• By Liam Ridings
• In Blog, Metal Roofing, Renovation

How Often Roof Inspections Should Be Conducted

Your roof is the first line of defence against the exteriors – it is the one part of your house that receives the full brunt of the environment and all the elements that come with it. Your roof is there to protect you and the rest of your home from the heat, cold, rain, hail, wind and all other exterior elements. In order to ensure your roof continues to protect your property, you need to implement basic maintenance, including roof inspections.

The big question is: how often should roofs be inspected?

Roof inspections are an important task that the majority of the general population tend to overlook. Depending on your residential or commercial site, there are a myriad of factors that determine how often roof inspections need to be conducted. When you think about your roof and how it protects your building, it’s natural to expect some wear and tear. But you can also combat this wear and tear by addressing the care that you put into your roof and how often roof inspections should take place.

What to Look for During an Inspection

If you’ve ever thought about how often roof inspections should be conducted, or even considered inspecting your roof or having your roof inspected by a profession, you’re probably unsure of what to look for during a roof inspection.

How often should you get a roof inspected will depend on a number of factors. Wondering whether you can do it yourself? Basic maintenance includes doing a minor roof inspection yourself, and the process is relatively straightforward. As a homeowner or property owner, there are some things you can look for without any expertise, additional equipment or tools. Here are a couple of things to look out for when conducting an inspection from the ground:

1. Cracked Roofing Materials

The first and one of the easiest things to check for is cracks or chips in the tiles or other roofing materials that indicate breaks in the roof. Of course, the minor or hairline breaks will be difficult the see from the ground, but any major breaks in the materials should be visible from the safety of below.

2. Signs of Moisture

Secondly, and the next easiest thing to check for is signs of mould, grime and algae. If there are signs of mould, you should be able to see some form of discolouration on your roofing materials.

There are, however, some things that will need to be inspected by a professional and this is probably what most people think of when asking “how often should roof be inspected?”.

Straight off the bat, if your own initial inspection has highlighted any faults in your roof, it’s important to get a roofing maintenance professional to then come in and inspect the seriousness of the damage and determine what needs to be done to rectify and fix the issues that have been found.

From there, a professional will have the appropriate, skills, equipment and knowledge to do a more thorough, safe and accurate inspection. If you’re worried about the contractor you have hired to do your roof inspection, here are a few things to ask about during the inspection:

·      The extent of both the broken roof materials and mould build up on the roof. This will determine whether you need a roof replacement or simply and cleaning or localised repairs.

·      The condition of the mortar and caulking. Cracks, breaks or chips in the mortar and caulking on the roof can lead to breaks, leaks and in some situations falling roof materials.

·      The condition of the flashing or seals. Related to the waterproofing of the roof, damaged flashing and seals lead to leaks and water damage throughout your roof and house.

Reasons to Inspect Your Roof

How often roof inspections should be conducted can sometimes be determined by a reactive response, as opposed to proactive. There are some situations that might require an immediate roof inspection and others that need one for legality purposes.

After the occurrence of a big storm, you should be doing a self-inspection every time. This doesn’t mean you need to inspect your roof each time there’s some heavy rain, but your roof is more likely to be damaged after extreme weather conditions like hail and/or extreme winds. Falling tree branches and hail can cause a lot of damage to a roof, and most homeowners don’t take much notice of them until other issues, mainly leaks, are noticed. Therefore, after a heavy storm or strong winds check for breaks in your roof. If you’re unsure, give a contractor a call and get your roof professionally inspected for greater peace of mind.

If you notice a leak coming from the ceiling of your home, it’s again time to call a professional roofer. You might be able to detect the cause of the leak yourself, but if it were that obvious, you probably would have spotted the issue before you noticed the leak. Most professional roofers have a leak detection service apart of their roof inspection service. They will be able to trace the leak to the source and fix the issue on the spot or have some sort of temporary fix to stop any additional damage before a permanent solution is carried out.

Following on from the above two points, if you want to file an insurance claim due to a leaking roof or storm damage to your roof, you will need to have your roof inspected by an accredited roofer beforehand. The inspection also helps communicate with the insurance company exactly what has happened, what sort of damage it has caused and what needs to be done to fix it, along with the costs associated.

All these points fall out of the regular inspection calendar and are included when determining how often roof inspections should occur, but should take place as well as your regular inspection, they shouldn’t replace them.

Why Your Roof Needs to Be Inspected

If you’re trying to determine how often roof inspections need to be carried out, it’s important to understand why your roof needs to be inspected. The overarching point here is that roof inspections take place to ensure your roof is safe and by extension you, your family and your home is safe.

Roof inspections should occur regularly as they enable you to identify and fix small issues and problems before they become bigger (and more expensive). Having one broken tile on your roof doesn’t seem like a big problem, especially when there’s no other issues associated, like a leak. But one broken tile can easily fall and with it break other tiles or fall on walkers by. Not only is this a safety issue, but it can also mean an increase in future repair costs.

If you’ve recently purchased a new property, a roof inspection should be carried out to help you determine the state of the roof and whether or not it needs replacing or repair. More applicable to those buying an older or run-down property, an initial roof inspection can tell you if the property to safe to move into or if any roof repairs are needed before you can start living there. An initial inspection can also help you determine how often roof inspections should be conducted in the future; new homes won’t require as many regular inspections as older ones.

Vertec Roofing Roof Inspection and Maintenance Services

If you’re still unsure how often roof inspections need to be, it might be time to start now. At Vertec Roofing, our Sydney roof maintenance solutions can be applied for several different situations. Whether a storm has impacted your area, your home is ageing, or you generally want to keep your roof performing well, we can provide a no-obligation inspection and service quote. Vertec Roofing will save you from expensive insurance claims, reduce your costs on roof repairs, and keep your house free from pesky leaks and damages.

If you’d like to learn more about what our roof inspection and maintenance services can offer you, get in touch with one of our experts today. Our roofing contractors are experienced, knowledgeable, and offer professional advice on your roofing project with a no-obligation quote.