The question
Ask the Building Department, Not the Contractor
The answer affects a very large number, and the person quoting has an interest in it.
What you have noticed, the roof type and roughly its age. We will tell you honestly whether it is a repair or a replacement.
Three separate questions
They get merged, and they have different answers and different people who decide them.
- What does the code require? Your building department decides, and the rule changed in 2022.
- What does the roof actually need? A condition assessment decides, particularly the underlayment on a tile roof.
- What does your policy cover? Your insurer decides, and it is separate from both of the above.
Why the contractor should not answer the first one
A full replacement is a substantially larger job than a partial repair, and the person quoting has an interest in the answer.
That does not make anybody dishonest. It means the code question is worth confirming with the building department directly, and it takes one phone call.
The tile-specific version
On a tile roof the question is usually about the underlayment rather than the tiles. A roof with intact tiles can be at the end of its waterproof life, and a roof with broken tiles can need very little.
That is a condition question, and it needs somebody on the roof rather than a judgement from the street.
FAQ
Common questions
- Who decides if a full replacement is required?
- Your building department, and the rule changed in 2022.
- Should the contractor answer that?
- They have an interest in the answer. Confirm it directly.
- Is insurance the same question?
- No. Coverage is separate from code requirements and from condition.
- What decides it on a tile roof?
- The underlayment, not the tiles.
Next step
Find out what is actually wrong with it.
An inspection, photographs of what we found, and a written scope. If the honest answer is that it can wait another season, that is the answer you will get.