Hiring the wrong roofer is one of the most expensive mistakes a Yorkshire homeowner can make. Unlike a poor decorating job or a badly fitted kitchen, a roofing problem does not announce itself immediately. Water finds its way through poorly sealed flashings and badly nailed slates over weeks and months, and by the time the damage becomes visible inside your home, it can already have spread through roof timbers, ceilings, and insulation. Putting it right costs significantly more than the original job would have done properly.
The good news is that most rogue traders and underqualified contractors reveal themselves clearly if you know what to ask before signing anything. The right questions separate experienced, accountable professionals from those who will take your money and disappear. This guide gives you every question worth asking, explains what a good answer looks like, and tells you what the wrong answer sounds like.
Question 1: Are You Fully Insured for Roofing Work?
This is the single most important question and should be asked before any other. Roofing work is carried out at height, involves heavy materials, and creates a direct risk of damage to your property if something goes wrong. A roofer without adequate insurance leaves you personally exposed to the cost of any accidents, injuries, or damage that occur during the job.
There are two types of insurance you need to confirm. Public liability insurance covers damage to your property and third parties during the work. If a slate slides off the roof and breaks your neighbour’s conservatory, or a roofer drops a tool through your bay window, public liability pays for it. Employers liability insurance is a legal requirement for any contractor who employs workers, and covers injuries to those workers while on your property.
A reputable roofer will have both in place and will provide written evidence without hesitation. If a contractor is reluctant to show proof of insurance, hedges around the question, or says they are covered without producing documentation, treat this as a serious warning sign and move on. Never accept verbal assurances on insurance.
Question 2: Are You Registered With a Trade Body or Accreditation Scheme?
Trade body membership and accreditation schemes do not automatically guarantee quality, but they do provide an important layer of accountability. Registered contractors have agreed to a code of conduct, carry out work to defined standards, and can be reported to the trade body if things go wrong. Many schemes also offer independent dispute resolution, which gives you a route to address problems without going to court.
For roofing in the UK, the main accreditation bodies include the National Federation of Roofing Contractors (NFRC), the Confederation of Roofing Contractors (CORC), and TrustMark, which is government-endorsed. Membership of any of these bodies indicates a contractor who has been assessed and vetted rather than simply self-declared as competent.
You can verify membership directly through the accreditation body’s website, so do not simply take a contractor’s word for it. Logos on a van or a website are easy to copy. Actual, current, verifiable membership is what matters.
Question 3: Can You Provide a Fully Written, Itemised Quote?
Never accept a verbal quote or a figure scribbled on the back of a card. A professional roofer will provide a written, itemised document that clearly sets out the scope of work, the materials to be used (including manufacturer, product name, and specification), the labour cost, VAT position, any exclusions, and the expected programme of work.
A detailed written quote serves three purposes. It protects you legally because you have an agreed scope in writing. It allows you to compare quotes from different contractors on a like-for-like basis, because a low price for vague work is not comparable to a slightly higher price for a fully specified job. And it reveals the contractor’s professionalism, because a roofer who cannot or will not produce a proper written quote is telling you something important about how they operate.
Pay particular attention to how materials are specified. A quote that says simply “replace flat roof” tells you nothing about whether you are getting EPDM rubber, fibreglass, felt, or single-ply membrane. These materials have very different costs, lifespans, and performance characteristics, and you need to know exactly what you are paying for.
Our Roofers in Wakefield provide fully written, itemised quotes on every job as standard. We believe that transparency from the very first contact is the foundation of an honest working relationship with every customer.
Question 4: Do You Use Your Own Employed Workforce or Subcontractors?
Many roofing companies, particularly larger ones, win contracts and then subcontract the physical work to other firms or individuals. This is not inherently a problem, but it creates a distance between the company you are dealing with and the people who will actually be on your roof. It raises important questions about who is responsible for quality, who holds the relevant insurance, and who you call if there is a problem after the work is done.
A contractor who uses their own directly employed workforce has more direct control over standards and training. When subcontracting is used, the main contractor should still be taking responsibility for the quality of the work and should have oversight of the subcontractors they use. Ask specifically whether the people carrying out the work are employed by the company, and if subcontractors are used, ask how their quality and insurance is managed.
