What reasonable care and skill means on a roof
Under section 49 of the Consumer Rights Act 2015, a trader selling to a consumer has to carry out the service with reasonable care and skill. That covers a roofer. The wording is general, so the test is what a competent roofer would do on that particular roof: tiles fixed so they stay put, flashings dressed so water runs off them, valleys cleared before they are lined, and the site left clear.
Section 52 adds a second point: if no timescale was agreed, the work has to be finished within a reasonable time. On a re-roof that matters, because a stripped slope sitting open to rain is a risk to your ceilings. Get the start date and stages in writing first.
Poor work is not always obvious on the day. A slipped tile may only show after the first hard wind, and a badly lapped flashing shows as a brown stain on the ceiling after the next downpour. Photograph the roof and the ceilings on the day the work finishes, so you have something to compare against later.
Keep three things apart: work that was agreed but never done, work done badly, and a new fault the repair did not cause. The first two are what you put to the roofer. The third is a question for a fresh survey.
Remedies the contract cannot take away
When a service falls short, the Act gives you remedies, and the first to ask for is repeat performance: the roofer comes back and does the work again. Sections 54 and 57 deal with these remedies, and a clause in a quote or set of terms that tries to remove them does not change your position.
Repeat performance is a sensible first step for a practical reason too. A roofer who made the repair knows how the roof was put together and can often see in a short visit why water is still getting in. Asking for the job to be redone keeps the argument about the roof, not about the paperwork.
The Act does not decide who is right about the cause. A leak at a chimney after a new tray was fitted might come from the new work, or from a different fault in the same stack. A roofer shown a stain and a date will want to look before agreeing, and you should allow that look.
Whether you have paid in full or still owe a final stage, ask for the repeat visit first. Money questions are easier to settle once the roofer has seen the fault.
Putting the problem in writing
Write by email or WhatsApp rather than ringing, since a message leaves you a dated record. Keep it short and factual. Say what was done, what is wrong, when you noticed and what you want next. Leave out anger and guesses about the cause.
- The address, the date the work finished and the name on the quote.
- What you can see, such as a stain, a loose tile or a gutter that overflows, with daylight photos and the date on each.
- What you are asking for: a visit to inspect the roof, then the work done again.
- A date for a reply. Give a few days, not a few hours.
- Your phone number, and when someone will be in to let the roofer through.
Keep the quote, the invoice and every message in one folder, paper or digital. If the roofer agrees to return, confirm the visit in writing and be there, so that what is found is recorded by both sides.
If water is coming in tonight, make the area safe with a bucket and a cover, photograph it, and tell the roofer you have done so.
When the roofer does not answer
If a reasonable time passes with no reply, send one follow-up that refers to the first message and says what you will do next. If that also goes unanswered, call the Citizens Advice consumer helpline on 0808 223 1133. It can explain where you stand on the facts you give it, which steps are open to you and what evidence will help.
There is a second route. Since 6 April 2026, under section 308 of the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024, a trader has to tell a dissatisfied consumer about any alternative dispute resolution or other arrangement that is available. Settling a dispute with a roofer covers that, along with what changed on 6 April 2026.
Avoid paying anything further until the position is clear, and keep each receipt and message. If you agreed to pay in stages, the roofer deposit page explains why that arrangement protects you, and what a fair deposit looks like. For the next job, what a written roofing quote should include lists the points to check, and the services we offer are on the home page of Castle Roofing Margate.
