Rogue roofers – how to spot and avoid them

Sadly, despite the majority of roofing companies being decent and honest, there are always going to be those cowboys or ‘rogue roofers’ who want to make a quick buck at all costs.

For example, just this month, Wrexham Council’s Trading Standards team had to issue a warning to local homeowners to be ‘on their guard’ after a spate of incidents regarding roofing work. Dodgy roofers in Sutton attempted to con pensioners into paying for unwanted roofing work – including a 93 year old. And a Milton Keynes roofing company very kindly replaced a roof for free after a resident was scammed out of £24,000 by a rogue roofer.

No matter how long High-Tech Membrane Roofing continues to trade, it still saddens us to hear of so many people being conned by others purporting to be in our industry. The fact is that a roof is an essential part of any home. It protects you, your family and your belongings. It keeps you warm and dry, no matter how foul the weather outside may be. And this means that any repairs made to your roof need to be done properly.

Plus we can’t escape the fact that roof repairs – or a replacement roof – doesn’t come cheap. You are talking about hundreds, if not thousands of pounds. If you discover too late that your chosen roofer is a rogue trader, it’s going to cost you in more ways than one.

A lot of rogue traders will call uninvited. We strongly advise against doing any business with anyone who knocks on your door and offers to carry out work on the spot.

The reason for this is simple. If you verbally agree to a price on the doorstep, you will have no proof of that agreement if they suddenly increase the price after work has been carried out. You also won’t have the opportunity to get other quotes to make sure the price you’ve been given is competitive.

A roofer who turns up on your doorstep is nearly always untraceable once that work has been completed. Unfortunately, more often than not, this work is either overpriced, of poor quality, or completely unnecessary Without any contact details you have no way of trying to track that person down. And don’t forget – anyone can get a few pretty-looking leaflets printed up. Nice promotional material doesn’t mean that they can be trusted.

Sadly rogue roofers tend to target the most vulnerable members of the community. They can be persuasive and intimidating, which may scare people into believing that work is not only necessary, but needs to be done immediately. In reality, the roof may only require minor repairs and in too many cases, require no attention at all.

The golden rule is to check any trader’s contact details before you commit and see if you can find any feedback from past clients. If you know of people who have had roofing repairs in the past, ask for their recommendations. Always seek quotes from more than one roofing company. And always get everything in writing.

If you have an elderly or vulnerable relative who lives alone, we would recommend checking on a regular basis that no-one has tried to talk them into repairs they may not need. And if anything does need doing, why not help them find someone trustworthy?

Unfortunately, rogue traders will continue to try to con unsuspecting people out of their money. But with a little common sense and a bit of research, you can avoid the pitfalls.