Scams and complaints: roofing sector in the spotlight

Rogue roofers were behind one in 10 scams flagged to Citizens Advice in the past year, data has revealed, while quality issues from apparently genuine works were also raised regularly.

The consumer advocate said it received 2,205 complaints of fraudulent activity relating to roofing activity in the year to 31 August 2026.

This represented more than 10 per cent of all scam alerts and a rise from 2,098 in the previous 12 months.

Consumers told Citizens Advice that so-called roofers had disappeared with their cash, tricked them into paying for non-existent or unrequired work and left them feeling intimidated.

Fraudsters used doorstep sales tactics in almost four in five scams, according to the body.

One 65-year-old woman reported being targeted after posting an ad online regarding a dripping sound coming from her gutters.

She said she took a telephone quote for £250 before being told at the doorstep that eaves protection was required that would take the job to £2,500.

A further problem was later identified that upped the cost to £3,500.

The woman said no work was done and the scammers disappeared with her money and became uncontactable.

Meanwhile, Citizens Advice received more than 6,500 non-scam complaints about roofing work in the latest year. The body gave advice on a problem categorised as “roofing, roof sealing and chimney repairs” every 14 minutes that it was active in the 12 months to August.

Citizens Advice chief executive Clare Moriarty said: “Poor-quality work is an issue in the roofing sector.

“But there’s a difference between a roofer who does a shoddy job, and a scammer who commits a calculated crime designed solely to extort money from homeowners.

“Scammers exploit the fact that roofs are out of sight and reach, knowing most people can’t easily inspect the work themselves.

“Our advisers help thousands of people caught out by roofing scams each year. With the impacts often devastating – leaving people thousands of pounds out of pocket – we’re urging consumers to make thorough checks before agreeing to building work.”

The National Federation of Roofing Contractors (NFRC) urged householders to use the trade body to find solutions to their top-of-building problems.

“Homeowners can protect themselves, and we want them to know how,” said the organisation. “The only reliable way to find an NFRC member is the directory on the NFRC website.”

It warned: “A business may claim NFRC membership, or be listed on another website as a member. There is no guarantee it is genuine.”

NFRC policy and external affairs manager Gray Gibson added: “Roofing is a high-trust trade, and scams remain common. Homeowners should not have to guess who they can trust.

“NFRC members are inspected, insured and held to recognised standards, with sanctions for breaches of our code of practice and terms and conditions.

“If something goes wrong, our free complaints procedure helps resolve disputes between dissatisfied customers and our member companies. We urge anyone looking for a roofer to find them through our directory, get multiple written quotes and check every detail before agreeing to work.”

Gibson called for roofing to be regulated, saying “membership standards alone cannot address the problem of rogue traders operating outside established industry frameworks and taking advantage of homeowners”.

He added that the number of complaints made about roofing to Citizens Advice was “deeply disappointing for the many businesses that work hard to maintain high standards”.

“It damages the reputation of the wider industry and risks deterring homeowners from carrying out essential roofing work,” said Gibson.

“The rise in roofing complaints over the past year reinforces the need for stronger oversight of tradespeople, both at business and individual level,” he added.

Rico Wojtulewicz, policy director at the National Federation of Builders, said: “Most construction projects are completed a high standard by honest businesses but we cannot escape that bad actors exist and need tackling.

“The best way to expose and tackle these rogue traders is to have all works and individuals completing them recorded in a digital building passport. This would make prosecution easier for customers, while ensuring the best builders are not paying or being further regulated to tackle an issue they did not cause but instead given a platform to prove their craft.”