How can you check when a roof was replaced?
Short answer. Start with paperwork, like permit records, the seller's disclosure and the home inspection report, then look for physical clues: the shingle style and condition, leftover bundle wrappers or labels in the attic or garage, and the age of the flashing and vents. A roofer can estimate age from wear, but only records prove the date.
Clues you can check yourself
- Shingle style. Flat 3-tab shingles with even slots are an older design. Most newer Georgia roofs use thicker architectural shingles, though plenty of those are now 15 to 20 years old too.
- Wear pattern. Heavy granule loss, curling edges and cracks on south and west slopes point to an older roof. Crisp edges and uniform color suggest a newer one.
- Number of layers. Look at the roof edge from a ladder. A thick, stacked look at the drip edge can mean shingles were laid over an older layer, which hides the first roof's age.
- Leftovers. Roofers sometimes leave a bundle wrapper, a spare bundle or a warranty card in the attic, garage or crawl space. Wrappers often show the product line and a production code.
- Stickers and paperwork. Check near the electrical panel, inside the garage or in the house's manual drawer for a roofer's sticker or invoice.
- Vents and boots. Fresh, flexible pipe boots and unfaded vents usually went on with the last roof. Brittle, cracked boots suggest age.
What the attic can tell you
Look at the underside of the decking. Two types of sheathing in a patchwork may mean sections were replaced during a past reroof. Old water stains that are dry and hard suggest a leak that was fixed, possibly with the last replacement.
None of these clues gives a date, but together they narrow it down. For what a professional check looks at, see what to expect from a roof inspection, and for telling shingle types apart, architectural vs 3-tab shingles.