FHA & VA Roof Requirements
Government-backed loans apply property condition standards, and the roof is one of the items appraisers look at. When it gets flagged, a roof certification is usually how the file moves again.
What typically gets flagged
- A roof with limited remaining life — guidance has long centred on a two-year threshold
- Active leaks, or evidence of them inside the dwelling
- Multiple existing layers, which can raise both condition and code questions
- Missing, curling or broadly deteriorated covering visible to the appraiser
- Exposed sheathing or holes — a straightforward health and safety flag
How it gets resolved
Usually with repairs plus a signed certification from a licensed contractor stating the roof is free of active leaks with the required remaining life, or with a replacement documented by a permit and a warranty.
What the lender will accept — the term, the form of the document, whether a C-39 signature is specifically required — varies by programme, investor and lender overlay. Get it in writing from the lender on your file before ordering anything. We have seen deals delayed by an assumption far more often than by a roof.
Timing, which is the real problem
A flag appears late, because it appears at appraisal. The appraisal is already weeks into escrow, and now repairs, an inspection and a document all have to happen inside a closing window.
That is why we treat these as scheduling emergencies rather than routine orders, and why a pre-listing certification is so much cheaper than a mid-escrow scramble.
What we cannot tell you
Whether a particular document will satisfy a particular underwriter. We are roofers, and underwriting is not our determination. What we can do is inspect honestly, repair properly, and produce a clear signed document with our licence number on it, quickly.
Common questions
Will FHA approve a house with an old roof?
It depends on condition and remaining life rather than age alone. Where the appraiser flags it, the file is commonly resolved with repairs and a certification stating the required remaining life — or with a replacement. Confirm the requirement with the lender in writing.
Does a VA loan require a roof certification?
VA applies minimum property requirements, and a flagged roof is commonly resolved with repairs and a contractor's certification. The specific document and term the lender will accept varies, so ask them directly on your file.