How It Works
Understanding Home Identity
Home Identity organizes publicly available roofing documentation into one transparent, evidence-first report — sourced, dated, and honest about what's still unknown.
View a Sample Home IdentityWhat Is Home Identity?
Home Identity is a documented history of a property's roof, assembled entirely from publicly available records. Every fact is dated, sourced, and labeled with how confident RoofShopper is in it. Home Identity does not inspect a roof, estimate its remaining life, or predict its condition — it organizes what's already on the public record so homeowners, buyers, and professionals can review it in one place, in clear, straightforward terms.
Our Philosophy
Documentation Before Assumptions
Every finding starts with a real, dated public record — never a guess about what's likely true.
Confidence Is Earned
A single record is a starting point, not proof. Confidence rises only when independent sources agree — never by default.
Unknown Is Better Than Wrong
When documentation doesn't exist or doesn't agree, Home Identity says so plainly instead of filling the gap with an estimate.
Sources Matter
Every fact links back to where it came from — a named record, a jurisdiction, and a retrieval date — so nothing is taken on faith.
How Confidence Works
Every finding carries a confidence level, so it's always clear how well-supported it is — never just a fact stated on its own.
Confirmed by more than one independent public record.
Supported by one independent public record that hasn't yet been corroborated.
Based on an estimated or indirect record, not a direct public document.
Two or more public records disagree, and neither is treated as more true than the other.
No public record currently establishes this fact — stated plainly rather than guessed.
Why Some Homes Have More Information
Documentation completeness varies by property — not because RoofShopper looks harder for some homes than others, but because the underlying public record itself varies.
Age — Older homes often predate digital permit systems entirely.
Local record availability — Some counties and municipalities publish more of their permit history online than others.
Permit history — A property with more building activity on file naturally has more to document.
Digitization — Many older paper records haven't been digitized yet, even where they still physically exist.
Renovations — Roof work performed without a permit — common, if not ideal — leaves no public record to find.
What Home Identity Does NOT Do
Does not
- Inspect roofs
- Predict lifespan
- Guarantee condition
- Detect leaks
- Replace inspections
Does
- Organize documentation
- Show confidence
- Identify unknowns
- Display sources
- Document roofing history
Who Uses Home Identity?
Homeowners
Understand what's documented about your own roof, and keep a record that stays with the home.
Home Buyers
Review a property's documented roof history before making an offer.
Realtors
Help clients understand documented roof history before buyers and sellers reach the closing table.
Learn moreInsurance Professionals
Review roof history faster and with greater confidence using organized public documentation.
Learn moreFrequently Asked Questions
What exactly is Home Identity?
A documented history of a property's roof, assembled from publicly available records and organized into one sourced, dated report.
Where does the information come from?
Public records — primarily county and municipal building and permit departments, with clearly labeled third-party sources where they corroborate a public record. The full registry is on the Sources page.
Why are some findings marked Unknown?
Because no public record currently documents that fact. Home Identity states this plainly rather than estimating an answer.
Why doesn't every property receive High confidence?
High confidence requires more than one independent public record to agree. Most properties only have one record on file for a given fact, which is Moderate confidence — real, but not yet corroborated.
Why do records sometimes conflict?
Different sources — a county permit and a third-party listing archive, for example — can report different dates or details for the same property. Home Identity shows both rather than choosing one.
Can I trust a report with limited documentation?
Yes. A report with limited documentation is telling you something true — that little is currently on the public record. That's different from a report being wrong.
Does Home Identity replace a professional inspection?
No. A licensed inspection is the only way to establish a roof's current physical condition. Home Identity documents history, not condition.
Every roof has a story.
Home Identity helps document it.