What a deposit can reasonably be for
A roof job has costs that fall before a tile is laid. Materials are ordered, and on many houses a scaffold has to be erected and a skip booked. A roofer who asks for a deposit to cover those is asking for money that will be spent on your job.
A fair deposit has a few marks:
- It is written into the quote or contract, with the amount stated, not agreed over the phone.
- The paperwork says what it covers, such as materials ordered and the scaffold.
- It forms part of the one total price and is not an extra on top.
- You get a receipt showing the date, the amount and the name of the business.
Ask a plain question: what are you buying with my deposit? A roofer with a real order to place can answer in a sentence and say when the materials are due. One who cannot, or who asks for a large sum in cash today, is describing a risk to you rather than a cost to them.
Citizens Advice recommends at least 3 written quotes before you decide on a trader, and the deposit each one asks for is a useful point of comparison.
How a deposit sits with the 14-day cooling-off period
When you sign at your own home after a survey, the contract is an off-premises one, and you may cancel it within 14 days without a reason. Citizens Advice says the period starts the day after the contract is made.
That bears directly on a deposit. If the roofer wants to begin inside the 14 days, the rules call for your own express request, and on an off-premises contract it must be recorded on a durable medium such as an email or a signed sheet. Do not agree to an early start unless you want one.
- When the cancellation information was never given to you in writing, the right to cancel stretches by up to 12 months, so look for a cancellation notice in the quote.
- One case sits outside the right: if you specifically ask a roofer to visit for an urgent repair, such as a slipped tile over a bedroom, you cannot cancel that visit. Cancelling a roofing contract goes through it in full.
Before paying, ask what happens to the deposit should you cancel inside the 14 days, and get the answer in writing.
Paying against stages, never all up front
A sound way to pay for roof work is in steps that follow the job. A deposit at the start for things bought in advance, a payment when the new covering is on, and a final payment once the work is finished and you have looked at it. Each payment matches something you can see.
For a re-roof, the stages might look like this:
- Deposit, when the scaffold goes up and the materials are ordered.
- A middle payment, when the new covering is on the roof.
- The balance, after the ridge, flashings, gutters and clear-up are done and you have walked round.
Paying all of it before the job starts leaves you no leverage if the work is late, poor or never turns up. Paying all of it the moment the last tile goes on removes the chance to find something missed. Paying for a new roof in stages shows how a split can be worded.
Whatever the stages, put them in the written quote rather than leaving them to be settled later. Keep every receipt, and pay by a method that leaves a record.
Warning signs and what to do about them
Some requests are reasons to stop before any money moves. A demand for the full price before work starts is one. A deposit far larger than the cost of the materials is another, and so is a roofer who says the price is only good if you pay today.
The same goes for a roofer who will not put the deposit in writing, who gives no business name on the receipt, or who asks you to pay into a personal account when the quote came from a company. None of this proves anything, but each is a reason to ask and to wait for the answer.
If you feel pushed, say you will read the quote and reply in a day. A day's pause costs nothing if the quote is sound. If you have already paid and the work does not start, put a date and a request in writing, as set out in your rights if a roofer's work is poor, and call the Citizens Advice consumer helpline on 0808 223 1133.
Comparison gets easier when every quote states the same items, and what a written roofing quote should include lists them. Castle Roofing Margate writes one total price after the survey.
