Do cooling-off rights apply to urgent roof repairs?

Under the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, a contract made away from the trader's business premises counts as an off-premises contract. A roofing quote accepted in your kitchen after a survey fits that description. The consumer may cancel without giving any reason, and the cancellation period ends at the end of 14 days after the day the contract is entered into.

Where the trader fails to give the required cancellation information, the period can stretch by up to 12 months. If you cancel, the trader must reimburse all payments. That is the general position for planned work such as a new roof, a replacement ridge or a re-leaded chimney, and it is why a careful roofer explains your rights in writing before any work starts.

The regulations carry an exception. Their cancellation provisions in Part 3 do not apply where the consumer has asked for a visit specifically so the trader can carry out urgent repairs or maintenance. In plain terms, if you ring a roofer because water is coming in and ask them to attend, the 14-day right to cancel does not apply to that urgent job.

Two points matter. First, you must have requested the visit: a roofer who turns up unasked, after knocking on your door, is not in the same position. Second, the exception covers the urgent repair, not everything. If extra work or goods are sold on the same occasion, the cancellation rules still apply to those. Do not rely on this summary alone in a dispute; treat it as a general guide rather than legal advice.

Urgent is about the need to act quickly, not about how a roofer describes the job. Water entering a home, an opening left by a gale, or a roof that is unsafe all fit the meaning. A tired roof you have decided to replace next year, a cosmetic repair, or a quote you asked for so you could compare options is not urgent in that sense. A fair test is whether you would have phoned someone that day anyway. If you were already planning a repair and the roofer simply happened to be free, the urgency argument is thin.

If a visit starts as urgent and then widens, the position can change. A make-safe to stop the water may be urgent, while a full re-roof suggested during the same visit is a separate job. Agree each in writing, with its own description and price. Our page on when to call an emergency roofer explains how to judge whether a situation warrants a rapid visit, and the emergency roof repairs hub lists the other guides.

For planned work outside the exception, a roofer should not begin inside the cancellation period unless you ask. For an off-premises contract, the regulations require the request to be made on a durable medium, which in practice means an email or a signed note that you both keep. If the service is fully carried out within the period, you lose the right to cancel only if you acknowledged beforehand that this would happen.

Where a roofer asks you to sign for an early start, read the wording. The paperwork should state that finishing the job ends your cancellation right. If it does not, or the paperwork is vague, you may keep more rights than you think, because the cancellation period can run on for up to 12 months when the information was never given. The practical lesson is to put it in writing. If you want the work to begin quickly, say so in a message or on the quote, and keep a copy. If you do not, expect the cancellation period to run. Never sign anything you do not understand, and never feel rushed into a bigger job than the one that made you call in the first place.

Ask for the quote on paper or by email, giving a single total and a plain account of what will be done. Find out if VAT and any scaffolding are included. Keep photographs of the fault, and ask for a receipt that shows what was done. Pay by a traceable method rather than cash where you can, and avoid large deposits for small repairs.

Under section 49 of the Consumer Rights Act 2015, a service must be performed with reasonable care and skill, whatever the cancellation position. If something goes wrong, raise it in writing with the roofer first. Our guide on storm damage insurance claims covers the paperwork worth keeping if an insurer is involved. Citizens Advice gives free guidance to individuals on consumer disputes, and it is the right place to turn if you and the roofer cannot agree.