When Roofing Goes Wrong: How a Roof Inspection Can Protect Homeowners from Rogue Roofers
Updated: Aug 11
There is a reason I started The Roofing Consultant.
A large part of my work involves carrying out independent roof inspections for homeowners who have concerns about work that has already been carried out on their property.
Sometimes the work is simply below the expected standard. Sometimes parts of the job have not been completed correctly. On other occasions, I have inspected roofs where work that a homeowner has been told has been completed simply hasn't been done at all.
And unfortunately, I have seen enough examples to know that homeowners can be incredibly vulnerable when it comes to roofing.
You can't easily inspect your own roof. For most homeowners, the roof is something you simply have to trust someone else with. You can't safely climb onto your roof and check whether the work you have been quoted for is actually necessary. You may not know whether the work has been completed, whether the correct materials have been used, or whether the workmanship is to an appropriate standard. That creates an obvious opportunity for unscrupulous or rogue roofers to take advantage of people who don't have the technical knowledge to know what they are looking at.
I've seen homeowners spend thousands of pounds based on recommendations or claims that, once independently inspected, simply don't stand up to scrutiny.
It isn't always about whether you need a new roof
One of the most important things I tell homeowners is this:
If someone tells you that you need a new roof, don't automatically assume that you do.
A roof can look old without being unsafe.
I recently inspected a property belonging to an elderly lady who was fortunately extremely sharp and realised that something didn't feel right. She contacted The Roofing Consultant for an independent opinion. She had been told that her roof was unsafe and that structural timbers also needed replacing. When I inspected the roof, the structural timbers were fine. The roof was certainly old, but my findings did not support the suggestion that it was unsafe or that the entire roof needed replacing. In my opinion, it potentially had many years of useful life remaining. What concerned me most was that the homeowner had been presented with an astronomical quotation, with documentation on the reverse relating to signing the house over in connection with the proposed works.
This is exactly why independent roofing advice matters.
Over the last month alone, I have helped a couple who were facing handing over around £20,000 for roofing work where concerns had arisen. I've also helped another homeowner who was facing paying £2,500 to a contractor for works that, following my inspection, had not been completed as they had been told. The contractor had been contracted to install eaves support trays and replace a wet ridge system with a dry ridge system. The eaves support trays had been installed, but not correctly. The dry ridge system had not been installed at all. I carried out an independent inspection, documented my findings with photographs and produced a roof confirmation report. I also offered to meet the contractor on site to go through the findings and give them the opportunity to discuss the work. They didn't turn up. I subsequently pointed the homeowner towards a quality roofing contractor who has now completed the work correctly.
That is what conflict resolution should be about:
Establishing the facts, documenting what can actually be seen, and giving everyone an opportunity to respond.
Even seemingly simple roofing work can go wrong.
One particularly common problem I encounter involves homeowners upgrading older wet-fixed roofing details to modern dry-fix systems.
Take dry verge systems as an example. I've seen installations where the existing cement mortar has simply been left in place and an attempt has then been made to fix the new dry verge caps to the ends of the existing roof battens. The problem is that the caps don't sit correctly. They can be out of alignment, fail to follow the roofline properly, become loose and ultimately fall away or hang off the edge of the roof. To someone standing on the ground, it might initially look like the job has been completed. A closer roof inspection can tell a very different story.
And now there is another problem:
AI Technology is changing the roofing industry too. Artificial intelligence and image-editing technology can now make photographs look remarkably convincing. I've seen concerns about images being manipulated or generated to make a roof appear to have defects that aren't actually there. Equally, technology can potentially be used to create images that make it appear as though roofing work has been completed when it hasn't. For homeowners, this makes genuine evidence more important than ever.
Ask to see genuine photographs of your own property. Ask questions. Ask exactly what has been found and why the work is required. And if something doesn't look right, get an independent opinion.
How can you protect yourself?
You don't need to be a roofing expert to protect yourself. Before agreeing to significant roofing work, do your due diligence. Check the contractor's vetted reviews and don't just look at the star rating. Read what previous customers have actually said. Ask questions. A reputable roofing contractor should be able to explain what work is required and why.
If you're considering a complete roof replacement, ask to see examples of recent work. Ideally, look at properties nearby and, where possible, speak to previous customers.
Ask for evidence of appropriate insurance. Don't be afraid to obtain a second quotation or a second opinion.
And remember that some established, qualified and time-served roofing contractors don't take deposits, instead allowing customers to pay on completion. That can provide an additional level of reassurance, although payment terms will always vary between contractors.
Once the money has gone, getting it back can be difficult
This is something I see repeatedly. Once a contractor has been paid, particularly where there is a disagreement about what work was completed or the quality of the workmanship, recovering that money can become extremely difficult. That's why prevention is better than trying to resolve a problem afterwards. If you have concerns about a roofing quotation, the work that has been carried out, or whether the work you've paid for has actually been completed, an independent roof inspection and condition report can give you a much clearer picture.
My job is not to sell you a new roof. My job is to inspect roofs, identify what can actually be established from the inspection, document my findings and, where necessary, help homeowners navigate a roofing dispute or conflict resolution process. Inevitable as part of that work, I come across poor workmanship, incomplete work and situations where homeowners have been given information that doesn't appear to match what is actually present on the roof. Not every roofing problem is caused by a rogue roofer. Mistakes happen, misunderstandings happen and workmanship can sometimes fall below expectations without deliberate wrongdoing. But homeowners deserve to know what they are paying for. So, if you've been told you need a new roof, don't be afraid to get a second opinion. If you've paid for roofing work and you're not convinced it has been completed correctly, get it checked. And if you find yourself in a roofing dispute, get the facts documented before the situation escalates.
Don't let it be you.
A professional-looking quotation doesn't necessarily mean the work is necessary.
A photograph doesn't necessarily prove the work has been completed.
And a roof that looks old doesn't necessarily mean it needs replacing.
If you're concerned about your roof, contact The Roofing Consultant for an independent roof inspection and professional roofing report. Sometimes, getting an independent pair of eyes on your roof can save you thousands of pounds.
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