Duplex and Rental Roof Replacement — One Scope, Tenants in Place
You own a duplex or a few rental houses, the roof on one is due or the hail got it, and you want it done without a dozen phone calls, with tenants told what to expect and paperwork that fits your file.
Duplex and rental roof replacement is the same roof as a house with the owner living somewhere else: JMB Builders deals with you by phone and photos, gives the tenants a written notice of the day, keeps the driveway and entries usable, and sends one line-item scope and one invoice per building for your records or your landlord policy claim. Across the Twin Cities metro, side-by-side and up-down duplexes, fourplexes and single rental houses. Priced per project.
- One scope and one invoice per building
- Tenant notice written for you, entries kept clear
- Owner handled by phone and photos
- Send photos, reply within one business day
- Licensed MN contractor BC809005
Send photos and hear back within one business day — or book a free in-home estimate.
A rental roof is a business decision as much as a repair. The owner is not standing in the yard; the tenant is. The owner wants the roof to stop costing money for twenty years, wants the scope and the invoice to be clean enough for the accountant and the insurer, and does not want to hear about it again. The tenant wants to know when the noise starts, where to park and that the crew is not coming inside.
We run it that way. The quote starts from your photos or the tenant's, with a free in-person inspection scheduled around the tenant. The scope is one document per building: squares, layers, decking, flashing, vents, permit, and the shingle line, so the same scope works for a fourplex in one neighborhood and a rambler in another and you can compare them. We write the tenant notice for you to send, with the dates, what to move and what to expect, and we keep at least one entry and the garage access clear through the day.
On an insurance roof under a landlord policy the process is the same as a homeowner claim: you file, we meet the adjuster, write the line-item scope, supplement what was missed and send the final invoice that releases the depreciation. Owners with several buildings hit by the same storm can run them as separate claims with one contact, one scope format and a schedule that moves building to building. Deductibles are paid to us; Minnesota law does not allow a contractor to waive them.
What you supply
- Photos from the yard and, if the tenant will allow it, the attic access; or the address and we photograph it at the inspection
- The tenant's contact and the lease's notice rules, so the notice we write fits them
- Shingle color and line choice, or a standing choice for your portfolio
- The landlord policy claim number and adjuster's scope if it is a storm roof
- Where the dumpster can sit without blocking a tenant's parking
What JMB supplies
- Free in-person inspection scheduled with the tenant, written scope per building sent to you
- A tenant notice with dates, parking, attic dust, noise and pets, ready for you to send
- Tear-off to the deck, decking quoted per sheet, ice and water shield, synthetic underlayment, flashing, ridge vent, shingles
- Entries and garage access kept usable through the day; tarps over the tenant's grill, furniture and AC
- The adjuster meeting, scope and supplement on a landlord policy claim
- The city's permit and inspection, magnet sweep, finished photos, and one invoice per building for your file
How it is priced: per project
Quoted in writing from your photos, with a reply within one business day. What moves the number:
- Building type: a single rental house, a side-by-side or up-down duplex, a fourplex, each with its own squares and penetration count
- Several buildings in one season, scheduled together, which lowers the per-building setup
- Layers, decking and pitch, as on any roof; older rental stock often carries two layers and plank decks
- Shingle line: standard architectural for most portfolios, Class 4 where the insurer discounts for it
- Access on a tight city lot with on-street parking and no driveway for the dumpster
- Landlord policy claim scope vs. owner-paid roof
Send the address list and a yard photo of each building. One inspection trip can cover several buildings in the same part of the metro.
How long it takes
A single rental house or side-by-side duplex: one to two days on site. A fourplex: two to three days. Several buildings run back to back, one scope and one invoice each.
How your project works
- 1
Send photos, get a written quote
Send three photos of the space and a sentence about what you want. You get a clear, itemized reply within one business day. Prefer a look in person? A free in-home estimate is always an option.
