JUMP TO A SECTION
A purchase agreement moves along fine until the appraisal comes back with a line about the roof, and suddenly a Macomb County closing that was two weeks out is waiting on a contractor. That moment catches buyers, sellers, and agents off guard because most people have never read what FHA and VA loans actually require of a roof. Neither program hands out a checklist that says "shingles must be under X years old." Both set a broader condition standard: the roof has to be free of active leaks, sound enough to keep the house dry, and expected to hold up for a stated remaining period. This guide walks through what each program's minimum property standards say in sourced terms, what happens when an appraiser calls the roof out, and the fastest honest path to clearing the condition so the loan can close.
01 / THE SHORT ANSWERWhat FHA and VA actually require of a roof
Both FHA and VA loans are underwritten against a set of minimum property requirements, and the roof section of each boils down to the same three ideas: no active leaks or moisture intrusion at the time of appraisal, no obvious signs the roof covering is failing, and a roof surface with enough remaining life to be considered a sound, insurable asset rather than a near-term liability. Neither program requires a brand-new roof. Both programs require a roof an appraiser can look at and reasonably conclude will keep protecting the house for years, not months.
FHA and VA loans do not demand a new roof, they demand a dry one: no active leaks, no obvious failure, and enough remaining service life that an appraiser is comfortable signing off.
Where the two programs differ is emphasis and paperwork, not philosophy. FHA's standards are published in a HUD handbook with fairly specific remaining-life language, while VA's are stated at a higher level and leaned on more heavily by the individual appraiser's judgment. We separate the two below, then treat what happens next the same way for both, because the practical fix on a Macomb County roof looks identical whichever loan is in play.
02 / THE FHA STANDARDWhat FHA minimum property requirements say about roofs
FHA's property standards live in HUD's single family housing handbook, and the roof section is built around a straightforward test: the roof must prevent moisture from entering the home, and it must have a reasonable remaining economic life. Appraisers are directed to note the roof's age, material, and apparent condition, and to flag a roof that shows evidence of active leaking, has multiple layers of shingles in poor repair, or otherwise appears near the end of its serviceable life. The exact remaining-life language, and how it interacts with a home's overall condition rating, is set by HUD and updated over time, so we cite the source below rather than paraphrase a figure that could drift out of date.
In practice, what an FHA appraiser is doing on a Macomb County roof is a visual read from the ground and, where reasonably accessible, closer up: curling or missing shingles, exposed underlayment, sagging deck lines, obvious patch jobs, and staining on interior ceilings during the walkthrough. None of that is a substitute for a roofer physically getting on the roof and into the attic, which is exactly the gap our companion guide on home inspection versus roof inspection covers. An appraiser is not a roofing contractor, and a clean appraisal is not the same statement as a clean roof.
03 / THE VA STANDARDWhat VA minimum property requirements say about roofs
VA loans run on their own minimum property requirements, published for appraisers who inspect homes being purchased or refinanced with VA financing. The roof language sits closer to a general condition standard than a numbered checklist: the roof must keep water out, must be in reasonably good condition, and should have enough useful life remaining that the veteran buyer is not stepping into an imminent full replacement. VA appraisers are also asked to note obvious defects, such as missing shingles, deterioration, or evidence of leaks, and to call for further inspection by a qualified party when the condition of the roof cannot be confidently assessed from a standard walkthrough.
The practical difference homeowners notice is that VA appraisers, more than FHA appraisers, are given latitude to use judgment on a case-by-case roof, rather than working from a single bright-line remaining-life figure. That flexibility cuts both ways. A roof that is older but shows no active problems can sometimes pass a VA appraisal that a stricter reading might flag, while a roof with visible defects can draw a repair requirement even if its calendar age alone would not have triggered one under FHA's language. The current VA property condition standards for roofs are set out in the VA's own guidance, cited in the sources below.
How an individual FHA or VA appraiser reads a specific roof is their professional judgment on the day of the appraisal, guided by the published standards but not reducible to a simple age cutoff. We are not the underwriter and cannot promise how any given appraisal will come out; we can only document the roof's actual condition so whoever is deciding has real information to work from.
| QUESTION | FHA | VA |
|---|---|---|
| Active leaks | Must be corrected before closing | Must be corrected before closing |
| Remaining life language | Specific handbook guidance HUD updates over time | General condition standard, appraiser judgment |
| Multiple shingle layers in poor repair | Can be flagged as a defect | Can be flagged as a defect |
| Who decides the fix | Buyer and seller, under the purchase agreement | Buyer and seller, under the purchase agreement |
Read that table the way it is meant to be read: both programs are protecting the same thing, a dry, structurally sound roof, and neither one is a substitute for someone actually getting on that roof. The differences between FHA and VA language matter to an underwriter far more than they matter to the homeowner standing in the driveway, because the fix on the ground looks identical either way.
04 / THE CALLOUTWhen an appraiser flags the roof, what happens next
An FHA or VA appraisal that flags the roof usually shows up as a condition on the appraisal report: a requirement that the roof be repaired, or in some cases replaced, before the loan can close, sometimes paired with a follow-up inspection to confirm the work was done. That condition does not name a contractor or a price. It states the defect the appraiser observed and leaves the fix to the buyer, seller, and their agents to sort out under the purchase agreement.
