Spent $150 on a home inspection that missed a leaky roof

Closed on my first house 3 months ago. Inspector guy spent like 2 hours poking around, gave me a clean report. First heavy rain last week and water started dripping through the kitchen ceiling. Contractor said the roof was patched poorly and the leak was obvious if you knew where to look. Called the inspector and he said "repairs are part of home ownership." Anyone else have an inspector blow past something major?

3 comments

3 Comments

brian_smith616h agoTop Commenter

My repairs are part of home ownership" line is garbage. That's the inspector's way of saying he doesn't want to deal with it. But you paid him to find stuff like that. A poorly patched roof is basic. Any half decent inspector should spot bad shingles or mismatched flashing. I had a buddy go through the same thing. Inspection missed a bad furnace. Guy literally said the same line about "expected repairs." It's a pattern with these guys. They write clean reports to keep realtors happy and avoid liability. You might have a case if you push hard enough. Some states let you file complaints or even sue for negligence on big missed items. Worth looking into.

faithcampbell13h ago

Whoa, hold on there. I get your frustration, but I think you're mixing up what an inspection can really do. Inspectors are human, they miss stuff, yeah, but a "poorly patched roof" isn't always something they can spot if it's hidden under new shingles. A second layer of shingles is a big deal, but even a good inspector can't see through a roof to know what's underneath. They can only look at what's visible from the outside. As for the "expected repairs" line, I think that's their way of saying "This is normal wear and tear for a house, not a crisis." It's not always a cop-out. Your buddy's furnace story is bad, but a furnace can be hard to fully test during a quick walkthrough. You might have a case for a missed furnace if it was clearly broken, but a roof patch that's just ugly? That's a different story. Just my two cents from seeing how these reports usually work.

harperg7616h ago

And my sister's inspector missed a whole second layer of shingles under the new ones, said it was fine. Roof started leaking 3 months later and the guy ghosted her when she called about it. Makes you wonder how many of these "clean reports" are just them covering their own asses.