- 2
Pick materials, or bring your own
We help you choose profiles and materials that fit the house and the budget, or match your existing millwork exactly — or you buy the door or trim yourself and we install it. Everything is confirmed before the crew is scheduled.
- 3
Clean, precise installation
The crew shows up on time, protects floors and furniture, and installs with tight joints and consistent reveals. Photos of the finished work go in your job folder.
- 4
Walkthrough and invoice
We walk the finished work with you. If anything is not right, we fix it before we call the job done. Then one invoice, paid by check or direct deposit — no card fees, no payment links.
Situations and options
Side-by-side duplex
One roof over two units, usually a gable or hip. Two sets of bath fan and plumbing vents, two entries to keep clear, one scope. The simplest rental roof.
Up-down duplex
The old two-story city duplex with a steep roof and often a flat or low-slope porch roof at the front or back. The porch section gets a membrane; the main roof gets shingles. Dust falls into the upper unit's attic access.
Fourplex and small apartment building
More penetrations per square and a dumpster plan for shared parking. One scope, a notice to every unit, and the roof worked in sections so each is dried in the same day.
Several rental houses after one storm
Separate claims, one contact, one scope format, a schedule that moves building to building. Supplements and final invoices tracked per address so each claim closes cleanly.
Duplex and Rental Roof Replacement — One Scope, Tenants in Place: questions, answered
Can you replace the roof on a rental property with tenants living there?
Yes. The crew never needs to come inside; the whole job is done from the roof and the yard. We write a notice for you to send the tenant with the dates, where to park, that the attic and upstairs will get dust and that pets should be kept in or away, and we keep an entry and the garage access clear all day. The tenant's grill, furniture and AC unit get tarped. Most tenants only need to move their car.
How do you handle a duplex roof when the two units have different owners?
A side-by-side duplex with two owners is one roof, and both owners should be on the scope. We write it as one job with the squares split by unit so each owner sees their share, and both approve before material is ordered. If only one owner wants to proceed, the roof can be split at the unit line with a flashed joint, but it is a worse roof than doing it once; we will tell you that plainly.
Will I get an invoice that works for my taxes and my insurer?
Yes. One line-item scope and one final invoice per building, with the address, the squares, the materials by name, the permit and the dates, and finished photos in the job folder. On a landlord policy claim the final invoice is written to match the adjuster's lines so it releases the recoverable depreciation. Whether the roof is a repair or an improvement for tax purposes is a question for your accountant.
Does a landlord policy roof claim work the same as a homeowner claim?
The process is the same: you file, the adjuster inspects, we meet them and write a line-item scope in their format, supplement what they missed with photos, do the roof to the approved scope and send the final invoice for the depreciation. Landlord policies vary more than homeowner policies on actual cash value vs. replacement cost and on cosmetic exclusions, so ask your agent what yours pays before the scope is set. The deductible is paid to us, not waived.
Can you do several of my rental roofs in one season?
Yes, and it is the efficient way. Send the addresses and a yard photo of each; one inspection trip covers the buildings in the same part of the metro, each gets its own scope in the same format, and the roofs are scheduled back to back so the dumpster and crew move from one to the next. The per-building setup cost drops. Each building still gets its own invoice.
What shingle should I put on a rental?
Standard architectural shingles. They carry a higher wind rating than 3-tab, hide the waves in an older deck, and the bundle difference is small next to the tear-off and labor that are the same either way. If your insurer discounts for Class 4 impact-rated shingles, run the numbers with your agent; on a building you plan to hold for twenty years the discount can matter. Pick one color and line for the portfolio so repairs match later.
Recent JMB work, from our job log
59 installs recorded across 30 Twin Cities communities since Dec 2025. Window and door installs for homeowners, builders and dealers. Counts come straight from our job log; no customer names.
Get a written quote for this job
Three photos and a sentence is enough: a reply within one business day, or ask for a free in-home estimate. Or text the photos to 763-333-4066.
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Read morePage reviewed October 2, 2026 · JMB Builders LLC, MN license BC809005 · All roofing pages
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