We can't promise a claim will be approved, and we don't negotiate the claim for you. Arizona law (A.R.S. § 32-1158.02) does not allow contractors to act as an adjuster for the homeowner or to offer to pay or rebate a deductible. We follow that law. If you want someone to negotiate a claim on your behalf, Arizona requires that person to hold an adjuster license.

Not every problem we find after a storm is storm damage. Worn underlayment and old cracked boots are age-related, and we will tell you which is which.

Roofs with solar panels

Solar panels hide part of the roof, and the mounts are another set of holes through it. We check the mounts we can see for loose flashing and failed sealant, look for broken tile around the array, and check for debris and nests trapped underneath.

If the roof under the panels needs work, the panels have to come off first. We offer solar detach and reset, so the roof work and the panel removal and reinstall can be handled as one job.

What you get after the inspection

You get photos of what we found, a plain explanation of what each problem means, and a written price for anything we recommend fixing. If the roof is in good shape, we tell you that too.

We sort findings by urgency. Some things should be fixed before the next rain. Others can wait a year or two and be planned for. We don't push you to do everything at once.

When repairs are needed, these are the typical ranges we see in the Phoenix area. The estimator gives you an exact written price after the inspection.

  • Repairs: $300 to $5,000
  • Tile underlayment replacement: about $10,000 to $22,000
  • Shingle replacement: about $8,000 to $15,000
  • Foam roofs: about $4,000 to $18,000
  • Full tile replacement: about $15,000 to $35,000

Reading the results: repair, plan, or replace

Most inspections end with one of three answers. The roof is sound and needs nothing or a small fix. The roof needs a repair now and has years left after it. Or the roof is near the end of its life and it is time to plan a bigger project.

On tile roofs, the big project is usually an underlayment replacement, not new tile. We lift the tile, tear off to the deck, replace damaged deck boards, install high-temperature synthetic or self-adhered underlayment and new flashing, and relay your tile. Where some original tile is broken and the profile is no longer made, we move original tile to the slopes you see from the street and put replacements where they won't show.

On shingle roofs, replacement means tearing off to the deck and installing new underlayment and cool-rated shingles. Financing is available if you would rather spread the cost of a larger project over time.

Permits and HOAs

An inspection itself never needs a permit. Whether the work that follows does depends on your city. Most Valley cities don't require a permit for ordinary repairs or for re-roofing with the same material, but a few have different rules, and switching to a heavier material, like going from shingle to tile, generally does need one. Our city guides list the rule for each city, and where the code is unclear, we check with the city before work starts.

If you live in an HOA, repairs that keep the same materials and colors usually don't need approval. A change in tile color or profile might. We can provide product details and photos for your HOA.

Where we inspect

We inspect homes and commercial buildings across the Phoenix metro area from our offices in Ahwatukee, at 5110 E Warner Rd #210, and Mesa, at 254 W Broadway Rd #101. Simply Roofing is a licensed Arizona roofing contractor, ROC #358508. Call (602) 849-7990 to schedule.

Guides and cost breakdowns