How can I find a good roofer?

A neighbour whose roof was done last year can tell you things no website can: whether the crew turned up when they said, whether the site was left tidy, and whether the roof has stayed dry since. Ask what the job was and roughly what it cost, then ask to look at the finished work from the road.

Friends, relatives and the managing agent of a block are all fair places to start. So are local estate agents and builders, who see the state of roofs on every street. Treat a recommendation as a reason to get in touch, not as a reason to skip the checks below.

Searching online helps too, but read it with care. Look for a firm that explains its work in specifics, such as which fault it found and what it proposes to do about it, rather than one that lists services and little else. Be wary of pages that rely on a wall of badges without saying how to check any of them.

Ask who you are dealing with: the trading name, a postal address, and a phone number that gets answered. A trader who will give you only a first name and a mobile is harder to hold to account if something goes wrong.

Ask which trade bodies or schemes they belong to, then check directly with the body rather than relying on a logo. Ask for proof of public liability insurance, and read the certificate yourself, noting the dates and what it covers. Ask about the type of work they do: a firm that mostly lays tiles may not be the right person for lead dressing or a flat roof.

Reviews are useful but not decisive. Since April 2025 the DMCC Act 2024 has banned fake consumer reviews, yet they still turn up. Look for detail in a review, like the street, the fault and the fix, and treat bare praise with caution. Our list of questions to ask a roofer gives you the wording.

Nobody can price a roof they have not looked at. A roofer who quotes over the phone, or from the pavement with a quick glance, is guessing, and you will pay for the guess later.

A proper survey means someone goes up, or sends a drone or camera up, and photographs each fault. You should see those pictures. They let you check the diagnosis yourself and set it against what other roofers say, and they stop a small repair turning into a new roof by suggestion.

With JJ Roofing Bognor Regis, pictures of your own roof arrive attached to the written quote, which ends in a single total. The verdict comes first, before any money is mentioned: repair the fault, a short-term patch or a new covering, with the reasons. That is the pattern to look for from anyone, not only from us. Ask to see whatever they saw.

A written quote should name the address, describe the work in plain terms, say what is and is not included, and state a total. Look for VAT and scaffold: are they inside the figure, or extra? Either can add a large amount if left out.

Look for a start date range, how long the job should take and how payment is to be made. A roofer who is vague about these things before you sign is unlikely to become clearer afterwards. Be careful with any quote that asks for a large sum upfront, and read our answer on paying a roofer a deposit before you agree.

Ask what cover comes with the work, and have it written down. Cover is only worth having if you know who is behind it, what it takes in and how long it runs. Keep the quote, the cover document and your photographs together in one folder, so that you can find them years from now if a question comes up.

Some signs should end the conversation. A roofer who turns up unasked and says your roof is in danger is one. Another is a person who wants cash in hand, will not give a written quote, or pushes you to decide on the day because the materials are left over from another job. Our answer on doorstep roofers explains why.

Be cautious, too, about a price that is much lower than the others, a roofer who cannot say where their last job was, and one who will not let you speak to a past customer. A pushy approach and vague answers go together.

If you have been through all this and still feel unsure, ask a second roofer to look. You can start with a written quote from JJ Roofing Bognor Regis, and the home page lists the roofing work we do from Bognor to Chichester and Littlehampton.