Roofing Services Near Me

By Lucy
Last updated 10th July 2024 - Reading time: 11 mins

Your property’s roof is an important barrier between your belongings and the outside world. And, while it might not get quite as much TLC as some indoor aspects of your home that you see every day, you have a duty of care to preserve its integrity to ensure that your roof remains durable against the elements.

roofer retiling house roof

A well-maintained roof contributes to the overall value of your property simply due to the integral nature of it. Homebuyers look at roofs to determine if a property is worth their money, and a poorly maintained roof can detract buyers from an otherwise great property due to the high price tag associated with fixing large issues.

Many homeowners face issues when looking for trustworthy, skilled roofing specialists, being bombarded with too many choices. That’s why we’ve put together this guide to help you find local roofing services by utilising MyJobQuote’s online directory, helping to streamline your search and get you the roofing support you need without hassle.

Let’s get into things!

Defining Your Roofing Service Needs

If you know you need a roofing specialist, it’s likely that you’re already aware of an issue with your roof. This is good news, as the first step in finding a suitable roofing expert to solve your problems is to simply define your roofing service needs.

To do this, you’ll want to narrow down the type of roofing work you require. This can range from roofing repairs to entire roof replacements, as well as routine maintenance such as moss removal.

Local roofing services can complete the following jobs for you:

  • Entire roof installation, suitable for those needing a complete re-roofing due to age, remodelling or significant damage.
  • Partial roof repair, suitable for various scenarios, from correcting leaks and cracks to replacing missing or loose tiles and flashing.
  • Routine roof maintenance and inspections, suitable to keep an eye on any issues that may come up over time to work on them before they become emergencies.

If you have any specific concerns relating to your roofing project, it’s best to flag these at this early stage so that your contractor can advise you on the best route of work. Perhaps you have a specific material that needs to be used - such as a shingle or a certain type of metal - ensuring that your trader knows this from the get-go can help avoid any unnecessary quoting and re-quoting.

It’s also a good time to be clear about any specific concerns you may have, such as extra insulation for your roof cavity or if you want to improve the ventilation in the area. Your roofing service provider can help with this, too, and can combine it into one larger project instead of several individual jobs that could end up costing you more.

Lastly, you may have certain aesthetic preferences, or perhaps you want to ready your roof for the installation of solar panels. This information is important to share with your roofing contractor, even if they aren’t the ones to carry out that additional work, as they can ensure that the work they complete won’t interfere with any future work you choose to have done.

Utilising MyJobQuote's Online Directories

Usually, searching for the best roofing services can be an arduous task, involving lots of back and forth and many lines of communication. It’s easy to be overwhelmed with this approach, especially if it’s one of your first home renovation projects, and can lead to miscommunication.

Using MyJobQuote’s online directories can help you locate local roofing services, providing you with a list of recommended roofing services suitable for your exact job type and location. This can help to simplify your search process by offering a comprehensive list of contractors, complete with their contact information and past customer feedback.

missing tiles on roof

Leaning on past customer reviews can be a great way of determining a roofing specialist’s work ethic. While it’s very easy to make an impressive-looking website to sell your services, you can’t dress up verified customer reviews, and for this reason, they can be some of the most reliable sources of information during your search.

MyJobQuote’s online directories also provide photos of contractors’ past projects, which helps to give you an extra layer of confidence when selecting your roofing specialist. This is especially important if you have a bespoke roof type and want to ‘try before you buy’ to ensure the result is what you want it to be.

Verifying Your Tradesperson's Credentials

While customer reviews are one important factor to consider, verifying your roofing expert’s credentials is another crucial step in ensuring the legitimacy of your contractor.

There are several qualifications a roofing specialist can have under their belt, ranging from NVQs and SQVs, as well as apprenticeships. Commonly, less-qualified traders will offer lower prices, but these will usually come at the expense of the quality of their work.

A good test of character and standard of work is to search for your roofing contractor on NFRC (The National Federation of Roofing Contractors). Being part of this trade association shows dedication to the trade and can be a useful factor when making your decision.

Reputable roofing contractors should have insurance to cover themselves in the event of an accident while working and will be able to provide you with proof of the necessary health and safety requirements to enable them to work at height. Be sure to check these and ask for proof, as hiring workers without insurance can land you in hot water in the event of an accident.

If, for some reason, the roofing contractor doesn’t have any photographs of their past work readily available, it’s best to request evidence of their completed projects so that you can see their work for yourself and gauge the quality of their services. If they refuse to share this with you, it’s best to start looking for a new contractor.

