Dayton Rental Roof and Leak Guide for Tenants

Dayton gets a bit of everything: spring thunderstorms with high winds, the occasional tornado warning, and winters with freeze-thaw cycles that open up small gaps. Many older rentals also have flat or low-slope roofs on porches and additions. This guide helps tenants spot roof trouble early and report it well.

After a thunderstorm

• Walk around and look for shingles in the yard or on the driveway
• Look for bent gutters or downspouts pulled away from the wall
• Check ceilings in upstairs rooms over the next day
• See checking your roof after a Dayton storm

Flat and low-slope roofs

• Puddles that sit on a porch or addition roof for days
• Bubbles or cracks in the roof surface if you can see it from a window
• Stains on the ceiling under a porch roof
• Don't walk on these roofs; report what you see

Winter signs

• Ice building along the gutters
• Water marks near the top of walls after a thaw
• Background: ice dams in Dayton

Report right away

• Water dripping through a ceiling
• A sagging ceiling (keep people out)
• A tree or limb on the roof
• Missing shingles after a storm

How to report well

1. Note which room and roughly where on the ceiling.
2. Take a photo inside and one of the outside of the house.
3. Say when it started and whether it was raining or thawing.
4. Send it to the manager right away.

Gutters

Gutters that overflow or downspouts that dump water against the house can send rain into the basement as well as the walls. Mention them at the next check-in, along with any branches touching the roof.

For property managers

Good reports help a roofer find the source quickly. For repairs, see roof leak repair, flat and low-slope roofs and storm and hail damage.