How to choose a roofer and check their quote

A clear roofing quote should leave you with fewer questions.

The answer in 2 lines. Choose a roofer after checking their identity, relevant experience and insurance. Compare written quotes for the same work and ask how they will protect your home while the roof is open. Clarify materials, access, waste, approvals, payment stages and additional work. A company registration proves neither competence nor insurance. Depending on how you agree the contract, cancellation rights may apply: check before accepting, especially if you want work to begin immediately.

Start with these checks

Write down the problem and the result you want. Give each roofer the same description so their proposals are easier to compare.
Ask for recent examples of comparable roofs and contactable references. Ask who will actually carry out and supervise your work.
Request evidence of insurance covering the proposed work, and confirm your own buildings insurer’s requirements.
Get the specification, total price, exclusions, timetable and payment stages in writing before accepting.

Stop: danger

Stay off the roof: do not climb up to inspect a defect or accompany someone giving a quote. Tiles, sheets and rooflights can fail under a person’s weight.
Unsafe access: do not accept a proposal that simply omits fall protection to reduce the price. Ask the roofer to explain their safe working arrangements.
Falling material: keep people away from the affected area below. An emergency repair should still have an agreed, limited scope.

Check who you are contracting with

Obtain the trading name, legal name, address and contact details. For a limited company, search the Companies House register by name or company number and compare the result with the quotation. A sole trader will not necessarily appear there. Registration is an identity check, not an endorsement of workmanship.

Ask to see current insurance documents, including public liability cover, and check that roofing work is within their scope. Ask about exclusions relevant to your job. A workmanship guarantee needs written terms explaining who provides it, what it covers and how to claim.

Read the roofing specification

Ask the roofer to identify which roof slopes or flat-roof areas are included. The specification should explain what will be removed, retained and replaced: coverings, battens or decking, underlay, flashings, ridges, ventilation and insulation where relevant.

Discuss the awkward details: chimney junctions, roof windows, gutters and connections to neighbouring roofs. Ask how the building will remain weatherproof overnight and during delays. Who protects the loft and clears debris inside it? Where will scaffolding and materials stand? Record any agreed access through your home or garden.

Request a procedure for hidden defects. If rotten timber is discovered, agree that the roofer will provide photographs, an explanation and a price for approval before additional work proceeds.

What not to do

Accepting an immediate doorstep offer because you are told the roof will fail unless you sign now.
Paying the full price before work starts or accepting unexplained demands for extra payments.
Comparing totals when the quotes cover different materials, roof areas or access arrangements.
Treating a verbal promise about a guarantee or completion certificate as sufficient.

Approvals, safety and waste

Roof-covering replacement may need building regulations approval. Start with the GOV.UK approval guide and use its building-control information to establish the route for your project. Agree who handles the application or certification and what documents you will receive. Planning permission is a separate question.

The HSE fragile-surfaces guidance explains why access and fall protection matter; use it to inform questions about the proposed working method.

Agree who removes waste and whether disposal is included. Check the proposed waste carrier on the Environment Agency public register, using their business name or registration details.

Price, payments and cancellation

Distinguish a fixed quote from an estimate. Ask whether the total includes VAT, access, disposal and any approval costs. Link payments to clear stages and keep receipts. Before acceptance, work through the Citizens Advice preparation guide to check the contract and insurance arrangements.

A service contract agreed at home or remotely will generally have a 14-day cooling-off period, subject to exceptions. Work you expressly request during that period can create payment obligations; specifically requested urgent repairs have different rules. Use the Citizens Advice cancellation guide to select the circumstances matching your agreement and follow its written cancellation instructions.

Good to know

Before final payment, ask for the agreed photographs, invoice, guarantee and applicable approval documents.
A cheap quotation may cover a smaller job: ask about omissions before deciding.
This guide is for England. Building-control systems differ in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland; use the appropriate national guidance.

Illustrative example: a homeowner in Birmingham compares quotes for a rear roof slope. One leaves weatherproofing and waste removal unclear. She asks each roofer to price the same specification, checks insurance and agrees how hidden timber damage will be authorised. She chooses after comparing the complete proposals.

A made-up story, for illustration.

Bobby

Sources, verification, confidence

Verified on 6 November 2026, for England. Confidence: high for the register checks, roof safety principles and conditional cancellation rights; medium for project-specific approval and insurance requirements, which need individual confirmation. Quotation questions are practical guidance, not a price benchmark.