The short answer
Do not agree to anything on the doorstep. Thank the caller, take their details if you wish, and check the damage yourself from the ground, photographing what you see. Ring your insurer first. A deal struck after an unrequested visit can usually be cancelled within 14 days, but that right falls away for an urgent repair you asked for.
On the doorstep
A knock after a gale or a heavy storm is not always a scam, but the timing is chosen for a reason: you are worried, and worried people agree quickly. The caller may say they have seen loose tiles from the road, that the damage is dangerous, or that they can start tomorrow.
You do not have to decide. Say you will arrange your own check, and that you will contact them if you want a quote. A caller with an honest offer will leave a number and go. One who presses, or who says the price is only good today, is telling you something about the firm.
Do not let anyone onto the roof on the spot. Do not sign, pay a deposit or hand over card details. Do not accept an offer to start the work at once, however alarming the picture on their phone.
Ask for a name, a business name and a phone number, and note the registration of the vehicle, and check that the vehicle matches. Do not rely on a card alone, because anyone can print one.
If you feel uncomfortable, close the door. You are entitled to.
Our guide on how to spot a dodgy roofer sets out other warning signs.
Check the damage from the ground
You can learn plenty without leaving the garden. Walk round the house in daylight and look up at the roof. Note missing or slipped tiles, a displaced ridge, damaged flashing, fallen chimney pots and debris in the gutters.
Take photographs from several angles, with the date showing on your phone. Photograph anything on the ground that has come off the roof, as well as damage inside: a stain, a drip, a wet patch in the loft.
Never climb up to look, and do not go onto a damaged roof. Tiles and slates are fragile and a storm-loosened roof is worse. If something looks dangerous, such as a chimney leaning or masonry hanging, keep people away from below it.
Then get your own independent opinion. A survey by a firm you chose, with photographs and written findings, gives you a record that stands up, and the fee is modest next to a wrong repair.
A leaking roof is covered over first and repaired properly afterwards, once someone has looked at it closely. A tarpaulin or a temporary patch gives you time without tying you to a large job.
Ring your insurer before anyone climbs up
If you think the damage came from a storm, ring your insurer before anyone starts work. Make a temporary repair to stop things getting worse, and keep every photograph and receipt.
The Financial Ombudsman Service looks for a storm in the weather itself: heavy wind alongside rain, hail or snow, or an extreme burst of any of those in a short spell. Your policy has its own storm definition, and insurers word it differently, so read yours.
Policies tend to exclude slow deterioration and ordinary wear. Where the roof had already failed before the storm and the weather merely exposed it, the Ombudsman is unlikely to back the claim. That makes your photographs and an independent survey worth having.
Be wary of any caller who talks as if your insurer will certainly pay. Offers to deal with your insurer for you are not something to accept without reading your policy, and your insurer will have its own process for approved repairs.
Our guide to making a roof insurance claim goes through the steps, and the Financial Ombudsman Service helpline is 0800 023 4567 if a claim is turned down.
Your cooling-off right, and its limit
If you do sign something after an unrequested visit, you are not stuck. Our answer on cancelling a roofing contract covers the detail: a deal made at your door can usually be cancelled within 14 days with no reason needed, and Citizens Advice says that applies where the work costs £42 or more.
There is a trap. If you specifically invite a trader round to carry out an urgent repair, the right to cancel does not cover that repair. A roofer who knocked unasked, and whom you then told to begin at once, is a grey area, so avoid signing anything in the rush.
Where no written cancellation information was given, the window stretches by up to 12 months. Keep every message and the signed paperwork, because the dates decide your rights.
Whatever happens, ring the Citizens Advice consumer helpline on 0808 223 1133 if you need help.
For a calm, written route instead, ask a firm to survey the roof and to send one total price. You can see how we work on the homepage.
