The Roofing Section of a PCR (E2018-24 9.4.3): Membranes, Drainage, Flashings, Warranties and Remaining Life

E2018-24 gives each building system an observations paragraph (what the field observer identifies and reports) and an out-of-scope paragraph. This page paraphrases both for the roofing section, lists the deficiencies that recur in published reports, gives the expected useful lives the HUD CNA e-Tool table assigns to the common components (with the Fannie Mae 4099.F value where it differs), and says what lands in Table 1 versus Table 2. It is written for the person writing section 3.3.3 of the report.

What the guide asks the observer to identify

Roof covering type and approximate area; slope and drainage; drains, scuppers and gutters and whether they are clear; ponding and its extent; flashings at parapets, curbs, penetrations and walls; seams and their condition; coping and counterflashing; hatches and rooftop walkways; evidence of leaks in the spaces below; and the reported age, the warranty and its terms. Out of scope: test cuts, core samples, infrared or capacitance moisture surveys, and walking a roof without safe access.

What recurs in published reports

• Open or lifting seams, most often at unit curbs where traffic and vibration concentrate; if there is a leak history it is at these.
• Ponding with algae staining, which most warranties exclude if water stands beyond a stated period.
• Membrane shrinkage pulling at base flashings and parapets.
• Missing drain strainers and clogged drains.
• Failed sealant at coping joints and penetrations; crumbling hatch gaskets.
• Prior repairs with mastic smeared over seams, which mark where the next leak will be.
• Stained ceiling tiles below, dry or wet on the day, which the interiors section should cross-reference.

Useful lives the reserve table uses

Component	HUD EUL (yrs)	Fannie 4099.F (yrs)	HUD table row
Low-slope adhered EPDM membrane roof	15	20	3.3.4.2.3
Low-slope thermoplastic (TPO/PVC) roof	15	20	3.3.4.2.5
Built-up roof with gravel	20	20	3.3.4.2.1
Asphalt shingle roof	20	20	3.3.4.1.1
Roof drains and scuppers	30	10	3.3.4.3
Gutters and downspouts, aluminum	20	25	3.3.4.3.1
Roof hatch	30	30	3.3.4.3.6
Parapet coping, aluminum	30	50	3.3.4.3

Expected useful life is the table value; remaining useful life is the observer's opinion and the report says which basis each line uses. See the reserve table explained and the HUD table.

Table 1 or Table 2

Table 1 carries the repairs that stop active water entry: seam repair with a cover strip (by an authorized applicator if the warranty is to survive), base-flashing repair, strainer replacement and drain clearing, coping resealing, hatch gasket. Open seams at a known leak location are an immediate item under the escalation test. Table 2 carries membrane replacement at the report year plus remaining life; the observer's RUL opinion should reflect condition, and the section should say why it departs from the table where it does. A warranty that is about to expire, or that is transferable only on notice within a window, belongs in the executive summary's key-risk list; its transfer fee is a recommendation, not a cost line. See cost categories.

Writing the section

Description first (what the system consists of and the basis for its stated age, with the source), then observations and analysis (what was seen and why it matters), what the point of contact reported, what was not observed and why, then recommendations that point at the table lines. Every statement carries its source. Baseline PCR drafts the section in that order from the field notes, photographs and documents, computes the lines, and leaves the rating, the RUL opinions and the categories for the reviewer to confirm; the sample report shows section 3.3.3 for a 1985 office building. The walkthrough checklist covers the field side.