Engagement and Communication

When you are in contact with roofing companies collecting quotes for your roofing project, it’s important that you pay attention to how the specialists are talking to you.

If their response times are slow - even at this early pitching stage when they should be looking to win your trade - it’s a red flag you should take note of, as it can indicate how their communication might be during your project.

new roof

You’ll want to maintain an open line of communication with your chosen roofing service provider, as doing so can help alleviate any confusion over the project’s scope or timeline, ensuring that the expectations of both parties are managed effectively.

If you have any queries about your costs, be sure to ask your contractor for more information. You should also remember to check if your quote includes VAT (roofing businesses earning more than £85,000 per year will have to charge VAT), as this is charged at 20% and can boost your price significantly if it isn’t initially outlined, and can come as a surprise when it comes to settling up.

Utilising MyJobQuote's Quote Form

The quickest way of receiving multiple quotes from one simple request is by using MyJobQuote’s quote form. Answering the following prompts will return several roofing contractors for you to compare:

  • Select the type of job you need from the menu - in this case, you need to select roofing
  • Choose the best-fit option for the type of work you need - be that a roof repair, work on your guttering, or roof cleaning etc.
  • Identify your roof type - pitched, flat, or other
  • Describe the height of your roof - single, two, three or more storeys
  • Select your roof’s material from the list of available options - tiled, slate, fibreglass etc.
  • Tick as many options to narrow down the exact work you need to carry out
  • Enter a detailed description into the text box to give your traders a good understanding of the issue you have with your roof
  • Add in photos if you have them to better describe the problem - this is especially useful if you aren’t sure what the problem is
  • Enter your job’s location postcode
  • Allocate your project’s budget from the options
  • Determine your timescale - ASAP, within 2 days, flexible etc.
  • Enter your email address to receive your quotes directly to your inbox

From this single search, you can then compare roofing specialists based on their price, company reputation and the service they offer, helping to save you time in your contractor search.

Seeking Recommendations

If you have the opportunity, be sure to ask friends, relatives or neighbours who have had roofing work done recently to find out who their roofing contractors were. This is a great way to find out about recommended roofing services, removing some of the uncertainty you may experience when hiring based on websites and online reviews alone.

Instead of trawling the internet looking for ‘roofers near me’, you can trim down your search time by tapping into personal connections with established relationships. Not only does this save you time, but you can also delve deeper with friends and ask honest questions about the roofing specialist’s work ethic, finding out about their timekeeping, cleanliness while on site, and if any issues arose during the work.

It’s important to caveat this by remembering not to take a friend’s recommendation too literally or as a replacement for doing your homework on potential roofing experts. What’s more, if someone recommends a national roofing company, it’s important to remember that the crew you may have for your job will likely be different to what they had if your locations are different.

Service Terms and Agreements

Before engaging in work with roofing companies or exchanging money, you must settle on a written agreement. This step is crucial for protecting both the homeowner and the service provider.

person fixing roof on terrace house

Within this agreement, you’ll want to make sure that the project’s scope is correctly detailed, with any warranties or guarantees outlined, as well as a clear timeline for both the project and the payment terms. If a trader is pushing for a verbal agreement and wants nothing on paper, take a step away from them, as they are likely trying to dupe you.

As we’ve already mentioned, be sure to check if VAT is included in your quote. Any company operating with a yearly income of £85,000 or more needs to be VAT registered, meaning your quote will likely have an extra 20% quoted for this purpose - and if it’s not listed and it should be, make sure you find this out before you agree to the work to avoid any nasty surprises.

If there are service guarantees included in your quote, make sure these are included in your itemised list to ensure there is no disputing this. This is also the case for any warranties that are offered to you by your roofing specialist.

Lastly, if a trader asks you to pay the balance upfront, refuse to and start looking for a new contractor. This is a sure-fire sign of a rogue trader and someone you should avoid.

It’s important to take your time while looking for roofing services. Your property’s roof is one of the most fundamental components of the structure, and it’s not an area to try and cut corners with to save some money.

You need to undertake thorough research, using all available resources to do so, ranging from personal recommendations to MyJobQuote’s online directories to help streamline your process. Doing so will help to make sure that you make an informed decision to ensure your roofing needs are met with professionalism and that the work will stand the test of time.

Make sure you get a written quote with an itemised list of expected services, including a pricing plan, being sure to check if VAT is included. While the initial search can be daunting, once you have a trusted roofer in your arsenal, you can keep coming back to them for years to come, experiencing the same quality and standard as ever.

Last updated by MyJobQuote on 10th July 2024.
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