A roof is judged in the rain, sometimes weeks after the scaffold has gone, so a problem can surface late. Whenever it does, tell us plainly what you have seen and we will look at it.
Start by phone on 01843 305243 or WhatsApp on 07880 284133 if that is quicker. To put it on record, write to info@castleroofingmargate.co.uk. The steps below work best with a written trail, because it keeps the dates and the photographs in one place for both sides.
Step one
Tell us what has gone wrong
Describe the problem in your own words. You do not need legal language. A short message is enough to open the matter, and these details help us act on it:
- the address of the property and roughly when the work was done;
- where inside or outside the house you can see the fault, such as a stain on a ceiling, a slipped tile or a gutter that overflows;
- photographs or a short video, ideally taken in the weather that shows the problem;
- a copy of the written quote or invoice, if you have it to hand.
If water is coming in now, say so first. Ring rather than write, because an urgent leak is a make-safe job before it is a dispute.
Step two
We look at the roof
Photographs may not settle a complaint on their own. Where the fault needs seeing, we arrange to inspect the roof, agree a time with you and look at the area you have pointed to, with your pictures beside us. We then write back with what we found, whether we think the cause lies in the work or elsewhere, such as a blocked outlet, an old defect or storm damage, and what we propose.
A written answer matters. It lets you compare what we say with your own notes and, if you wish to, show it to someone else.
Step three
Putting it right
Where the fault is in work we carried out, we put it right and tell you when. Where the cause is something else, we explain what we saw and how it can be dealt with. If you disagree with our view, say so in writing and say why. We will read it again and reply to the points you raise.
A complaint can run alongside any cover for finished work. What that cover includes is set out on its own page.
Your legal footing
What the law says about roof work
Under section 49 of the Consumer Rights Act 2015, a service such as roof work must be performed with reasonable care and skill. Section 52 adds a reasonable time where none was agreed. Sections 54 and 57 set out the remedies, and a trader cannot exclude them. Those rights belong to you whatever this procedure says.
Two practical points are worth knowing:
- Putting your name to a quote at home once the survey is finished makes an off-premises contract, which has a 14-day cancellation period for services. If you were never told about that right, it can stretch by up to 12 months.
- The cancellation right does not apply where you specifically asked for a visit for urgent repairs. A call-out you asked for to stop a leak at midnight would be one example.
Our page on cancelling a roofing contract goes through that in more detail, and your rights if roof work is poor covers faults after completion.
If we cannot agree
Outside help
If we reach a point where neither side will move, you do not have to take our word as final. The Citizens Advice consumer helpline, 0808 223 1133, gives free guidance on the next steps for a dispute with a trader. Its advice when choosing a roofer is to collect three or more written quotes, which also gives you something to compare when a price or a scope is the root of the argument.
Under section 308, the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 obliges a trader to point a customer towards any ADR scheme or similar route they can use when they remain unhappy with how a complaint ended. The older ADR Regulations 2015 were revoked on 6 April 2026 by that Act. Our guide to settling a dispute with a roofer explains the routes open to you, from a letter to a small claim.
Your data
Complaints about personal information
A complaint about how your details were handled follows a separate path. Section 164A of the Data Protection Act 2018 requires an organisation to acknowledge a data protection complaint within 30 days beginning when it is received. Send it to info@castleroofingmargate.co.uk. You may also go to the Information Commissioner's Office, which is free. See the privacy policy for the rights you hold over your data.
Insurance claims
When the dispute is with your insurer
If a storm repair is tied up with a claim and the disagreement is with the insurer rather than a roofer, the route is different. Complain to the insurer first. If you are still not content, the Financial Ombudsman Service on 0800 023 4567 deals with insurance complaints. Its storm guidance treats violent winds as what a storm usually involves, generally together with rain, hail or snow, though it treats rainfall, hail or snowfall on their own as capable of being one.