FHA and VAroof rules
FHA tells the appraiser to report a roof with less than two years of remaining life and to make the appraisal subject to a professional roof inspection.1 VA sets no number of years at all.2
What FHA saysabout the roof
The FHA handbook tells the appraiser to notify the lender when the roof covering does not prevent entrance of moisture or give reasonable future utility, durability, and economy of maintenance, and does not have “a remaining physical life of at least two years.”1
A separate paragraph covers the two-year line itself. The appraiser must report a roof with less than two years of remaining life and make the appraisal “subject to inspection by a professional roofer.”1 That is a condition on the appraisal, so it reaches you through your lender.
The handbook does not say what the roofer’s inspection must conclude, how many years a roofer must put in writing, or who pays for work. Some search results quote a three-year figure. It is not in this section of the handbook.1
Short version. Two years is the point where the appraiser must report the roof and call for a roofer’s inspection, not a promise that every roof needs two years left.
What VA saysabout the roof
VA’s roof topic names two tests and no number of years. The roof covering must “prevent entrance of moisture” and “provide reasonable future utility, durability, and economy of maintenance.”2
The roof topic has no minimum roof age and no remaining-life figure. VA’s official page last changed that text on March 28, 2019, and it was still the same text when we read it on November 1, 2026.2
Lenders often set their own minimum on top of VA’s rule, so your lender may ask for more than the pamphlet does. A lender’s year count is the lender’s rule, and you should ask for it in writing.3
Shingle layers androofs no one can see
How many shingle layers are allowed?
VA has a layer rule for replacement. When a defective roof with three or more layers of shingles must be replaced, all the old shingles must be removed first.2
The FHA roof section for a purchase appraisal has no layer limit. The only layer sentence sits in the rehabilitation write-up for 203(k) renovation loans: a roof that already has two layers of shingles should not be roofed again.1
What if the appraiser can’t see the roof?
Both agencies ask the appraiser to say why the roof couldn’t be seen and to report how its condition was decided. FHA names the underside of the roof, the attic, and the ceilings. VA allows other methods, such as drones.12
VA says the appraiser doesn’t have to climb onto the roof. FHA says the appraiser “must observe the roof” and doesn’t define that as climbing.12
If the appraisalflags the roof
Neither text says who pays for a roof repair, and neither says a roofer’s letter clears the condition. Those questions go to your lender, your agent, and the sales contract.
Near Fort Bliss, many buyers use these loans on houses off post. HUD’s El Paso housing study says about half of the military members here live off base, and that many veterans are homeowners.4
As a family-owned roofing company in El Paso since 2019, Lifetime Roofing of El Paso gives every caller a free inspection and a written estimate within 48 hours of the inspection, done by our own crew. Lifetime doesn’t write lender letters or handle loan conditions. If a replacement is needed, see the El Paso roofing permit guide for the city rules.
Questions people askabout FHA and VA roofs
Does FHA require a roof to have a certain life left?
Not on every roof. The HUD handbook tells the appraiser to report a roof with less than two years of remaining life and make the appraisal subject to a professional roofer’s inspection.
Does VA have a roof age or years-remaining rule?
No. VA’s roof topic sets no number of years. The roof must prevent entrance of moisture and give reasonable future utility, durability, and economy of maintenance. Your lender may add its own minimum.
Does the appraiser have to climb on the roof?
Not for VA. VA’s pamphlet says the appraiser isn’t required to climb onto the roof. FHA says the appraiser must observe the roof and doesn’t define that as climbing.
Who pays if the roof fails the appraisal?
Neither text says. The HUD handbook and the VA pamphlet both leave payment out, so it’s settled in the sales contract. Lifetime Roofing of El Paso inspects roofs free and writes the estimate within 48 hours.
Where these factscome from
- U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Handbook 4000.1 Update 18, section II.D.3.g, Roof Covering, last revised August 12, 2026, read November 1, 2026.
- U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, VA Pamphlet 26-7, Chapter 12, Minimum Property Requirement Overview, Topic 26, Roof Covering, read November 1, 2026.
- Veterans United, Why Roof Inspections Are So Important, updated November 1, 2023, read November 1, 2026.
- HUD Office of Policy Development and Research, Comprehensive Housing Market Analysis, El Paso, as of January 1, 2025, read November 1, 2026.
More fromthe guides
- What a Roofing Estimate Should Say
What a roofing estimate should list, how many quotes to get, and what to pay first.
- How Long Does a Roof Last in El Paso?
How many years shingles, metal, and tile roofs last, set against El Paso's weather.
- Repair or Replace a Roof? How to Decide
How to tell a repair from a replacement, and what El Paso's 25% permit line means.
Call Lifetime Roofing of El Paso
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Based at 8900 Gateway Blvd E, El Paso, TX 79907