No Deferred Maintenance, Roof Replacement Planning Begins Now

By Donna Vingo

This article first appeared in the Communicator, Fall 2025 Edition. To view click here.

There is an ongoing information and insurance crisis in California. Homeowners’ associations are having their insurance premiums increased, sometimes drastically, or their insurance is cancelled. Without association insurance, a would-be homebuyer new to the association cannot obtain a mortgage for a unit within the HOA, thus limiting his or her ability to purchase at this association.

The largest number of insurance claims are due to water intrusion, with the roof being the main area of entry. Prior to a new policy being accepted and bound, insurance underwriters now require five to 10 years of maintenance records and no deferred maintenance/capital projects.

HOA roof maintenance and roof replacement, especially on an emergency basis, is one of the costliest decisions an HOA board makes. The lack of roofing information is one of the main reasons why boards don’t make the decision to replace association roofs. HOA boards need complete and comprehensive information about roofing products and processes to fulfill their obligation to make decisions affecting association roofs. HOA boards need education on the roof replacement process, which for a medium-to-large HOA is going to take three to five years. Where can they get information on what steps the board must go through, from governing document review, funding, town halls, etc., for a successful project? What materials are available for roof replacement and do these materials address each individual HOA’s needs and desires? Where do boards get the information to make roof replacement decisions as few board members are roofing contractors or construction professionals?

Community managers are NOT construction managers, and they should make this very clear to their HOAs. The standard recommendation is to get a roof inspection. The state requires that a roof inspector is a licensed roofing contractor. In some instances, the roofing contractor will want your association’s business; so, the roof inspection will state the roof needs to be replaced. The following items will generally be on a roof replacement proposal:

1. Remove existing roof, replace with the same product.
2. Replace with asphalt shingles.

Contractors know that the board is required to get at least two bids so the roofing company will propose its least expensive roofing products and installations. The board then has bids for three to four of the lowest cost products and installation methods with only the dollar amount of the bids being the criteria for making a roof replacement decision.

The common refrain is that "HOAs want the cheapest price" when actually the board is only given the price as the basis for a decision. The only information boards are given is the price for asphalt shingles or concrete tile. Boards don’t make roof replacement decisions because they don’t want to spend money but because they don’t have any information other than price necessary to make the decision. The board needs to know the products available for roof replacement, not just the cheapest products the roofing contractor presents to get the job. What products are best for the HOA, such as fire resistance, warranty, longevity, strength, weight, energy savings and sustainability should be taken into consideration.

CAI often says, "Use Your Vendor Partners." Information on roof replacement products at the very beginning of the replacement discussion, before a roof inspection, is important so HOA boards can select the best product for their HOA. Boards need roof replacement process information – such as what steps should the board go through for a roof replacement and what materials are available today. Your vendor partners can help with this by providing:

1. A detailed example of a roof replacement schedule that is broken down into the steps a condo association should consider for a reroofing project.
2. Roofing materials matrix that includes the products on the market today and the information – warranty, fire resistance, sustainability, costs etc.
3. The Fannie Mae condo addendum of 12/2021, which states that Fannie Mae is no longer accepting deferred maintenance.
4. Roof inspection contractors who specialize in the materials the board selects for budgetary numbers for funding.
5. Referrals for board requests.
6. Construction manager contact information.

In short, provide your HOA board with the information it needs to make an educated decision on its roof replacement because a roof replacement might be just around the corner.

Donna Vingo is an HOA specialist representing Westlake Unified Steel in Central/Northern California. A Bay Area project manager/forward planner in residential and commercial construction before joining Westlake Building Products, she worked extensively with architects, community managers, and real estate departments setting up HOAs for communities. Donna has a BA in economics and finance and is available to assist HOAs throughout the reroofing process. Donna can be reached at [email protected] or 209-252-2359.