The short answer
A deposit can be reasonable when it pays for something specific, such as materials ordered for your roof or a scaffold booked for your dates. It should be agreed in writing, in the contract, with the reason stated and the balance dates set out. Where you signed at your own door after an approach, cooling-off rules give you 14 days to cancel and ask for the money back.
What a deposit is for
A roofer takes on costs before a single tile is laid. Materials such as slate, special tiles, lead or a roof window may be ordered for your job alone, and a scaffold has to be booked for set dates. A deposit covers that exposure, and it tells the firm you are serious.
That is a fair reason, so the test is whether the request fits it. If the deposit relates to materials, ask which materials and when they arrive. If it relates to a scaffold, ask for the dates. A firm that has thought about your job can answer in a sentence.
On a small repair there is often nothing to pay in advance. A few replacement tiles from stock on the van, completed in a visit, can be paid for when the work is done and checked.
Be careful with requests for cash, for a large part of the price, or for payment into a personal account with no invoice. Those do not fit a business that buys materials and books a scaffold.
When a request feels out of line, pause. Ask what the money is for and when the rest falls due. If the reply is vague, that is your answer.
Get it in writing, in the contract
Whatever the deposit, it should appear in the written contract or quote, with its reason, the amount, when it is due and when the balance follows. That protects you if there is a dispute, and it protects the firm.
The contract should also fix what you are buying: the scope of work, the single total price, whether VAT and scaffolding are included, the start and finish times as estimates and what happens if the weather intervenes. Without those, a deposit is a payment for an unclear promise.
Stage payments are often better than a large deposit. Money is released as the job moves on, for example on delivery of materials, on completion of the strip and on a final inspection. That keeps your leverage until the work is right.
Our guide to roofing contract payment stages sets out a fair pattern, and the answer on how many roofing quotes to get shows how to compare terms as well as prices.
Choose a payment route that leaves a paper trail, such as a transfer to the business account. Keep the receipt and the invoice.
Cooling-off rules when you have paid
If the roofer approached you, or you signed at your own door, the 14-day cooling-off rules from the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 may protect you, and paying a deposit does not switch them off. Ask for the money back in writing inside the window. Check the receipt as well: it should show the amount, the date and what the payment is for, and it should match the figure in the contract.
Work that begins inside the window needs a written request from you, an email being enough, and a fair sum may be due for what was done before you pulled out.
A trader who gave you no cancellation information has left the window open for longer, by up to 12 months. That is another reason to want a contract that carries the notice.
Cooling off does not reach an urgent repair that you specifically asked the firm to come and carry out. A leak at night counts, so be clear with yourself and the firm about what the deposit is buying.
Our answer on cancelling a roofing contract covers the steps in full.
If the money is gone and the work has not started
Keep calm and write. Send a clear message by email, stating the date of the contract, the amount paid and your request for either a start date or a refund, with a deadline. Keep copies and screenshots of any messages.
If the firm does not reply, ring the Citizens Advice consumer helpline on 0808 223 1133. The advisers can explain the next step, which may include a letter before action, a complaint to your card provider or a claim in the small claims court.
If you paid by card, your card provider may be able to help in some circumstances. That is worth asking about quickly.
The best protection is prevention. Choose a firm that explains what the deposit is for, writes it down and is willing to be paid in stages. A survey before the contract shows that the firm has seen the roof.
Our own approach is to survey, explain, and give one written total price before anything is signed. You can read about it on the homepage.
