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Tips to Keeping Your Roof Maintained


Roofs are one of the most important parts of your rental property. Roofing keeps your apartment from getting damaged from outside wind, rain, snow and other weather hazards. Roofs take a lot of damage overtime and like any other aspect of your rental apartment they need to be properly maintained and eventually replaced.


One mistake that can lead roofing to become ineffective overtime is when Landlords use the wrong roofing material. In order to save money, landlords or property managers may decide to go with cheaper asphalt roofing shingles for low sloped roofs. But these shingles wear out faster when the roof is not sloped to 18.43 degrees or higher. At lower slopes asphalt roofing material wears out faster and water can even slope uphill leading to leaks.

Even if your roof is designed properly and you used the optimal roofing material there are several steps you need to follow in order to maintain a healthy roof according to the American Apartment Association.

  • Clean your roof surface periodically: Make sure to clear debris, dirt and other things that can prevent proper drainage and cause ponding on your roof. Make sure to remove plant growth that can cause roofing to deteriorate.

  • Clean reflective membranes: Reflective membranes are designed for energy efficiency but are only effective when they are clean. Washing the membrane to remove dirt will lead to lower roof temperatures which helps roofs last longer

  • Repair damage to flashing: Flashing are the metal strips that seal the edges of a roof around chimneys, vents and other others that water can get through. Strong wind and hail can damage flashing causing leaks in these vulnerable areas.

  • Observe for signs of wear and tear: Make sure to observe and replace missing or curled shingles. In addition, inspect the areas that technicians have walked on as their presence could cause of unintentional damage to shingles and roofing.

  • Check your roof after a major storm: With severe weather like hail and wind your roof could have sustained damage and you need to check your roof right away and repair damage immediately.

Even landlords and property managers that properly maintain their roofing may come to a point where the roof to their property needs to be replaced. A new roof can be extremely expensive so make sure your using a property management system that saves you money so that you can save for major expenses such as new roofing. This post is provided by RISSOFT Residential and Commercial Property Management Software, specializing in innovative and cutting-edge property management software for all 50 states. Request a demo or contact us today to receive more information.

Disclaimer: The information provided in this post in not intended to be construed as legal advice, nor should it be considered a substitute for obtaining individual legal counsel or consulting your local, state, federal or provincial tenancy laws.

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