Prepare the information the inspector needs
Provide the property address, access contact, known roof work, warranty documents and any prior report. Mark interior leak locations on a simple floor plan and explain whether they appear during rain, afterward or when equipment operates.
- List recent storms, equipment service and roof alterations.
- Identify inaccessible rooms or roof areas and any site restrictions.
- State the decision you need: leak diagnosis, purchase review, repair scope or capital planning.
- Ask what the inspection includes and which tests are outside its scope.
Check that the report covers the relevant areas
GAF’s commercial maintenance checklist includes roof surfaces, edges, drainage, flashings, penetrations and visible interior evidence. Use the features that exist on your property, adding any mixed-material transitions or repeatedly repaired locations.
For a home, ask about the covering, valleys, vents, roof-wall details and visible attic conditions where safe access is available. For an equipment-heavy roof, ask how curbs, service areas and drainage were reviewed. Do not assume a drone or ground photograph resolves concealed conditions.
Require located findings and clear limits
Photographs should be tied to a roof area or feature. Ask the report to separate a visible observation from a suspected cause. “Possible moisture” and “confirmed wet material” should not be used interchangeably.
If an area was not examined, it should appear in the limitations. If additional investigation is recommended, ask what question it will answer and how it affects the proposed work.
Leave with a decision list
Ask which items need prompt action, which can be addressed in planned work, and which need more evidence. The report should support the next step without assuming every finding requires replacement. Keep the report with any subsequent repair record so the next inspector can evaluate what changed.