Your Lender May Want Its Own Look at the Finished Roof

Some homeowners with a repaired roof hear from a mortgage company that the lender wants to see the work. The request is usually for a lender inspection, sometimes called a property inspection, and it tends to arrive after the repair is finished while the home loan is still open. The lender wants proof that the house still carries the value it had when the loan was made, and the roof is one of the first things it checks. This page covers what that visit is, what to keep in your own file for it, and where the roofer's paperwork ends.

Why a lender asks at all

A mortgage is secured by the house. If a storm damaged the roof and the repair was partial, the lender may want to know whether the repair was completed and whether anything else on the structure needs attention. Lenders differ in how they handle this. Some order an exterior look from a third party. Others accept a homeowner's written statement with photos. Your loan documents or a letter from the loan servicer will usually say which path applies, and the request will normally name a deadline.

The request does not mean the lender is handling your insurance claim. It is a separate request from a separate party, and it does not change what your insurer owes you under your policy.

What to keep in your own file

Start with the finished work. Keep the signed roofing agreement, the written scope with its photos and measurements, the invoice, and any completion notice the roofer gives you. Keys Roofing documents the damage and puts a written scope with photos and measurements in the homeowner's hands, so that file should exist before the lender asks for it. Add the photos you took yourself before work started, and the photos taken during the tear-off if the roofer shared them with you.

Keep the insurer's paperwork in the same folder but in its own section. A lender reading a roof file wants to see the scope and the finished work. It does not need the full claim correspondence, and you should not hand over your claim history unless the lender asks for something specific in writing.

What the visit actually checks

An exterior review usually looks at the roof covering from the ground or from a ladder, the flashing at the chimney and at the walls, the gutters and downspouts, and whether the repaired area blends with the rest of the roof closely enough to show the work was finished. A reviewer may not walk the roof at all. A drone photo or a set of ground-level photos may be enough for the lender's file.

Ask the lender which items the review will cover before the visit. If the list includes the attic, the interior ceilings, or the soffit, have access ready and tell the reviewer where the attic hatch is. A lender that checks the attic will look for staining on the decking and for signs of moisture after rain, which is why a repair done without a dry-out period can show up later as a problem.

Timing matters too. Schedule the review for a dry day in the St. Louis season you are in. Wet shingles can hide small problems, and a reviewer who arrives after a freeze-thaw week may find frost and loose granules that have nothing to do with the repair. If the review lands in a bad week, ask the lender in writing whether it can be moved.

The roofer's role in a lender review

A roofing company can give you a written statement that the work was completed to the scope, along with dated photos and a job-day log if the company keeps one. That is documentation of its own work, and it is the part of the file the roofer is in a position to certify. The Keys office number is (314) 220-2333 if the lender has a question about the installed roof.

What a roofer cannot do is speak for your insurer or for the lender on the question of who pays for what. Missouri law (RSMo 407.725) bars a roofing contractor from representing or negotiating a homeowner's insurance claim, and from saying anything about paying, waiving or covering a deductible. A roofer may explain the work it did. It may not tell a lender that the claim is settled or that the insurer has approved a figure. If a lender asks about the insurance payment, the answer comes from your insurer or from your own records.

Questions to put to the lender

• Which review does the lender require, and does it accept a homeowner's statement with photos?
• What is the deadline, and is it written on the request?
• Will the reviewer walk the roof, or work from the ground and from photos?
• Does the review include the attic and the interior ceilings?
• Who receives the report, and can you get a copy of it?

What to do if the review finds something

If the reviewer notes an open item, ask for the item in writing along with the date it was observed. Then check whether the item was part of the original repair scope. If it was, the roofer may need to return and finish it, and that return visit should go on the schedule with a date. If the item is new, such as a stain that appeared after the repair, photograph it the day you find it and keep the old and new photos side by side.

Do not wait for the lender to find a problem you already know about. A short note to the lender that describes the repair, the completion date and the photos on file is usually more useful than silence followed by a request for more time.

Where the file ends

The lender review is a snapshot of the roof on the day it is taken. Keep the file after the loan closes or refinances, because a future buyer or a future lender may ask for the same records. A dated scope, a completion photo set and a short note about the repair cover most of what a reviewer asks for. Store copies in two places, and label the folder with the address and the date of the repair so it can be found years later without opening every file.