As an investor in Raleigh, you need to do all you can to keep your rental property in good condition. For single-family rental homes, it begins with the roof. Although a quality roof will hold up for many years, any roof will eventually need to be reshingled. However, how often should you reshingle your rental property’s roof? In order to answer this question, you must first gather some important information, including the age and condition of the current roof and the type of materials used.
One of the most, oftentimes, unattended parts of any house is the roof. Since most roofs don’t need a great deal of maintenance, keeping tabs on things up top is most often overlooked. 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 endure for about 20 years, so if in case your roof is older than that, it may be time to start planning for a replacement. Even supposing your property’s roof isn’t that old, it’s still imperative 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 execute these inspections on your own, or if you so choose, you could hire a qualified professional to do it for you.
During the inspection, you or your contractor should keep a close watch on some of the most common warning signs that your roof is starting to fail. When you notice 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 a great idea to check for wood rot and mold since both could spread and damage more than just the shingles. Just by conducting frequent inspections, you will be better equipped to catch small problems early.
Even if accomplishing small repairs will help to extend the life of your Raleigh property’s roof, the time will finally come when the entire roof should be reshingled. Depending on the type of shingles your property has, you need to be able to plan for the cost of that replacement in advance. Composition shingles generally last about 12 to 20 years, whereas asphalt shingles usually last 15 to 30 years. In the middle range are wood shingles, which, most often, endure for about 20 to 25 years.
Needless to say, these estimates may vary 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 by any chance your property is situated in an area that is often battered by storms or other extreme weather, you may have to inspect the roof more often to make certain that it remains structurally sound.
Your Raleigh rental property’s roof is a key component of protecting your investment and your tenant, not to mention your tenant’s possessions. In place of waiting for something to go wrong, it’s significant to take a proactive approach to proper roof maintenance. If you do, you won’t have to question whether the time is right to replace the shingles – you’ll already know. At Real Property Management Excellence, 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 so much easier with our competent and expert property management services.
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