Question 1

How do I avoid a rogue roofer?

Accepted Answer

The single most reliable rule: never let anybody onto your roof who turned up unasked. Doorstep roofing is where nearly all of the harm in this trade happens. Beyond that — get it in writing, ask for photographs of the actual defect, never pay large sums up front, and get a second opinion on anything expensive. Roofing has a reputation problem and it is largely earned by one specific practice: the unsolicited doorstep call. The pattern is always the same. A van in the street. A knock you did not ask for. An alarming description of something on your roof that you cannot see and cannot check. Pressure to decide immediately, often with a discount for saying yes today. And frequently a large cash deposit. The rule that solves almost all of it: if you did not contact them, they do not go on your roof. No legitimate roofer builds their business by knocking on doors to tell people their ridge is about to fall off. Trading Standards data on doorstep crime has home maintenance and roofing near the top of the list year after year, and older people are targeted disproportionately. Beyond that, a short checklist covers most of the rest. Get it in writing before anything starts — a written scope saying what is included, what access is being used, and what happens if something is found under the covering. A single figure scrawled on a page is not a quote. Ask for photographs of the actual defect. Any roofer can photograph your roof from a ladder or with a drone, and a defect you can see is a defect you can get a second opinion on. A general warning about the state of things up there is not evidence. Never pay a large sum up front. A deposit for materials on a big job is reasonable; handing over thousands before work starts is not. And be very wary of anyone who wants cash and offers no paperwork. Get a second opinion on anything expensive, and get it from somebody you approached. If a caller has told you your chimney needs rebuilding, an independent survey is the cheapest money in this whole subject — plenty of stacks that 'needed rebuilding' needed repointing. Finally, be sceptical of the standard upsells: roof coating and spraying, moss treatment sold as urgent, and anything described as a limited-time offer. All three are heavily doorstep-sold precisely because the homeowner cannot check the work.

Question 2

Roofing scams

Accepted Answer

The single most reliable rule: never let anybody onto your roof who turned up unasked. Doorstep roofing is where nearly all of the harm in this trade happens. Beyond that — get it in writing, ask for photographs of the actual defect, never pay large sums up front, and get a second opinion on anything expensive. Roofing has a reputation problem and it is largely earned by one specific practice: the unsolicited doorstep call. The pattern is always the same. A van in the street. A knock you did not ask for. An alarming description of something on your roof that you cannot see and cannot check. Pressure to decide immediately, often with a discount for saying yes today. And frequently a large cash deposit. The rule that solves almost all of it: if you did not contact them, they do not go on your roof. No legitimate roofer builds their business by knocking on doors to tell people their ridge is about to fall off. Trading Standards data on doorstep crime has home maintenance and roofing near the top of the list year after year, and older people are targeted disproportionately. Beyond that, a short checklist covers most of the rest. Get it in writing before anything starts — a written scope saying what is included, what access is being used, and what happens if something is found under the covering. A single figure scrawled on a page is not a quote. Ask for photographs of the actual defect. Any roofer can photograph your roof from a ladder or with a drone, and a defect you can see is a defect you can get a second opinion on. A general warning about the state of things up there is not evidence. Never pay a large sum up front. A deposit for materials on a big job is reasonable; handing over thousands before work starts is not. And be very wary of anyone who wants cash and offers no paperwork. Get a second opinion on anything expensive, and get it from somebody you approached. If a caller has told you your chimney needs rebuilding, an independent survey is the cheapest money in this whole subject — plenty of stacks that 'needed rebuilding' needed repointing. Finally, be sceptical of the standard upsells: roof coating and spraying, moss treatment sold as urgent, and anything described as a limited-time offer. All three are heavily doorstep-sold precisely because the homeowner cannot check the work.

Question 3

Someone knocked on my door about my roof

Accepted Answer

The single most reliable rule: never let anybody onto your roof who turned up unasked. Doorstep roofing is where nearly all of the harm in this trade happens. Beyond that — get it in writing, ask for photographs of the actual defect, never pay large sums up front, and get a second opinion on anything expensive. Roofing has a reputation problem and it is largely earned by one specific practice: the unsolicited doorstep call. The pattern is always the same. A van in the street. A knock you did not ask for. An alarming description of something on your roof that you cannot see and cannot check. Pressure to decide immediately, often with a discount for saying yes today. And frequently a large cash deposit. The rule that solves almost all of it: if you did not contact them, they do not go on your roof. No legitimate roofer builds their business by knocking on doors to tell people their ridge is about to fall off. Trading Standards data on doorstep crime has home maintenance and roofing near the top of the list year after year, and older people are targeted disproportionately. Beyond that, a short checklist covers most of the rest. Get it in writing before anything starts — a written scope saying what is included, what access is being used, and what happens if something is found under the covering. A single figure scrawled on a page is not a quote. Ask for photographs of the actual defect. Any roofer can photograph your roof from a ladder or with a drone, and a defect you can see is a defect you can get a second opinion on. A general warning about the state of things up there is not evidence. Never pay a large sum up front. A deposit for materials on a big job is reasonable; handing over thousands before work starts is not. And be very wary of anyone who wants cash and offers no paperwork. Get a second opinion on anything expensive, and get it from somebody you approached. If a caller has told you your chimney needs rebuilding, an independent survey is the cheapest money in this whole subject — plenty of stacks that 'needed rebuilding' needed repointing. Finally, be sceptical of the standard upsells: roof coating and spraying, moss treatment sold as urgent, and anything described as a limited-time offer. All three are heavily doorstep-sold precisely because the homeowner cannot check the work.

Question 4

How do I know a roofer is genuine?

Accepted Answer

The single most reliable rule: never let anybody onto your roof who turned up unasked. Doorstep roofing is where nearly all of the harm in this trade happens. Beyond that — get it in writing, ask for photographs of the actual defect, never pay large sums up front, and get a second opinion on anything expensive. Roofing has a reputation problem and it is largely earned by one specific practice: the unsolicited doorstep call. The pattern is always the same. A van in the street. A knock you did not ask for. An alarming description of something on your roof that you cannot see and cannot check. Pressure to decide immediately, often with a discount for saying yes today. And frequently a large cash deposit. The rule that solves almost all of it: if you did not contact them, they do not go on your roof. No legitimate roofer builds their business by knocking on doors to tell people their ridge is about to fall off. Trading Standards data on doorstep crime has home maintenance and roofing near the top of the list year after year, and older people are targeted disproportionately. Beyond that, a short checklist covers most of the rest. Get it in writing before anything starts — a written scope saying what is included, what access is being used, and what happens if something is found under the covering. A single figure scrawled on a page is not a quote. Ask for photographs of the actual defect. Any roofer can photograph your roof from a ladder or with a drone, and a defect you can see is a defect you can get a second opinion on. A general warning about the state of things up there is not evidence. Never pay a large sum up front. A deposit for materials on a big job is reasonable; handing over thousands before work starts is not. And be very wary of anyone who wants cash and offers no paperwork. Get a second opinion on anything expensive, and get it from somebody you approached. If a caller has told you your chimney needs rebuilding, an independent survey is the cheapest money in this whole subject — plenty of stacks that 'needed rebuilding' needed repointing. Finally, be sceptical of the standard upsells: roof coating and spraying, moss treatment sold as urgent, and anything described as a limited-time offer. All three are heavily doorstep-sold precisely because the homeowner cannot check the work.

How do I avoid a rogue roofer?

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