As an investor in Prairieville, it is important to make an effort to keep your rental property in good shape. For single-family rental homes, this begins with the roof. While a good quality roof would last for years, roofs would eventually need to be reshingled. But how do you know how often you should reshingle your rental property’s roof? In order to find out, you should first determine the age, condition, and type of material used in the current roof.
Like in most houses, the roof is often ignored. They are easily forgotten since they don’t need much maintenance. Two of the factors that tell you when you should reshingle your rental property’s roof are: how old it is and the condition of the roof. Most shingles last for 20 years, so a roof older than that needs to be replaced. Doing regular inspections even if your roof is not that old helps you keep track of your roof’s condition. Experts at the National Roofing Contractors Association recommend inspections twice a year. You can choose to do the inspections yourself or hire a qualified professional to do this for you.
When doing the inspection, you and your contractor should keep a keen eye on the warning signs that your roof is starting to fail. If you see 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. As prevention for further damage, check for wood rot and mold as this can harm more than just the shingles. If frequent inspections are done, you are more likely to catch small problems before they become big.
While making small repairs will help to extend the life of your Prairieville property’s roof, the time will eventually come when the entire roof should be reshingled. Determine the types of shingles you have in your property so that you can determine the cost of replacement ahead of time. Composition shingles generally last about 12 to 20 years, while asphalt shingles typically last 15 to 30 years. In the middle range are wood shingles, which last for 20 to 25 years.
Of course, the following estimates could be different based on your climate. Extreme winters, high winds, or near-constant humidity damage your shingles earlier than expected as these factors increase the rate of wear on a roof. Inspect your roof more often to make sure that it remains structurally sound especially when your property is in an area where storms and extreme weather are constant.
Your Prairieville rental property’s roof is an essential part of protecting your investment and your tenant, not to mention your tenant’s possessions. The best time to solve a problem is before it happens. Take a proactive approach to proper roof maintenance. Because when things do go wrong, there’s no point in asking when you should be replacing the shingles. At Real Property Management Baton Rouge, 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 easier with our expert property management services.
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