Roofing is one of the trades with the highest number of rogue trader complaints in the UK. Citizens Advice handles thousands of complaints about roofing work every year, and Trading Standards regularly prosecute roofers for substandard or fraudulent work. The reasons are straightforward: roof work is expensive, most homeowners can't easily inspect what's been done, and the consequences of poor workmanship often don't show up for months or years.
The good news is that there are plenty of excellent, honest roofing contractors in the UK. The challenge is telling them apart from the cowboys. This guide gives you nine practical checks to verify any roofer before you hire them — and the red flags that should send you running.
The Scale of the Problem
According to data from Trading Standards and consumer watchdog reports, roofing is consistently among the top five trades for consumer complaints. The most common problems include:
- Work started but never completed
- Payments taken upfront with no work done
- Substandard materials used (cheaper than quoted)
- Unnecessary work recommended — particularly to elderly and vulnerable homeowners
- No warranty or aftercare provided
The problem intensifies after storms, when demand for roofers spikes and door-to-door cold callers descend on affected areas. These "storm chasers" target vulnerable homeowners with pressure tactics, inflated prices, and poor-quality emergency repairs.
Check 1: NFRC Membership
The National Federation of Roofing Contractors (NFRC) is the UK's largest roofing trade body. NFRC membership means the contractor has been independently vetted, including checks on their technical competence, insurance, health and safety practices, and financial stability.
Why it matters:
- NFRC members are inspected on-site — the federation sends assessors to check actual completed work, not just paperwork
- Members must carry minimum levels of public liability insurance
- The NFRC operates a disputes resolution service — if something goes wrong, you have a formal route for complaint beyond small claims court
- Membership is renewed annually, so standards must be maintained
How to verify: Visit nfrc.co.uk and search for the contractor by name or postcode. If they claim to be members but don't appear in the directory, that's a major red flag.
Check 2: TrustMark Registration
TrustMark is a government-endorsed quality scheme for tradespeople. It's backed by the Department for Business and Trade and provides an additional layer of consumer protection. TrustMark-registered businesses must:
- Meet specific technical standards for their trade
- Carry appropriate insurance
- Provide written terms and conditions
- Offer a complaints process
- Adhere to a code of conduct including transparent pricing
TrustMark registration is particularly important if you're having energy-efficiency work done alongside roofing (such as insulation upgrades), because some government grant schemes and Green Deal financing require TrustMark-registered installers.
How to verify: Search at trustmark.org.uk.
Check 3: Public Liability Insurance
Any roofer working on your property should carry public liability insurance — and for roofing work, the minimum should be £2 million. This covers damage to your property and injury to third parties caused by the work. Without it, if a roofer drops a tile through your conservatory roof or scaffolding damages your neighbour's car, you could be left with the bill.
How to verify: Ask to see a copy of their insurance certificate. Check the policy is current (not expired), the company name matches the business you're hiring, and the cover level is at least £2 million. A legitimate roofer will provide this without hesitation — if they're reluctant, walk away.
It's also worth asking whether they have employer's liability insurance (legally required if they have employees) and whether their workers are directly employed or subcontracted. This matters if something goes wrong — you need to know who's actually responsible.
Check 4: Fixed Business Address and Company Registration
A legitimate roofing contractor will have a fixed business address — not just a mobile number and a Facebook page. Check for:
- A registered business address that you can Google and verify exists (a PO Box isn't necessarily a red flag, but a residential address used as a registered office deserves further investigation)
- Companies House registration — if they're a limited company, you can check their filing history, directors, and accounts at Companies House
- VAT registration — if a roofer's turnover exceeds £90,000 (2025 threshold), they must be VAT-registered. A busy roofer who isn't VAT-registered may not be declaring all their income — which raises questions about how they run other aspects of their business
None of these guarantees quality on their own, but a roofer who ticks all these boxes has invested in running a proper business — which correlates strongly with doing proper work.
Check 5: Get Three Written Quotes
Always get at least three written quotes before committing to any roofing work. This isn't just about finding the cheapest price — it's about understanding the scope of work and spotting outliers. A proper roofing quote should include:
- Detailed scope of work: Exactly what will be done — not just "reroof" but "strip existing concrete tiles, replace all battens, install breathable membrane underlay (brand/specification), re-tile with Marley Edgemere interlocking tiles, replace all lead flashing to chimneys and abutments, re-bed and re-point ridge tiles with dry ridge system"
- Materials specification: Brand names and product codes where possible. This lets you verify the quality and price of what's being used
- Scaffolding: Whether it's included in the price or quoted separately, and who's responsible for erecting and dismantling it
- Waste disposal: Old tiles, felt, and battens need to go somewhere. A legitimate quote includes skip hire and disposal costs
- Warranty terms: What's covered, for how long, and whether it's backed by the contractor, the manufacturer, or both
- Timeline: Expected start date, duration, and completion date
- Payment terms: When payments are due and in what amounts
If a quote is significantly lower than the others (30%+ cheaper), be cautious. The roofer may be planning to use inferior materials, cut corners on preparation, or simply underquoting to win the job and then adding extras later.
Check 6: Never Pay the Full Amount Upfront
This is one of the most important rules for hiring any tradesperson, and it's where many people get caught out. A reasonable payment structure for roofing work is:
- Deposit: Up to 25% on agreement, to cover the cost of materials ordering. Some roofers don't ask for any deposit at all.
