Do I need a roof inspection?
Short answer. You need a roof inspection after any significant hail or wind storm, when buying or selling a home, once the roof passes about 15 years old, if you see leaks or ceiling stains, and when your insurer starts asking about roof age or condition. Otherwise, a quick check every year or two keeps small problems small.
Situations that call for an inspection
- After a storm: hail and wind damage is often invisible from the ground, and insurance policies have deadlines for reporting it. North Georgia's peak hail months are in spring, so a spring check is smart. See Georgia hail season.
- Roof age: many Georgia roofs start showing wear by 15 to 20 years. Annual checks after that catch failing pipe boots and flashing before they leak.
- Real estate: buyers should know the roof's condition before closing; sellers can fix issues before they show up in the buyer's inspection.
- Insurance: renewals, roof-age questions, or an insurer's own inspection notice are a good prompt to know your roof's condition first.
- Warning signs: ceiling stains, granules piling in gutters, curling or missing shingles, daylight in the attic, or a musty attic smell.
- Before solar or other rooftop equipment: the roof under it should outlast the installation.
What you can check yourself
From the ground with binoculars, look for missing shingles, lifted ridge caps, damaged vents, and sagging lines. Inside, check the attic after a heavy rain. Stay off the roof unless you are trained and equipped.
What a professional adds
A trained inspector checks soft metals for hail marks, tests shingle seals, examines flashing and pipe boots up close, and documents everything in photos. For the full process, see what to expect from a roof inspection, and for the classic wear signs, signs you need a new roof.