Roof Evidence & Repair Guide
Choosing a roofer
How to check who is climbing onto your roof, what a written scope should say, and what to be shown before you agree to anything.
Answers in this topic
How do I choose a reliable roofer?
Practical checks before hiring a roofer: traceable business details, written scopes, photographic evidence and an explanation you can follow.
What questions should I ask a roofing contractor?
The questions that reveal whether a roofing recommendation is evidence-based, and what a straight answer to each sounds like.
What should be included in a written roofing quote?
The contents of a quotation you can actually compare: defect, scope, materials, access, exclusions, timescale and payment terms.
How can I check whether a roofing company is legitimate?
Straightforward checks before hiring: traceable address and contact details, independent reviews, local work history and written terms.
What should I ask if a roofer says I need a complete new roof?
The questions that test a recommendation for full renewal, and the evidence that should sit behind it before you commit.
Should I obtain more than one roofing quotation?
The short answer
For anything substantial, yes. Two or three quotations show you the range of opinion as well as the range of price, and differences in diagnosis are often more revealing than differences in cost. For a small, urgent repair the delay may not be worth it — judge it on the size of the commitment.
What could this mean?
Make sure each contractor is describing the same job. Comparing prices for different scopes is not comparison at all.
Related services
- Roof RepairsA roof repair fixes a localised fault — slipped slates, cracked tiles, failed flashing, a leaking valley or a split flat-roof seam — without replacing the whole roof. Most Cumbrian domestic repairs are completed in a single visit once the true cause of the leak has been identified.
- New Roofs and ReroofingReroofing means stripping the existing covering back to the rafters and rebuilding the roof with new membrane, battens, fixings and coverings. It is the right choice once slates or tiles are failing across whole slopes or the underlay has perished.
What should you do next?
Give every contractor the same information and ask each to set out the defect, the scope and the exclusions in writing.
Should a roofing contractor have public liability insurance?
The short answer
Contractors working at height on your property should carry appropriate insurance, and it is entirely reasonable to ask for the documentation and check it is current. Cover protects against damage and injury arising from the work. What it covers, and to what level, is set by the policy rather than by the trade.
Related services
What should you do next?
Ask to see the certificate before work begins rather than afterwards, and check the dates are current.
What should a roofing workmanship guarantee cover?
The short answer
A workmanship guarantee should state plainly what it covers, for how long, and what it excludes. Typically it covers the quality of the work carried out rather than unrelated parts of the roof, storm damage or pre-existing defects. Materials often carry their own separate manufacturer warranty with different terms.
Related services
- Roof RepairsA roof repair fixes a localised fault — slipped slates, cracked tiles, failed flashing, a leaking valley or a split flat-roof seam — without replacing the whole roof. Most Cumbrian domestic repairs are completed in a single visit once the true cause of the leak has been identified.
- New Roofs and ReroofingReroofing means stripping the existing covering back to the rafters and rebuilding the roof with new membrane, battens, fixings and coverings. It is the right choice once slates or tiles are failing across whole slopes or the underlay has perished.
What should you do next?
Read the exclusions before the headline duration. A long guarantee with broad exclusions can be worth less than a shorter, clearer one.
Go deeper on this topic
Related services
- Roof RepairsA roof repair fixes a localised fault — slipped slates, cracked tiles, failed flashing, a leaking valley or a split flat-roof seam — without replacing the whole roof. Most Cumbrian domestic repairs are completed in a single visit once the true cause of the leak has been identified.
- Drone Roof InspectionsA drone roof inspection surveys a roof using a camera-equipped UAV, producing high-resolution photographs and video of every slope, chimney, valley and gutter without scaffolding, ladders or anyone setting foot on the roof. It is faster, safer and cheaper than traditional access, and produces evidence you can keep.
Reviewed by Aaron, Owner, Elite Roofing Services Cumbria Ltd — last reviewed .