There is no automatically right or wrong answer here, but asking the question tells you a great deal about how the contractor thinks about accountability and quality control.
Question 5: What Guarantee Do You Offer on the Work?
A workmanship guarantee is separate from the manufacturer’s warranty on materials. Materials warranties are provided by the product manufacturer and typically cover defects in the materials themselves. A workmanship guarantee covers the quality of the installation and is the contractor’s commitment that the work has been carried out correctly.
The length and terms of a workmanship guarantee vary considerably. A confident, experienced contractor who stands behind their work will typically offer a meaningful guarantee of at least five years on labour. On specialist flat roofing systems such as EPDM or single-ply membrane, guarantees of ten to twenty years are standard when the work is carried out by an approved installer.
Ask for the guarantee in writing as part of the contract before work begins, not as an afterthought once the job is finished. Understand what the guarantee covers and what it excludes. A guarantee that excludes damage caused by “exceptional weather” or requires annual inspections by the same contractor to remain valid is worth considerably less than a clean, unconditional workmanship guarantee.
Also ask what happens to your guarantee if the company ceases trading. This is a practical concern because smaller roofing businesses do close, merge, or change ownership. Some accreditation schemes provide insurance-backed guarantees that remain valid even if the original contractor is no longer in business.
Question 6: Will You Use Scaffolding?
Any work on a pitched roof, and most significant flat roof work, should be carried out from properly erected scaffolding. Working from ladders is not compliant with current working at height regulations for anything other than very minor, short-duration tasks, and it is also unsafe for both the workers and for your property.
If a contractor tells you they can do the job from ladders, or that scaffolding is not necessary, this is a significant red flag. It suggests either that they are not complying with health and safety law, that the scope of work they are pricing is inadequate, or that they are planning to cut corners on the job in other ways.
Scaffolding adds to the upfront cost of roofing work and is sometimes used by less scrupulous contractors as a reason to pressure homeowners into accepting a lower-quality job. A proper roofing contractor will include scaffolding as a matter of course and will factor it into their quote transparently.
For any roofing project in the Goole area, our Roofers in Goole include full scaffolding provision in every job specification and can explain exactly what will be erected and for how long before work begins.
Question 7: How Will You Dispose of the Old Roofing Materials?
This question is more important than it might initially seem. Old roofing materials, particularly felt underlays, lead flashings, and bitumen-based products, are classified as controlled waste and must be disposed of through a licensed waste carrier. Fly-tipping of roofing waste is a criminal offence, and as the property owner you can be held responsible if materials from your job are found dumped illegally, even if it was the contractor who disposed of them.
A reputable contractor will either have their own waste carrier licence or will use a licensed skip hire company. Ask specifically how waste will be removed from site, where it will go, and whether they can provide a waste transfer note confirming legal disposal. A contractor who is vague about waste disposal, who suggests they will take materials away in a van without documentation, or who offers to charge you less by leaving the waste skip on site for you to arrange collection, should be treated with caution.
Question 8: Have You Worked on Properties Like Mine Before?
Roofing is not a single trade. A contractor who excels at EPDM flat roofing on commercial extensions may have limited experience with Welsh slate on a Victorian terrace. A roofer who is highly competent on new-build tiled roofs may have little understanding of the specific techniques required for working in conservation areas or on listed buildings.
Yorkshire’s housing stock is unusually diverse. Victorian slate terraces, Edwardian villas, 1960s flat-roofed extensions, agricultural buildings, and listed farmhouses all have different requirements, and the relevant skills and knowledge are not interchangeable. Ask the contractor directly whether they have experience with your specific property type and roofing material, and ask to see examples of similar completed work.
A confident, experienced contractor will be happy to discuss their relevant experience and may even be able to show you before-and-after photographs or provide references from comparable projects. Reluctance to demonstrate relevant experience is a warning sign worth taking seriously.
Our Roofers in York have extensive experience working on York’s historic housing stock, including slate roofs in conservation areas, traditional stone properties, and modern extensions across the city. We are happy to discuss relevant experience and provide references on request.
