Planning a roofing job
How to Choose a Roofer in Nottingham: Checks Before You Sign
Choosing a roofer is five jobs done in order. Build a shortlist of firms that do your kind of roof work, confirm their memberships with the schemes that issue them, get written quotes, compare them line by line, and agree the terms in writing before work starts. Here is what to check at each step, with examples from Nottingham roofers.
Shortlist three roofers for your kind of job
Start with the job, because roofers specialise. A rubber roof on a garage, a few slipped tiles, a full re-roof and a slate roof on a period house are different kinds of work, so shortlist three firms that do yours.
Among the ten Nottingham roofers compared by specialism and guarantee, Rain Defence Roofing in Beeston is a licensed Firestone EPDM contractor, Roofcare (Midlands) in West Bridgford takes on emergency repairs, and Proudlove Roofing in Long Eaton holds a Level 3 Heritage Roofing qualification. All but two of the ten advertise free quotes or free estimates.
Check a roofer’s memberships on the register
A logo for the NFRC, TrustMark, Which? Trusted Traders, Buy With Confidence or CompetentRoofer on a roofer’s website or van is a claim until the scheme confirms it. Check the membership with the scheme itself, under the name the firm trades as, before you ask the roofer to quote.
These are the firms on the Nottingham list that hold each one.
| Membership | Nottingham firms that hold it |
|---|---|
| NFRC (National Federation of Roofing Contractors) | Wrights Roofing, Premier Roofing Solutions, Raynor Roofing, Proudlove Roofing |
| TrustMark | Wrights Roofing, Premier Roofing Solutions, Proudlove Roofing |
| Which? Trusted Traders | Rain Defence Roofing since October 2018, Roofcare (Midlands) since July 2018 |
| Buy With Confidence (Trading Standards) | Peter Shaw Roofing |
| CompetentRoofer, the NFRC Competent Person Scheme’s name until 2022 | Wrights Roofing |
A full re-roof also brings in building regulations. The Planning Portal says re-covering a roof needs building regulations approval once the work affects 50 per cent or more of the roof, or 25 per cent or more of the building’s whole envelope. A roofer registered with the NFRC Competent Person Scheme can self-certify that work. It is the only roofing-specific scheme in England and Wales that allows this, it is accredited and audited every year by UKAS, and the Building Regulation Compliance Certificate is issued to you automatically.
Get written quotes, not estimates
Ask each roofer on your shortlist for a written quote, not a price given on the doorstep. Citizens Advice describes a quote as a promise to do work at an agreed price, and an estimate as the trader’s best guess at the cost. Once you have a quote, the roofer cannot put the price up just because its own costs have risen.
Do not agree to the work on an estimate
An estimate is only a best guess, so the final bill can come in well above it. All you can then argue is that the price should be reasonable, and the law does not say what counts as reasonable, so the figure has to be negotiated with the roofer.
Questions to ask a roofer at the quote visit
Write the answers down, because they are what you compare the quotes against.
- Which trade bodies or schemes are you a member of, and under what business name?
- Are you registered with the NFRC Competent Person Scheme for this work?
- Which roofs like mine have you worked on recently?
- Will your own team do the work, or will any of it be subcontracted?
- When could you start, and how long will the job take?
Roofcare (Midlands) uses no subcontractors, and Stapleford Roofing works with an in-house team. If a roofer does subcontract, Citizens Advice says any problem is still taken up with the trader who arranged the work.
What roofing quotes often leave out
A low total can mean missing lines rather than a cheaper job. Checkatrade’s roof replacement guide says roofing quotes generally do not include scaffolding, which costs £700 to £1,300 for set-up, removal and weekly hire. Removing the existing roof costs another £1,000 to £2,500, and both figures exclude VAT. Checkatrade’s repair guide adds that scaffolding, waste removal and VAT are often left off repair quotes.
Lines to find on a re-roof quote
| Removing the existing roof | £1,000 to £2,500 |
|---|---|
| Scaffolding, set up, weekly hire and removal | £700 to £1,300 |
| Skip, 6 to 8 yards, 1 week | £320 |
Total £2,020 to £4,120
Prices exclude VAT. A quote without these lines can look up to £4,120 cheaper than a quote for the same roof that includes them.