Who pays for the fix is a negotiation between buyer and seller, not something FHA or VA dictates, and it usually gets resolved one of three ways: the seller completes the repair before closing, the seller credits the buyer at closing for the cost, or the price adjusts to reflect the roof's condition. Whichever path the deal takes, the underwriter generally wants documentation that the specific defect the appraiser named has actually been addressed, not just a general assurance that the roof was looked at.
This is also where timing gets tight. An appraisal condition lands after the appraisal, which is often weeks into the transaction, and every day spent finding a contractor and scheduling the fix is a day off the closing calendar. A homeowner or buyer who already has a roofer lined up moves through this step in days instead of weeks. Our free roof inspection can turn around a written scope and price fast enough to keep a tight closing timeline alive.
Some lenders will also consider an escrow holdback in place of finishing the roof before closing: money is set aside at closing, and the seller or buyer completes the repair within an agreed window afterward, with the lender releasing the funds once the work is verified. Whether a holdback is available at all is entirely up to the specific lender and loan program, and it is not something to assume going in. If a holdback is on the table, get the contractor's written scope and price locked in before you agree to the amount held back, since an underfunded holdback just moves the same argument to after closing instead of solving it.
05 / THE FIXClearing the condition: inspection, repair, or replacement
The fastest honest path from an appraisal flag to a closed loan starts with a real inspection, not a guess at what the appraiser meant. A roofing-specific inspection walks the shingle field, checks flashing at every valley and penetration, and goes into the attic to look at the deck from underneath, producing dated photos that answer the exact question the appraiser raised. If the finding is minor, that inspection often resolves it as a straightforward repair. Repairs in Macomb County run $350 to $3,200, and larger or complex repairs can run higher.
If the roof is genuinely near or past the end of its service life, a repair will not satisfy the underlying concern and a replacement is the honest recommendation. A full asphalt shingle roof replacement runs $9,000 to $18,000 installed, with most homes landing $12,000 to $16,000; metal runs $18,000 to $30,000 and tile or slate runs $20,000 to $36,000. Whichever way the inspection points, get it in writing. A written scope and price is what a lender, an underwriter, and the other side of the transaction can actually act on.
Once the repair or replacement is complete, some lenders want a follow-up document confirming the roof now meets the standard, which is a different piece of paper than the appraisal itself. Our companion guide on what a roof certification actually is explains that document, who can issue one, and how it differs from an inspection report, since the two get confused constantly in a financing context.
Whichever party is arranging the fix, hand the underwriter's contact or the lender's checklist to whoever does the work before the crew shows up, not after. Some lenders want photos of the completed repair, some want the original contractor's own re-inspection, and some accept a general contractor letter. Confirming the exact document a specific lender wants before the work is done avoids paying for a second visit just to produce a different piece of paper.
An appraisal condition is not a negotiating tactic, it is a defect an appraiser wrote down. The fastest way through it is documenting the real condition, not arguing with the paperwork.
06 / GETTING AHEAD OF ITGetting a real number before the appraisal, free
The homeowners and buyers who move through an FHA or VA roof condition fastest are the ones who never wait for the appraiser to raise it. If you are buying a house in Macomb County's older housing stock, ordering a dedicated roof inspection during your due diligence window, alongside your general home inspection, catches most roof problems before they ever reach an appraisal file. Our guide on getting a roof inspection before buying a house walks through timing that step inside your contract.
If you are selling, refinancing, or simply want to know where an FHA or VA appraisal would land on your current roof, the same free inspection answers it. We check the shingles, flashing, ventilation, and the attic side of the deck, hand you dated photos of everything we find, and tell you honestly whether the roof would clear a standard appraisal condition, need a repair, or need a full replacement. If financing the fix helps, we can walk through the numbers: as an illustration only, a $13,500 roof financed over a 10 year term at 9.9% APR works out to about $178 per month, subject to approval. Start from the honest pricing page, run your own numbers on the 60-second cost calculator, or request the free inspection directly.
- FHA and VA loans require a roof free of active leaks with reasonable remaining service life, not a brand-new roof.
- FHA standards are published in HUD's handbook with remaining-life language; VA standards are stated more generally and lean on appraiser judgment.
- An appraisal condition names a defect and leaves repair, credit, or price adjustment to the buyer and seller to negotiate.
- Repairs run $350 to $3,200 and asphalt replacement runs $9,000 to $18,000, with most homes landing $12,000 to $16,000; a written scope clears the condition fastest.
- A free inspection before or after the appraisal gives you the real condition in writing, not a guess at what the appraiser meant.
Questions we hear most
Age alone rarely triggers a denial. Both programs look for a roof free of active leaks and with reasonable remaining service life, and an appraiser can flag an older roof if it shows visible defects or the remaining life looks too short, not simply because of its calendar age. A documented inspection is the clearest way to know where a specific roof stands.
Neither program dictates who pays. It is a negotiation between buyer and seller under the purchase agreement, typically resolved as a seller repair before closing, a closing credit, or a price adjustment. The underwriter generally wants documentation that the specific defect the appraiser noted has been addressed.
It depends on the finding. Most roof repairs in Macomb County run $350 to $3,200, and larger or complex repairs can run higher. If the roof needs full replacement, asphalt runs $9,000 to $18,000 installed, with most homes landing $12,000 to $16,000. A free inspection gives you the real number for your roof rather than a guess.
- U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, appraisal and property condition requirements for government-backed loans. hud.gov
- FEMA, disaster declaration DR-4757-MI, Michigan severe storms of August 2023 (Macomb County designated). fema.gov/disaster/4757