How do you complain about a roofer?

A complaint about a roof lives or dies on proof. Collect the written quote, the invoice, receipts for any deposit or stage payment, and every text, email or WhatsApp message about what was agreed. Lay the dates out in order on a single sheet, so that anybody reading it can follow the story in a minute.

Then record the problem itself. Photograph it from outside at ground level and from inside the loft or the room beneath, include something in the frame that shows size, and keep the dates on the files. Where water is dripping through, put a container underneath, move belongings away and make the area safe. Hold on to receipts for any temporary protection you pay for, because they show you acted sensibly. A second roofer's written opinion on the cause is worth having too, since it separates a badly done repair from a new fault elsewhere on the roof.

Calls leave nothing behind, so follow each one with an email or letter. Start with the address, the date of the work and the name of the firm. State the fault in plain words: tiles slipping again, a flashing that still lets water through, a flat roof with water standing on it long after the rain. Point to what the quote promised and attach your pictures.

Then say what you want. That might be a return visit to put the work right, a partial refund, or a written explanation of why the roof behaves as it does. Give a fair deadline, such as fourteen days, and say you will take advice if nothing comes back. Keep a copy and send it in a way you can prove, such as email with a read receipt or recorded post. Angry messages hand the other side a reason to stop talking, so leave the heat out and let the dates and photographs make the case.

Section 49 of the Consumer Rights Act 2015 sets the bar: reasonable care and skill. A roofer who leaves tiles that slip within weeks, a flashing that fails or a flat roof that ponds soon after the job invites the question of whether that bar was cleared. Treat this as general guidance rather than legal advice, because what counts as reasonable depends on the facts of your roof.

The paperwork you hold carries weight. The written quote shows what was agreed, and a firm that describes the work in detail has set the yardstick against which it will be judged. If the contract was made at your home after a survey, there is also a cooling-off period in which you may cancel, and we cover it in our answer on cancelling a roofing contract. Cancelling is a different route from complaining about poor work, and its window is short, so look at the dates on your paperwork first.

Since 6 April 2026, section 308 of the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 has obliged a trader to tell an unhappy consumer about any dispute-resolution arrangement open to them. So when you receive a final answer you cannot accept, ask in writing whether the firm belongs to a scheme, and which one.

Trading Standards does not advise individuals on their own disputes. The Citizens Advice consumer service does, and it is the right first call if the roofer has fallen quiet. It can talk you through the choices, which may include a formal letter before a small claims application. Before you pay any balance, read the contract for what it says on stage payments and completion. Our answer on questions to ask a roofer helps you avoid a repeat, and our roofing home page shows how we run a job.

Most disputes trace back to a vague start. A quote in writing that shows one total, photographs of the roof as found, and a clear note of what is and is not included leave little room for argument later. Ask the firm who will be on the roof, how long the work should take and what happens if the weather turns.

Ask, too, what the firm does when something needs another look once the job is finished. A roofer who answers that calmly and in writing is telling you something useful. Be careful with anyone who wants cash up front for materials, will not put the price on paper or turns up unasked after bad weather. Those are the habits that lead to the letters this page describes, and our answer on how to find a good roofer goes through the checks in order.