Compare Who Pays for the Second Inspection Trip

A roof in St. Louis County usually gets inspected in stages, and the one that matters most often happens before the new shingles cover the deck. The inspector checks nailing, underlayment, flashing and ventilation while that work is still visible. If something fails, the crew has to fix it and the inspector has to come back. Two roof bids can list the same permit and still disagree on who pays for that return trip, and the gap rarely shows up in the total price. This page explains what to compare so the second visit does not arrive as a surprise on the invoice.

Roofer comparison

Start by reading each bid for the word inspection. Some proposals say the contractor will pull the permit and schedule the inspections, and then say nothing about a failed one. Others state that one re-inspection is included, or that re-inspection fees are passed through at cost. A few leave the subject out entirely. A bid that says nothing has not promised to pay for anything, but it also has not told you who will talk to the permit desk when an inspector writes up a failure. That conversation is one you will need to have, so it helps to know the answer before the crew is on your roof.

Ask each roofer which stages their crew plans to call for. A typical residential reroof in the region involves one inspection after the old layers come off and the deck is exposed, and a final inspection after the roof is closed and the cleanup is done. Some jurisdictions also want a look at flashing or at the attic side of the vents. The fewer stages a bid names, the more likely a problem will surface at the final, after the crew has left and the material is nailed down. Compare the stage lists across bids before you compare the totals, because two bids with different stage lists are not pricing the same job.

What it costs

Re-inspection fees are set by the municipality, not by the roofer, and they differ from one city or township to the next across St. Louis County. Some permit desks charge a flat fee for a return visit. Others waive the first re-inspection and charge a set amount after that. Before you compare bids, call the permit desk for the city where the house sits and ask what a failed inspection costs to repeat. Then check each bid against that number. A bid that absorbs the fee reads differently from one that passes it through, and the difference deserves a sentence in writing.

The larger cost is usually the crew's time. When an inspector fails a roof at the final stage, the crew may need to come back on a separate day, and that day can push back the start of the next job on their calendar. Ask each roofer how they schedule a return visit and whether the same crew will do it. A roofer who plans for a return visit will usually have materials on hand and a crew available. A roofer who has not planned for one may describe the trip as simple until the first failure makes it otherwise.

Missouri does not license roofers at the state level, so there is no state fee schedule to check against. The permit and inspection rules come from the local jurisdiction, which means every roofer you consider works under the rules of the city or county where your house is located. Ask Keys Roofing, at (314) 220-2333, and every other roofer on your list, to name the inspection stages they expect in writing, so the answers can be laid side by side.

What to ask

These questions separate bids that look alike on paper:

• Which inspection stages does your crew expect for this roof, and which of them will you call for?
• If the inspector fails the work, who schedules the return visit?
• Who pays the permit desk's re-inspection fee, and is that fee written into the proposal?
• Will the same crew come back for the re-inspection, or a different one?
• Does the price include the time the roof stays open between a failed inspection and the return visit?

Ask also whether a failed item is repaired inside the bid price or billed as an extra. A missing drip edge or a flashing that was never set is a defect in the work, and the bid should say whether the correction is included. If the answer is that the correction is an additional charge, ask for the rate in writing before you sign. That one sentence can change which bid is the lower one once the inspector has been back.

What a failed inspection leaves behind

A failed inspection leaves a written record, and you should ask for a copy. The inspector's notes list the item that failed and often the code section behind it. Ask the roofer to show you the corrected work and to photograph it before the next layer goes over it. A short written list of the failed items, the fix and the date it passed is worth keeping with your roof paperwork. If you later sell the house, that list shows the roof was inspected and corrected rather than covered over.