Red flags in a cheap roofing quote
A quote well below others, unsolicited doorstep cold-calling (especially "I noticed a problem while working nearby"), demands for cash up front before any work starts, and no fixed business address are all worth treating with caution — roofing is a trade with a higher-than-average scam rate.
Roof damage and home insurance
Storm damage to a roof is one of the more common home insurance claims — insurers usually want photos of the damage before repair and may ask whether the roof was in good general condition beforehand. Keep any roofing invoices in case they're needed to support a future claim.
Roofing felt vs breathable membrane
Older roofs often used bituminous felt underneath the tiles, which can perish and needs replacing during a re-roof; modern breathable membrane lasts longer and manages moisture better. If you're having a full re-roof, this underlay is worth confirming as part of the spec, not just the visible tiles.
Common roofing jobs
Roofers handle full re-roofs, repairs to individual slipped or cracked tiles, flat roof replacement, guttering, fascias and soffits, and leadwork around chimneys and roof valleys. Emergency work — storm damage, a leak during heavy rain — is usually handled separately from planned re-roofing.
Common roofing myths, busted
"A few loose tiles are always urgent" — sometimes, but not always; a roofer can usually tell you if it can wait for a scheduled visit. "Moss means the roof needs replacing" — not necessarily, see roof cleaning above. "Flat roofs always leak eventually" — modern EPDM/rubber flat roofing lasts decades if properly installed.
What affects the cost
Cost depends on roof size and pitch (steeper roofs need more scaffolding and take longer), the material (slate costs more than concrete tile), access, and whether the existing roof structure (timbers, felt) needs work too, not just the visible covering. A straightforward repair is quick; a full re-roof including scaffolding commonly takes 1-3 weeks.
What a roof survey actually checks
A proper roof survey looks beyond the visible tiles — timber condition in the loft, flashing around chimneys and valleys, ventilation, and signs of past repairs. Worth requesting one before buying a property with an older roof, since problems aren't always visible from ground level or even from inside the loft.
Leadwork around chimneys and valleys
Lead flashing seals the joins where a roof meets a chimney, wall, or valley — a very common source of leaks when it perishes or is poorly installed, even if the roof tiles themselves are fine. If a leak keeps recurring in the same spot near a chimney, it's often the leadwork rather than the tiles that needs attention.