Roofer deposits
Should you pay a roofer a deposit?
The short answer
A small deposit can be reasonable, usually to cover materials ordered for your job, but it should be agreed in writing and kept modest. Never pay a large sum, or pay in cash, before any work has begun. Pay the rest in stages that follow the work, and keep the final payment until the job is finished and you have checked it.
When a deposit is fair, how to protect yourself if you pay one, and what your cancellation rights mean for money already handed over.
Why a roofer might ask for money first
Roof work needs materials, and some of them are made to order. Natural slate, clay tiles and lead sheet are often bought specifically for a job, and a roofer who takes on the cost of buying them before you have paid anything is carrying a risk. A reasonable deposit covers that.
That is the honest case for one. It is a payment tied to something real: materials ordered, a scaffold booked, a date held in the diary. If a roofer can tell you exactly what the money buys, and the answer makes sense for your job, the request is probably sound.
A small repair, a few tiles or a stretch of flashing, leaves little to order, and a deposit is hard to justify. Payment on completion is the normal arrangement for work that takes a day or two. The bigger and longer the job, the more reasonable a stage payment becomes, as long as every stage is written down before you agree to it.
When a deposit is a warning sign
Be wary when the amount is large, when it is demanded in cash, or when it is urgent. A roofer who says the materials will go to someone else unless you pay today is applying pressure, and pressure is a reason to wait.
Be wary too if you are asked to transfer money to a personal account, or if the roofer will not write down what the payment is for. The same goes for someone who calls at your door, quotes a price on the step and asks for a sum immediately. Our answer on doorstep roofers explains what to do when this happens.
No single percentage suits every job. The test is simple. Ask what the deposit pays for, and whether you could lose it if the roofer did not turn up. If the answers are vague, do not pay. A roofer who has nothing to hide will put the reason on paper without being asked twice.
How to pay in stages
For a larger job, split the payments so that you never owe more than the work done. A typical pattern has a small amount at the outset for materials, a further payment at an agreed point part-way through, and the remainder once the work is done and you have inspected it.
Write the stages into the quote, with the amount of each payment and the point at which it falls due. A phrase like "on completion" should mean something you can check, such as the scaffold being down and the site clear.
Pay by a method that leaves a record, like a bank transfer to a business account or a card payment, and ask for a receipt each time. Keep the receipts with your quote and your survey photographs. Check at the same time whether the figures include VAT, because a stage payment that adds VAT later changes the total you expected, and a gap of that size is easy to miss.
What happens to a deposit if you change your mind
A contract signed in your own kitchen after a survey is made away from the roofer's premises, so the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 allow 14 days to cancel without giving a reason. If you cancel in time, the trader must reimburse all payments, which includes a deposit. Our answer on cancelling a roofing contract sets out how the 14 days work.
The position changes if you ask the roofer to start inside the 14 days. Where you have made that request in writing, for instance by email, you may have to pay for work already done. A visit you specifically asked a roofer to make for an urgent repair is treated differently again.
Paying the full price in advance only leaves you chasing a refund if you change your mind. If a roofer pressures you to start at once and pay now, that is a sign to pause. The money is easier to keep than to recover, and a short delay costs little.
What we do at JJ Roofing Bognor Regis
Our surveyor goes over the roof first and photographs the faults, and a written quote then arrives with one price on it. Nothing is decided on the day of the survey, and you are free to take time and set the quote beside others.
If you are not sure about a payment request from any roofer, ask them to explain it in writing, and put the other questions from our list of questions to ask a roofer. A roofer who answers calmly and in writing is easier to trust than one who hurries you.
You can reach us on 01243 252373, by WhatsApp or through the enquiry form, and we will arrange a survey. Afterwards we clear the site and take the waste away. The home page shows the roofing jobs we take on along the coast and inland.
Related questions
Paying a roofer, answered
Is it safe to pay a roofer by bank transfer?
Yes, if you are paying a named business account and you have a written quote and a receipt. A transfer leaves a record. Be cautious if you are asked to pay into a personal account or are given no paperwork.
Should I pay the balance before the scaffold comes down?
Wait until you have looked over the finished roof and the site is clear. Take photographs from outside, and from inside the loft where you can, and raise any problem before the final payment.