There are many ‘cowboy’ or untrustworthy roofing contractors around. Learning the tell-tale signs of one will help you to avoid being taken advantage of.
You need to be careful of which contractor you choose for the work done on your roof, even for just a minor repair, or for a completely new roof. Be especially wary if you are an elderly woman living alone, these scammers assume naivety and would think you to be an easy target. Some roofers north wales are trustworthy, but it is just a few who let the industry down.
Watch out for the following when hiring a roofing contractor:
- Use of the ‘problem, reaction and solution’ tactic
This is a commonly used strategy amongst roofing scammers. They’ll show up at your house with no pre-warning, and explain that upon driving past your house, they noticed an issue with your roof. They’ll then offer a free inspection.
If you let them go ahead with an inspection, they’ll end up telling you that your roof has some serious problems which need to be addressed as soon as possible. They’ll continue to scaremonger until you give in.
- They’ll give an estimate rather than giving you a quote
If you are given an estimate instead of a quote for the cost of the project, you’ll want to get this in writing. You don’t have to do this for very small repairs, however.
If the project is for refurbishment, you should consider insisting on a quote instead of an estimate. An estimate has too much room for changing once the roof has been taken off and the structure underneath is examined.
- Asking for upfront, cash payments
A well-known scamming technique is being offered a special deal, with one condition, you sign up for it and pay a cash deposit there and then.
Scammers do this to avoid paying tax, and it leaves no trace of the payment, so they might disappear without doing any work for you at all.
- Lack of accreditation
It’s good practice to check with the roofer what their credentials are, and ask to see some examples of previous work. Check if they have been awarded a Trading Standards or a CHAS accreditation.
- Claiming to have materials left over from another job
This will be said to make you think that you are getting a better deal than you are. You shouldn’t take these words at face value.