Question 9: What Happens if Additional Problems Are Found During the Work?
Roofing work frequently uncovers problems that were not visible during the initial survey. Rotted battens, damaged roof timbers, corroded flashings, and failed underlay are all commonly discovered once the outer surface is stripped back. How a contractor handles these discoveries tells you a great deal about their integrity.
A professional contractor will stop work, document what has been found with photographs, explain the additional work required and its cost, and obtain your written consent before proceeding. This is the correct procedure and protects both parties. A less scrupulous approach is to carry out additional work without informing you and present a substantially higher invoice at the end, citing unforeseen problems that were never communicated during the job.
Agree in advance, in writing, that any variations to the original scope of work will be notified to you before they are carried out, along with the additional cost. This is a reasonable and standard professional expectation and any reputable contractor will agree to it without hesitation.
Question 10: Are You VAT Registered?
This question is worth asking, particularly for larger roofing jobs. In the UK, businesses with a turnover above the VAT threshold are legally required to be VAT registered and to charge VAT on their services. The current threshold is 85,000 pounds per year.
A roofing contractor who is working on a reasonable volume of domestic and commercial projects should almost certainly be VAT registered. A contractor who offers to do the job cheaper by not charging VAT is either operating below the threshold, which is possible for very small sole traders, or is working illegally by failing to register and account for VAT they should be charging. The second scenario puts you at risk because HMRC can, in certain circumstances, hold the person who commissioned the work responsible for VAT that should have been charged.
Always ask for a VAT number if VAT is not shown on the quote, and verify it is valid through the HMRC VAT number checker. A legitimate contractor will have no issue with this request.
Question 11: What Access Will You Need and How Will My Property Be Protected?
Roofing work involves significant physical activity around and on your property. Heavy materials are moved in and out, scaffolding is erected and dismantled, debris falls from height, and vehicles use your driveway or access road. Before work starts, it is reasonable to agree with your contractor exactly what access they will need, how your gardens, vehicles, and outbuildings will be protected, and who is responsible if something is damaged.
A professional contractor will discuss this proactively and will take steps to protect your property, including dust sheets over gutters and planting areas, protective boards on driveways if heavy skips will be placed there, and temporary weatherproofing if the work extends across more than one day and the roof will be exposed overnight. If a contractor is dismissive about property protection, that attitude will likely be reflected in how they treat your home throughout the project.
Red Flags to Watch For When Getting Quotes
Beyond the specific questions above, certain behaviours during the quoting process should give any homeowner pause. A contractor who arrives unsolicited at your door claiming to have spotted a problem with your roof while passing should be treated with extreme caution. This is a classic approach used by rogue traders and is particularly common following storms or in areas where legitimate roofing work is visibly underway nearby.
Pressure to sign immediately or accept a cash-only deal with a discount for same-day agreement are both signs that the contractor does not want you to have time to verify their credentials or get alternative quotes. A legitimate business does not need to pressure customers into immediate decisions.
Requests for a large upfront payment before any work begins are another warning sign. On a standard domestic roofing job, a reputable contractor will typically ask for a small deposit to cover material ordering, with the balance due on satisfactory completion. Asking for 50 percent or more upfront before materials have even been delivered or scaffolding erected is not standard practice.
Finally, a contractor who cannot provide a physical business address, who gives only a mobile number with no landline or website presence, or who cannot produce any written documentation should not be trusted with your home.
Work With a Roofer You Can Trust Across Yorkshire
At Safeway Roofing Yorkshire, we welcome every one of these questions. We are fully insured, CORC-accredited, VAT registered, and use our own directly employed roofing teams. We provide written, itemised quotes on every job, we include scaffolding as standard, we dispose of all waste legally, and we offer meaningful workmanship guarantees backed up in writing before work begins.
We serve homeowners across the full Yorkshire region from our base in Yorkshire, covering all areas including Leeds, Wakefield, York, Hull, Huddersfield, Pontefract, Selby, Goole, and all surrounding towns and villages. If you would like a free, no-obligation roof inspection and written quote, get in touch today and we will arrange a site visit at a time that suits you.
