Do Roofers Need to Be Qualified or Registered in the UK?

What the law actually requires

Roofing is not a licensed trade in the way that gas work is. Nobody checks a roofer's certificate before they put up a ladder. The rules that do bind a roofer are about conduct and safety. Work at height is regulated, so a contractor must plan the job, use suitable access such as scaffolding or a tower, and protect the people below. Waste from a roof, including old tiles, felt and any asbestos-containing material, has to be handled and disposed of correctly. If the job needs Building Regulations approval, the work has to meet the standard whoever carries it out. You can read the official position on re-roofing and building regulations on the Planning Portal.

Certain materials bring extra duties. Asbestos cement sheets, which are found on some older garages and outbuildings, are covered by HSE rules on training, risk assessment and controls, and a roofer who is not trained to handle them should not touch them.

Training, cards and trade bodies

There are recognised ways to learn the trade. Apprenticeships and NVQ-style qualifications in roof slating and tiling, flat roofing and sheet metal work exist, and a worker who has been through one has been assessed against a standard. Construction site cards show that someone has passed a health and safety test and holds relevant training, and some principal contractors insist on them for commercial sites. Trade associations and competent person schemes also exist, and some require their members to meet checks. All of this is voluntary. A card or a badge tells you something, but not everything, because it says nothing about the quality of a particular job or how a firm treats a customer when something goes wrong.

For that reason, we suggest weighing evidence of the work itself above a logo. Ask to see photographs of recent jobs of the same type as yours. Ask who will be on site, who supervises, and who you ring afterwards. A roofer who answers directly, without waffle, is usually the one who knows the work.

What to ask for instead

Start with the paperwork. Ask for a written quote that lists the work, the materials and the total, and ask what guarantee covers the job and how it is documented. Be clear about what a guarantee is: a promise from the contractor that they will put right faults in their workmanship for a set period. Whether it is backed by anything else is a separate question that our page on what a roofing guarantee should cover explains.

Ask how the job will be done safely, and what happens to the waste. Ask whether any Building Regulations notification is needed and who will deal with it. Ask for the trader's full name, business address and a phone number that is answered. Our guide on how to tell if a roofer is good lists the signs we would look at ourselves, and what to ask a roofer before hiring goes through the questions in order.

It is also fair to ask about the people who will actually be on your roof. A firm may employ its own roofers or may bring in subcontractors for particular jobs, such as a lead specialist or a scaffolder. Neither is wrong, but you should know who is responsible for the finished result. Ask whether the person who surveys your roof is the person who supervises the work, and whether the scaffold is erected by a trained crew. Scaffolding that is badly put up is a hazard to your family and to your neighbours, and a sound roofer will have a clear answer about it.

Warning signs worth taking seriously

Be wary of a roofer who knocks at the door and says your roof is in danger, who will only discuss a price on the day, who wants all the money up front, or who gets cross when you ask for a written quote. Be wary too of anyone who gives a vague answer when asked who is responsible if the work fails. None of these proves bad work, but together they are a reason to pause and get a second opinion.

When we survey a roof we take photographs of your own tiles, flashings and timbers, explain what we see, and put a fixed price on paper afterwards. If a repair is enough, we say so. You can return to the homepage to see the kinds of roofing we cover, or call 01256 213956 to ask us anything directly.