As an investor in Muskegon, 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. You can enjoy many years of service from a quality roof but just like any roof, it would need to be reshingled. But the question is, how often should you reshingle your rental property’s roof? That would greatly depend on the age, condition, and type of materials used of your current roof.
Among the different parts of the house, the roof is most often ignored. They are easily forgotten since they don’t need much maintenance. The decision to reshingle your rental property’s roof would depend on how old your roof is and its condition. Most shingles last for 20 years, so a roof older than that needs to be replaced. Just because your roof is fairly new, it does not exempt you from doing regular inspections as this is important to know your roof’s condition at any given time. Experts at the National Roofing Contractors Association recommend inspections twice a year. You have the option to do the inspection yourself or hire a qualified professional.
During the inspection, you and your contractor must be on the lookout for warning signs of your roof 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. You have to check for wood rot and mold since this could spread and damage more than just the shingles. If you perform frequent inspections, you improve your chances of finding small problems early.
While making small repairs will help to extend the life of your Muskegon property’s roof, the time will eventually come when the entire roof should be reshingled. Identify the types of shingles of your property first so you can prepare for the cost that comes during replacement. Composition shingles generally last about 12 to 20 years, while asphalt shingles typically last 15 to 30 years. Wood shingles are in the middle range category and they last from 20 to 25 years.
Obviously, climate plays a big factor and these estimates could be off. Extreme winters, high winds, or near-constant humidity are factors contributing to the rate of wear on a roof and decrease the life of your shingles. If your property is located in an area where storms and extreme weather are constant, then you need to inspect your roof more often to make sure that it is structurally sound.
Your Muskegon 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 Investment Solutions, 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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