How to compare roofing quotes
Lay the quotes side by side and compare them line by line before you look at the totals. Each should name the same things, from the tiles or slates, felt, battens, lead and ridge to stripping the old roof, the scaffolding and the skip. Peter Shaw Roofing in Woodborough, for example, lists stripping, breathable felt, battens, lead where needed and a dry ridge or hip as part of its new roof.
Then set each total against what a new roof costs across the UK, which Checkatrade puts at £8,000 on average, with most homeowners spending £4,000 to £19,000 before VAT. A quote far below the other two is the first to check for a missing line.
Compare the guarantees as closely as the prices. A clear guarantee states its length in years, whether it covers workmanship, materials or both, and whether it is insurance-backed, so the cover does not rest on the roofer alone. The NFRC Competent Person Scheme provides a 10-year insurance-backed guarantee where required, and the Nottingham firms on the list that publish a guarantee give from 5 years on repairs to 20 years on flat roofs.
Guarantee wording on a roofing quote
Do this
10-year written guarantee on workmanship and materials for the new roof, insurance-backed, running from the date the work is completed
Not this
All work fully guaranteed
Agree the terms in writing before you sign
Giving a roofer the go-ahead makes a contract even if nothing is written down, and anything you took into account before agreeing is part of it, Citizens Advice says. If something goes wrong, the dispute starts with what was agreed, so get every detail in writing before work starts.
Before you sign the roofing quote
- The price is written as a quote, not an estimate
- Stripping, scaffolding, the skip and waste removal each have a line, or are written as included
- VAT is shown, or the price says it includes VAT
- The tiles or slates, felt, battens, lead and ridge are named
- The guarantee gives its length, what it covers and whether it is insurance-backed
- A start date, and a finish date if the timing matters to you
- Any deposit, and when each later payment is due
- For a re-roof, who provides the Building Regulation Compliance Certificate
If the roof has to be finished by a certain date, make that clear in writing. Otherwise a roofer who runs late has to be given a second chance to finish, Citizens Advice says.
Keep the signed quote, your receipts and dated photos of the work. If the roof has a problem later, they are the record you take back to the roofer.
Common questions
Can a roofer charge more than the quote?
Not without a good reason, such as extra work the roofer told you about and you agreed to pay for, or a quoted price so wrong that the mistake was obvious. A rise in the roofer's own costs since the quote is not a good reason. An estimate is different, because the final price only has to be reasonable.
How much does a roofer charge per day?
About £280 to £360 a day, or £35 to £45 an hour, on Checkatrade's UK figures excluding VAT. Scaffolding, waste removal and VAT are often left off repair quotes, so ask whether a price built on day rates includes them.
Should I pay a roofer a deposit?
Only on terms written into the agreement, and not every roofer asks for one. Notts Building & Roofing in Arnold takes no deposit and no payment until the customer is satisfied. If a roofer does want a deposit, write down the amount, what it covers and when each later payment is due.
What can I do if a roofer does a bad job?
Ask the roofer to fix it, because under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 the work must be done with reasonable care and skill. Where the roofer supplied the materials as well as the labour, you are entitled to have the problem put right within a reasonable time, and if the roofer cannot or will not fix it you can ask for a partial or full refund. Once you agree the amount, the law says the refund should reach you within 14 days.
How many quotes should I get for a new roof?
Get three written quotes for the same job, which is enough to show whether one price or one guarantee is out of line. Ask every roofer to price the same things, including stripping the old roof, scaffolding and the skip, or the totals cannot be compared.
Where the figures come from
- Planning Portal, building regulations for work to an existing roof read 2026-09-16
- NFRC Competent Person Scheme read 2026-09-16
- NFRC Competent Person Scheme, about the scheme read 2026-09-16
- Citizens Advice, problem with building work, decorating or home improvements read 2026-09-16
- Checkatrade, roof replacement cost guide read 2026-09-16
- Checkatrade, roof repair cost guide read 2026-09-16
Next
The Best Roofers in Nottingham
Ten firms, ranked on trade memberships, written guarantees and years in the trade.