As an investor in Dearborn, you need to do all you can to keep your rental property in great shape. For single-family rental homes, everything starts with the roof. Though a quality roof will hold up for many years, any roof will eventually need to be reshingled. On the other hand, how often should you reshingle your rental property’s roof? For the purpose of answering this question, first, you must gather some important information, including the age and condition of the current roof and the type of materials used.
One of the most frequently forgotten parts of any house is the roof. Considering that most roofs don’t need a great deal of maintenance, keeping a close eye on things up top are oftentimes left out. Knowing when to reshingle your rental property’s roof starts by understanding how old your roof is and how well it is holding up. Most kinds of shingles will hold out for about 20 years, so just in case your roof is older than that, it might be time to start planning for a replacement. Regardless of the fact that your property’s roof isn’t that old, it’s still necessary to perform regular inspections to keep track of your roof’s condition. Experts at the National Roofing Contractors Association recommend inspections twice a year. You can carry out these inspections all alone, or if you see fit, you could hire a qualified professional to do it for you.
During the inspection, you or your contractor should watch closely for some of the most common warning signs that your roof is starting to fail. Once you observe areas where shingles are curled, buckled, or missing altogether, that could signal the need for a replacement. More serious signs of a failing roof include sagging, holes, or water damage. It’s also an excellent idea to check for wood rot and mold since both could spread and damage more than just the shingles. By simply conducting frequent inspections, you will be in the best position to catch small problems early.
Whereas doing small repairs will help to extend the life of your Dearborn property’s roof, the time will soon come when the entire roof should be reshingled. Depending on the type of shingles your property has, you must be able to plan for the cost of that replacement in advance. Composition shingles generally last about 12 to 20 years, in comparison, asphalt shingles normally last 15 to 30 years. In the middle range are wood shingles, which oftentimes hold out for about 20 to 25 years.
Certainly, these estimates may differ depending on your climate. Extreme winters, high winds, or near-constant humidity can all increase the rate of wear on a roof, significantly reducing the life of your shingles. If, as it happens, your property is found in an area that is often battered by storms or other extreme weather, you might need to inspect the roof more often to make sure that it remains structurally sound.
Your Dearborn rental property’s roof is a critical aspect of protecting your investment and your tenant, not to mention your tenant’s possessions. Instead of waiting for something to go wrong, it’s crucial to take a proactive approach to proper roof maintenance. If you do, you won’t actually have to ask whether the time is right to replace the shingles – you’ll already know. At Real Property Management Metro Detroit, we manage maintenance schedules and coordinate maintenance efforts for our clients’ properties on their behalf. Contact us today to see how we can make your life simpler with our capable and expert property management services.
We are pledged to the letter and spirit of U.S. policy for the achievement of equal housing opportunity throughout the Nation. See Equal Housing Opportunity Statement for more information.