- Stage payment: For larger jobs, a mid-project payment when specific milestones are reached (e.g., strip complete, battens and membrane installed)
- Final payment: The balance on satisfactory completion of all work, after you've had a chance to inspect it
Never pay 100% upfront. Never pay cash without a receipt. Never pay before any work has started. These are the most common patterns in roofing fraud — the roofer takes the money and either disappears entirely or does a minimal amount of work before claiming the job is complete.
Check 7: Reviews and References
Check the roofer's reviews across multiple platforms:
- Google Business reviews — look at both the overall rating and the content of individual reviews. Pay attention to reviews that mention specific projects similar to yours
- Checkatrade — one of the UK's largest trade directories, with verified reviews from customers
- Which? Trusted Traders — an endorsement scheme backed by the consumer magazine, with annual assessments
- Trustpilot — useful for larger roofing companies
Red flags in reviews: all reviews posted within a short time period (could be fake), no negative reviews at all (unrealistic for any business), or reviews that are suspiciously generic ("Great job, highly recommend" without any detail).
Also ask the roofer for references from recent projects — specifically projects of similar scope to yours. A good roofer will happily provide these. Follow up and actually contact the references.
Check 8: Proper Scaffolding
Any legitimate roof repair or replacement requires proper scaffolding. This is not optional — it's a legal requirement under the Work at Height Regulations 2005. If a roofer proposes to do significant work using only ladders, that's a serious warning sign:
- It's illegal for most roof work — the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) requires a safe working platform at height
- The quality of work done from a ladder will be inferior — the roofer can't move freely, can't spread materials properly, and can't inspect their work comprehensively
- It puts the roofer at risk — and if they're injured on your property while not following safety regulations, the liability situation becomes complicated
Scaffolding typically costs £500–£1,200 for a standard house and should be erected by a licensed scaffolding company (look for NASC membership). The cost should be included in or clearly itemised on the roofing quote.
Check 9: Manufacturer Warranties
Many roofing materials come with manufacturer warranties — but only if they're installed correctly and registered. Ask your roofer about:
- Tile/slate warranties: Major manufacturers like Marley, Redland, and Russell Roof Tiles offer warranties of 15–30 years on their products
- Flat roof system warranties: EPDM systems (e.g., Firestone RubberGard) and GRP systems often come with 20–25 year manufacturer warranties — but only when installed by approved contractors
- Velux window warranties: If your project includes roof windows, Velux offers a 10-year warranty — but it must be registered within 3 months of installation
- Workmanship guarantee: Separate from the materials warranty, this covers the roofer's labour. A reputable contractor will offer at least 10 years
Crucially, ask who registers the warranties. Some roofers promise manufacturer warranties but never complete the registration paperwork. Confirm in writing that they will register all applicable warranties and provide you with the documentation.
Red Flags: How to Spot a Rogue Roofer
Beyond the nine checks above, watch out for these specific warning signs:
- "We were in the area and noticed your roof needs work" — this is the most common opening line of rogue roofers. Legitimate contractors don't cold-call at your door. They don't need to — they have enough work from referrals and their reputation.
- Cash-only payments — insisting on cash with no receipt is a hallmark of tax evasion and leaves you with no paper trail if things go wrong
- Vague or verbal-only quotes — "It'll be about two grand" isn't a quote, it's a guess. Insist on a detailed written quotation.
- High-pressure tactics — "I can only do this price if you agree today" or "Your roof is dangerous and needs fixing immediately" are designed to prevent you from getting alternative opinions
- No written contract — any job over a few hundred pounds should have a written contract specifying the scope, price, timeline, and warranty
- Unmarked vehicle — most professional roofers have liveried vans. It's not a guarantee, but combined with other red flags, an unmarked white van is worth noting
What to Do After a Storm
Storms create urgency — and urgency is what rogue traders exploit. If your roof is damaged after a storm:
- Don't panic. Unless water is actively pouring into your home, you have time to find the right contractor.
- Contact your home insurance company first. They may have approved contractor networks, and making your claim before any work starts is important.
- Take photos and video of all visible damage before any repair work begins — your insurer will need this.
- Get emergency temporary repairs if needed (blue tarpaulin covering), but don't commit to permanent repair work in the immediate aftermath of a storm.
- Be extremely wary of anyone who turns up unsolicited offering to fix your roof. After major storms, rogue traders travel to affected areas specifically to exploit panicked homeowners.
- Use the NFRC "Find a Roofer" tool to find vetted contractors in your area who offer emergency response.
Emergency call-out fees for temporary storm damage repairs typically run £200–£600, depending on the severity and time of day. This is for making the property weathertight — the permanent repair or replacement is a separate job that should be quoted properly once the emergency is resolved.
How to Choose Between Quotes
Once you have your three quotes, don't automatically go for the cheapest. Compare:
- Scope of work: Are they all quoting for the same thing? One roofer might recommend more extensive work — that's not necessarily upselling; they may have identified issues the others missed.
- Materials quality: Check the tile specifications. There's a big difference between budget interlocking tiles and premium plain tiles, even if the labour cost is similar.
- Warranties: A slightly more expensive quote with a 20-year warranty is better value than a cheaper one with no warranty.
- Communication: How responsive were they? Did they turn up on time for the survey? Did they explain things clearly? This is how they'll behave during the project.
Get It Right the First Time
Taking the time to properly vet your roofer is an investment that protects your home, your finances, and your peace of mind. The best roofing contractors are busy — you may need to wait a few weeks for availability — but the quality of work and the warranty protection are worth the wait.
Pinnacle Roofing is NFRC-registered and fully insured. We provide detailed written quotes, use specified materials from leading manufacturers, and back our work with comprehensive warranties. If you need roofing work done properly, get in touch for a free assessment.