How to Choose a Roofer: Checks, Questions and Red Flags

Look for a real trading address, a landline or a consistent long-standing mobile number, and a business name you can search. A mobile number and a first name on a leaflet is not a business you can hold to anything.

Check independent review platforms rather than the testimonials page on their own website. Checkatrade and similar platforms verify that reviews come from real jobs at real addresses. We hold a 9.86 rating built from genuine North East work.

Ask for evidence of public liability insurance and check the certificate is current and in the same name as the business quoting you.

A proper quote is itemised. Access and scaffolding, strip and dispose, underlay type, batten grade, the specific tile or slate make and model, ridge and verge system, flashings and lead code, and the guarantee.

Look for what is excluded as well as what is included. Provisional sums for timber repair are normal and honest, because nobody knows what is under a covering until it comes off. A quote that promises no possible extras on an unopened roof is either padded or about to change.

Payment terms should be there in writing: deposit, stage payment and balance on completion. VAT should be stated clearly one way or the other.

Who will be on site, and are they employed by you or subcontracted? Some firms sell work and pass it on, so the people who quoted your job are not the people who do it.

What happens if you find rotten timber? A good answer explains the rate, the process and that you will be shown the problem before extra work is authorised.

How will you protect the property, where does the waste go, and what is the guarantee, in writing, and what does it actually cover? A guarantee on workmanship is separate from a manufacturer guarantee on materials, and you want to know which you are getting.

Cold calling at the door, especially after a storm or with a story about working on a neighbour's roof and having materials left over. That is a script.

Pressure and expiry. A price that is only valid today is a sales tactic, not a commercial reality. Materials do not change price by teatime.

Cash only, large deposits, or a request for full payment before work starts. A reasonable deposit covers materials. Paying the whole sum up front removes every bit of leverage you have.

No written quote, no company details on the paperwork, and refusal to show insurance. Any one of those is enough to walk away.

Three is the right number. One gives you no context, five wastes everyone's time. Put them side by side on the same line items rather than on the total.

If one is far cheaper, find out what is missing. Usually it is scaffolding, disposal, underlay quality or flashings. Occasionally it is that the cheap quote is for an overlay rather than a strip and re-cover, which is a completely different job.

If one is far more expensive, ask what it includes that the others do not. Sometimes there is a genuine reason, like a structural allowance or a better material specification.

Agree start dates, working hours and where scaffolding and skips will go before work begins, particularly if you are in a terrace with a shared back lane.

Ask for photographs as the work progresses. A good roofer will happily send you pictures of the stripped deck, the new underlay and the finished details, because the parts you cannot see are the parts worth showing.

Walk round at the end with the roofer before final payment. Check the ridge line, verges, flashings, gutters running clear, and that the site is clean. Then get the guarantee and any manufacturer paperwork in writing.