Roofing in Washington is a moss problem on one side of the state and a sun, wind, and hail problem on the other. West of the Cascades a roof stays damp long enough for moss to root, for cedar litter to fill a valley, and for a small flashing gap to become a ceiling stain. Cedar shakes still sit on older houses and they do not age like composition. East of the mountains, sun and wind dry a covering out, and hail can bruise it in an afternoon. Say which roof you actually have.
From the ground, look for lifted edges, stained soffits, and grit in the gutter. Say whether the leak appears in a long rain or only when wind drives water up the slope. Say whether the soft spot is a valley, a chimney, a skylight, or the open field. A patch that ignores a wet deck is a short story with a second chapter. If you can see the attic safely from the hatch, say whether the nails are rusted and the insulation is damp.
A replacement talk should include tear-off, the deck, the underlayment, the flashing at walls and pipes, and how the attic breathes. On the wet side a damp attic can rot from above while the shingles still look tidy. On the cold east side, ask what happens at the eaves when ice forms and what holds the edges in a hard wind. If the north slope is mossy and the south slope is baked, say so. One house can need two kinds of attention.
Do not wait on a perfect week if water is already inside. Name the town, the rooms that stain, and whether a claim is also open so the roof conversation and the policy conversation stay straight. The person on the phone needs the slope that failed, not a guess about every county. Have that ground-level look done before you dial.
A Washington roof is either wet for months or exposed to a hard sky. Call with the side of the state you live on and the symptom you can point at. Leave the climbing to the people who came to do it. Call the number on this page.