LeakFREE® certification
A LeakFREE® inspection works the whole roof system, zone by zone, and asks three questions: is it leaking now, is it likely to, and could it be repaired if it did. When the roof meets the criteria, the member who inspected it can certify it.
Why it matters
A certificate is a statement by a person, not a promise by a brand.
A LeakFREE® certificate is a written statement by the accredited member who inspected the roof: that this roof, at this address, on this date, met the published LeakFREE® criteria. It is issued in their name, under licence, and registered through InspectionPLUS®.
That is why it is worth something. It names who looked, what they looked at and when, and it can be checked.
When you need it
Before the listing goes live, so the roof is a known quantity rather than a negotiation.
Evidence about the roof from someone with no stake in the sale price.
At the end of a maintenance cycle, to put the roof’s condition on record.
The same criteria applied to every roof, so one report can be read against another.
The inspection
The LeakFREE® process and the five-zone method took shape together in 1993. The sequence is what makes one member’s report readable against another’s.
Stains, sag and the marks a leak leaves inside long before anything shows on the outside.
Decking, framing, ventilation and moisture, read from underneath where the damage starts. Where it is accessible.
Eaves, fascia, gutters and flashings, the edges where most roofs actually begin to fail.
Trees, drainage and adjacent structures, every condition acting on the roof from outside.
Surface, penetrations, transitions and slopes, walked in sequence and photographed.
What you receive
A standardized report built around photographs, with each observation located and kept apart from what the inspector recommends. If the roof meets the criteria, a LeakFREE® certificate. If it does not, the report lists what needs correcting before it can.
In this family
The same criteria, applied to a deck, and the inspections that keep a certified roof in order.
The deck surface, framing where it can be seen, flashing, guardrails, membranes and drainage, against the deck criteria. It does not replace an SB 721 or SB 326 inspection.
A yearly look at a roof already in good order, so small items are found while they are still small.
A focused visit that turns the maintenance a roof needs into a written list somebody can act on.
In their words
There’s no licensing requirement for roof inspectors in California. I can’t gamble on that. When I recommend someone, my reputation is on the line. I choose NRCIA inspectors because they’ve already proven themselves through training and accountability.
“There’s more demand for this than you think. If you’re somebody who can take that time and do that detailed work, there is a consistent revenue stream here… I was able to pay my investment back within the first month easily.”
Charlie HarshmanNRCIA Forensic Roof® Inspector · Bluestone Roofing · Lucas CountyThe scope
Questions
Something else? Ask us directly.
No. It is not a guarantee and it is not insurance. It is a written statement by the inspector that the roof met the published LeakFREE® criteria on the date they inspected it.
The accredited member who performed the inspection, in their own name and under licence from NRCIA. A business does not issue certificates; the individual inspector does.
The report documents the items that must be corrected. Once they are, the roof can be inspected again.
A general home inspection looks at the whole house and gives the roof a share of the visit. A LeakFREE® inspection is about the roof system alone, worked zone by zone, and it includes walking the roof. Neither is wrong. They are different services.
Tell us about the property. We match your request to an accredited member who serves your area, and they confirm the details and the fee with you before anything is booked.
Search the directory by name or place, see the credentials each member holds, and request them directly.
