The short answer
No. The UK has no licensing scheme for roofers, so anyone can quote for a roof without holding any particular certificate. What protects a homeowner is the contract and the law behind it: a written scope of work, the duty under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 to use reasonable care and skill, and your own checks on the finished job.
No licence to ask for
Some trades are tied to a register by law. Roofing is not one of them. No licence is issued for roofing, and none is checked at the door, so a firm can quote for a ridge repair or a full strip without producing any paper that proves its skill.
That is worth knowing because it changes what you ask. Questions about a licence lead nowhere, and a trader who claims to hold a roofing licence in England is describing something that does not exist. American advice about checking a roofer's licence does not apply here either.
It also means that two quotes can come from firms with very different standards of work, and nothing on the surface tells you which is which. Skill has to be judged from what is put in front of you: how the roof was examined, how the problem is explained, and how the work will be done.
A badge on a van or a website is not a legal requirement, and its absence is no fault. Look at the substance instead.
The next sections cover the three things that do protect you: a written scope, the law on workmanship, and a check at the end.
A written scope does the job of a certificate
The most useful document is not a certificate but a clear written account of the work. It should say which slopes are being done, what covering goes on, what happens to the battens and underlay, what is done at the ridge, hips, valleys and chimney, and what is taken away at the end.
Add the practical terms: what the price covers, whether VAT and scaffolding are included, when the work is expected to start, and how payment is staged. A firm that can write this down has thought about your roof. A firm that offers a figure on the doorstep and nothing more has not.
Photographs belong in the same file. A survey that records the roof before work starts gives both sides something to point at if there is a disagreement later. We take them as part of reading the roof, and they travel with the written price.
Written quotes from 3 traders, at least, is the advice from Citizens Advice, and a clear scope lets you set them side by side. Our answer on how many roofing quotes to get goes into the comparison.
If a quote is a single line, ask for the missing detail before you say yes.
What the law requires of the work
Section 49 of the Consumer Rights Act 2015 requires reasonable care and skill in the way a service is carried out. That applies to every trader, qualified or not, and it is the legal yardstick if a roof turns out badly done. The Act does not set a minimum certificate. It sets a standard for the result.
If the standard is not met, the Act gives remedies. Sections 54 and 57 deal with what you can ask for, such as repeat performance or a price reduction, and a contract cannot take those rights away. Where the contract fixes no date, section 52 expects the work to finish within a reasonable period.
For a clear picture of your position, the Citizens Advice consumer helpline on 0808 223 1133 is the right call. It is a better first step than guessing at what a firm owes you.
Some jobs also bring Building Regulations into play, for example when a new covering is much heavier than the old or when a flat roof membrane is replaced. A registered building control approver, or the council, can inspect and sign off those. Ask your roofer whether the job needs it, and who will arrange it.
Our guide on Building Regulations and roof work explains which jobs are affected.
How to check the work yourself
You do not need to climb up. Ask for dated photographs of each stage: the old covering as found, the battens and underlay once exposed, the flashing and ridge details, and the finished slope. Compare them with the written scope, line for line against what was promised in words.
Walk round from the ground at the end, with binoculars if you have them. Look for straight courses, even overlaps, tidy cuts at the verges and ridge, and gutters that are clear. Look in the loft for daylight where there should be none, and for damp marks that were not there before.
Keep every piece of paper: the quote, the contract, the invoice, the photographs and any approval certificate. They are your evidence if something fails, and they also reassure a later buyer about the work.
If something looks wrong, say so in writing straight away and give the firm a chance to put it right. Our answer on what to do if you are unhappy with a roofer's work sets out the next steps.
A good roofer wants the questions asked early, while the scaffold is still up. The homepage shows how our surveys work.
