Start with a recommendation, not a search

The single most reliable way to find a good roofer is a personal recommendation from someone whose judgement you trust, who has had recent work done, and who can show you the result. This isn't always possible — but when it is, it's worth more than any accreditation scheme or review platform.

If you don't have a personal recommendation, your next best options are:

  • NFRC (National Federation of Roofing Contractors) — the main trade body for UK roofing. Members agree to a code of conduct and are inspected. Not a guarantee, but a meaningful filter.
  • TrustMark — a government-endorsed quality scheme. Tradespeople are assessed and monitored. Worth checking.
  • Local Facebook groups — genuinely useful for local recommendations, especially in communities where people know each other. A recommendation from a named local person is worth more than an anonymous review.
  • Your neighbours — if a house on your street has recently had roof work done that looks good, knock and ask who they used.
The most underused approach Ask your roofer for the contact details of two or three recent customers in your area — not just written reviews, but people you can actually call. A confident, reputable roofer will provide these without hesitation. One who can't or won't is telling you something important.

What to check before anyone sets foot on your roof

  • Public liability insurance — minimum £2M, ideally £5M. Ask for the certificate, not just a verbal confirmation. An uninsured roofer working on your property creates liability for you if something goes wrong.
  • Employer's liability insurance — required if they have employees. Ask if they're bringing any staff or subcontractors.
  • A fixed business address — a van, a mobile number, and a Gmail address is not a business. You need a verifiable address to have any recourse if something goes wrong.
  • VAT registration — not required for smaller operations, but a useful indicator of an established business. Ask for a VAT number and verify it at vat.service.gov.uk
  • Written, itemised quote — you should know exactly what you're paying for before any work starts. Labour, materials, scaffold hire, and waste disposal should all be itemised separately.

Red flags that should stop you proceeding

🚩 Walk away if you see these
  • Cold caller who "just happened to notice" your roof has a problem while doing work nearby
  • Requests full payment upfront before work begins
  • Cannot provide a written quote — only verbal estimates
  • Significantly lower price than all other quotes with no explanation
  • Pressure to make a decision immediately or lose the price
  • Unable or unwilling to provide proof of insurance
  • No verifiable business address or registration
  • Quotes from the ground or from a quick look without accessing the roof

Why having drone imagery changes the conversation

The fundamental problem with getting roofing quotes is information asymmetry. The roofer goes up, sees what's there, and tells you what needs doing. You have no independent way to verify what they've found — you're relying entirely on their honesty and competence.

Having drone imagery of your roof before you call anyone changes this dynamic completely. When you can show a roofer exactly what the drone captured and ask them to quote specifically on what's visible, you've removed their ability to embellish the scope of work. You can also share the same imagery with two or three contractors and compare their assessments — if one finds significantly more problems than the others, you have a basis for asking why.

3 The minimum number of quotes to get for any roofing job above £500. Roofing prices for identical work can vary by 50–100% between contractors. You cannot know if a quote is fair without comparison.

Questions to ask before you commit

  1. Can you provide two or three references from recent customers I can contact directly?
  2. Will you be doing the work yourself, or will it be subcontracted? If subcontracted, are the subcontractors covered by your insurance?
  3. What's your warranty on labour? What happens if the repair fails within the first year?
  4. How will you dispose of waste materials? (skip hire costs should be included in the quote)
  5. What's your payment schedule? (a reasonable deposit of 10–20% is normal; 50%+ upfront is not)

ROOST Trusted Partners

As ROOST expands across the UK, we vet and introduce homeowners to local tradespeople we've verified and stand behind. If your ROOST report identifies something that needs professional attention, we can connect you with a Trusted Partner in your area who will receive your report imagery directly — so there's no back and forth and no opportunity for scope creep based on a cold visit.

This is currently available in our launch areas. Contact us to find out who we're working with in your postcode.