The short answer
Start by complaining in writing to the firm and giving it a chance to put things right. The Consumer Rights Act 2015 demands reasonable care and skill in how a service is carried out, and sections 54 and 57 give you remedies that a contract cannot take away. Keep dated photographs and paperwork, and ring the Citizens Advice consumer helpline on 0808 223 1133 for the next step.
What the law expects of the work
Section 49 of the Consumer Rights Act 2015 is the rule on how well the work must be done: with reasonable care and skill. It applies to roofers as to any trader providing a service to a consumer, and it is the yardstick for a complaint. A roof that leaks within weeks of a new covering, tiles laid crooked or flashing left loose can all fail it.
It is not a promise of perfection. A roof is judged against what a competent roofer would do in the same position, and a small blemish does not usually amount to a breach. The test is whether the work reaches a reasonable standard for the job described.
The contract matters here. A clear written scope tells you what was promised, and photographs from the survey show the starting point. If you do not have those, the position is harder to prove, which is one reason we record the roof and the work.
Where the contract does not fix a time, section 52 requires the work to be done within a reasonable time. Delays of weeks without explanation are worth raising.
None of this needs a lawyer to start. It needs a clear account of what is wrong, with dates and pictures.
Your remedies if the work falls short
Section 54 of the Act sets out what you can ask for. You may require the trader to repeat the service, or to bring it into line with the contract, within a reasonable time and without significant inconvenience to you. The first request is simple: come back and fix it.
If repeat performance is impossible, or the trader fails to do it in a reasonable time, you can ask for a price reduction, which may be as much as the full price in a serious case. Section 54 also says the trader must bear the cost of putting things right.
Section 57 means the trader cannot avoid these rights by wording in the contract or by a notice on the invoice. Terms that try to exclude them do not bind you.
These are remedies, not instant rights. You are expected to give the firm a chance to cure the fault before you take another step, and to let them see the problem.
Do not let someone else touch the roof first unless it is urgent. A repair by another firm before the original contractor has had its chance can complicate a claim, so photograph everything, and make safe only what must be made safe.
If water is coming in, protect the property and keep the receipts.
Complain in writing first
Write a clear letter or email. Say who you are, the address, the date of the contract and what was agreed. Describe what is wrong, using photographs with dates, and say what you want: a visit, a repair by a given date, or a price reduction.
Keep the tone factual. Heated messages give the firm a reason to dig in. A plain complaint with evidence is hard to ignore, and it becomes the first document in any later claim.
Give a sensible deadline, such as a fortnight, and say what you will do if it passes. Send it by email and, for anything serious, by recorded post as well. Keep every reply.
Many firms respond well to a measured complaint, and some have a complaints process of their own. Section 308 of the DMCC Act 2024 adds that a trader must say which dispute resolution route is open to an unhappy customer, so ask what the firm's route is.
Our answer on whether roofers need qualifications explains why the written scope and the photographs matter so much.
When the firm will not help
If the firm ignores you, refuses to return or disputes that anything is wrong, the Citizens Advice consumer helpline on 0808 223 1133 is the right next call. Its advisers can explain your options, which may include a formal letter, a complaint through a dispute scheme the firm has signed up to, a card provider claim or a small claim in court.
Get an independent view of the work. A survey by a different roofer, with photographs and written findings, is strong evidence. It should say what is wrong, why, and what it would cost to put right. Our answer on roof survey cost gives the typical fee.
Keep your own records in order: the quote, contract, invoices, payment receipts, photographs, emails and a short timeline. They are the case.
If you paid by card, ask your provider whether it can help. Do that early, because time limits may apply.
Do not pay the balance of a bill for work you dispute without taking advice first. See also our answer on cancelling a roofing contract if the dispute began at signing, and the homepage for how we run a job from survey to final photographs.
