Start with Citizens Advice, then the trader
Before you write anything, check where you stand. The Citizens Advice consumer helpline, 0808 223 1133, can talk through your facts: the job as quoted, the work as done and the fault as you see it. The call helps you judge if the right ask is a return visit, if the row is really about price, or if a new fault has appeared that the job did not cause.
Then take it to the roofer, in writing. A trade business may have its own way of handling complaints, even if it is only a named person, and the quote or terms may say what it is. If it does, follow it. If not, address your message to the person who signed the quote and say it is a formal complaint.
A complaint that works usually does four things:
- States what was agreed, with the quote date.
- Describes what is wrong, with photos and dates.
- Says what you want, such as a return visit to repair it.
- Gives a reasonable date for a reply.
Write calmly and keep a copy. A record that shows you gave the trader a fair chance is worth more than any number of phone calls. The rights you have if a roofer's work is poor are the basis for what you ask for.
What changed on 6 April 2026
For some years the ADR Regulations 2015 set the rules on how a trader had to point a consumer towards alternative dispute resolution. Those Regulations were revoked on 6 April 2026 by the DMCC Act 2024, so a page or a contract that cites them as the current rule is out of date.
What took their place is in section 308 of that Act. A trader must also inform the consumer "about any ADR or other arrangement that is available if the consumer is dissatisfied with the outcome". The words are "any ADR or other arrangement", so the trader can point to a scheme, a mediation service or another route, and it has to be the one that really exists for that business.
Two points follow from that wording. A roofer who has no scheme is not required to invent one. And you are entitled to ask, in writing, what arrangement is available if you are unhappy with how your complaint is handled.
Keep the answer with the rest of your papers. If it is missing or vague, that is worth repeating to the Citizens Advice helpline.
Asking the trader what is available
Once your complaint has been made and answered, or has not been answered, ask a direct question: what ADR or other arrangement is available to me if I am not satisfied with your response? Put it in an email so it is dated.
The answer will usually fall into one of these:
- An independent scheme the trader belongs to, with a name and a way to contact it.
- A mediation service the trader is willing to use.
- No scheme, with the trader saying so plainly.
Each of those tells you something. A named scheme gives you a next step. A willingness to mediate is worth taking up, as long as the process is described and is not a delay. No scheme leaves you with the helpline and the legal remedies behind the Consumer Rights Act, which Citizens Advice can explain.
Do not agree to anything verbal. If a trader offers to "sort it out" on the phone, ask them to put the offer in writing before you give up any right to a return visit.
For our own work, the process is set out on the complaints page.
Keeping the roof safe while it is argued out
A dispute can take weeks, and the roof carries on being a roof. If water is coming in, deal with that first. Put a bucket under the drip, move furniture, and photograph the damage and the date. Then tell the roofer what you have done.
If you must have a temporary repair done by someone else, say so in writing before it happens, and keep the receipt. A temporary measure that stops the leak is not the same as agreeing the original work was fine. The page on temporary roof repair explains what a make-safe involves.
If your home insurance may respond, tell your insurer first, and keep photos and receipts, which is the IStructE advice. That is a separate matter from the dispute with the roofer, and the insurer will have its own process.
A disagreement is harder to settle when the quote was never written down properly. The checklist on what a written roofing quote should include is worth reading before the next job, and Castle Roofing Margate gives one total price in writing after the survey.
