Roofer due diligence

bgy3jlh

Hello, 

I've had some quotes for roof repair. Ideally I'd have chosen one of the companies registered with NFRC (national federation of roofing contractors) but I actually prefer the quote from a company that isn't registered with them (let's call them Company X).

So, I want a sense check on whether Company X might be legitimate / trustworthy based on other things that I know, which are:

- they have been recommended by a number (?6-10) of people on a local Facebook page
- I've found them on companies house
- they are VAT registered and have provided a quote to include the VAT
- they don't have a website, but a Facebook page that is still current and was started in 2018. 

The reason I'm unsure is because the NFRC companies provided a really thorough terms and conditions, and when I asked for t&c from Company X, they just said payment terms are payment on completion, and guarantee is 5 years.

Is there anything else I should ask for? Should I ask for a copy of their liability insurance?

If it helps, the quote is for £816 Inc. VAT for 1 metre felt and batten replacement and repointing the ridge tiles. I was less keen on the 2 NRFC companies because 1 of them only quoted for a full roof repair, and the other included scaffolding, which Company X seems to be happy not to use. Which saves me £500.

Any/all thoughts welcomed - thank you  

TELLIT01

The NFRC companies clearly have more interest in the safety of their employees than the company you are considering.

bgy3jlh

I should mention that I wasn't as keen on the solution offered by the NFRC company. They didn't offer to repoint the ridge tiles, and they proposed a fix to the adjacent soffit, which seems like a less likely cause of the problem, to me. I'd rather pursue soffit repair only if the roof fix doesn't work.

So, the NFRC company isn't offering the solution that I want, but they seem to have a lot of paperwork etc. and hence I want to know whether, as a consumer, I'm more at risk with the non-NFRC company.

Hopefully that clarifies. 

Section62

bgy3jlh said:

...
So, the NFRC company isn't offering the solution that I want, but they seem to have a lot of paperwork etc. and hence I want to know whether, as a consumer, I'm more at risk with the non-NFRC company.
...

If the NFRC guy strips the area of roof he needs to work on, then falls off your roof (due to the lack of scaffolding) and breaks his leg, does he have someone else who will come the same day to finish the job off, rather than leaving your home exposed to the elements.

He sounded Ok until you mentioned the lack of scaffolding.  Other than a very small job - like replacing a couple of tiles or redoing the mortar on a small piee of flashing - anyone these days who says they are happy not using scaffolding is someone to be very wary of.  Not least because for the health of your roof you want the least amount of walking around on it, and working off a ladder isn't conducive to achieving that.

MysteryMe

There is also the Confederation of Roofing Contractors. I have used one of their roofers and pleased with the work.

https://www.corc.co.uk/

If you can't get recommendations from people you know, try and avoid find a trader sites unless they are properly and independently vetted like those run by WHICH or some Trading Standards authorities. 

Doozergirl

TELLIT01 said:

The NFRC companies clearly have more interest in the safety of their employees than the company you are considering.

This.  

There's a reason you went to the NFRC, but you're rejecting their members for the very same reason that you went with them - to be safe and accountable.  

If you genuinely think it's a different issue or you want them to do something specific - have that conversation with them. 

Doozergirl

jj_home_80 said:

I used this website last time when I needed a roofing work done https://myroofingquotes.co.uk/ they do roofing quotes from local roofers. They say they are all vetted and with public liability insurance. I would ask them to show you the proof of it. If they disappear and leave you with a damaged roof it can become costly and it's best if there's an insurance to back them up and you can make a claim against.

Are you joking?  I could create a better website than that.  The only thing they are selling to roofers is leads.   They don't mention vetting or credibility in their sales patter other than to say that it's goid to join the NFRC or, wait for it, checkatrade! 😳

They charge per lead and they aren't doing the vetting.  Their motivation is money, not quality.  

You need an insurance back guarantee if they 'disappear', not public liability insurance.   You will get those through the trade associations.  

bgy3jlh

@Doozergirl - the NFRC company said that they would put insulation in the first metre if there wasn't any. So, when they emailed me to ask if I had considered their quote, I responded and asked a few things, including whether inserting condensation in that area could that cause a problem, e.g. condensation, if there isn't insulation across the rest of the roof.

They didn't reply.

bgy3jlh

Update: the NFRC member replied to my questions after a nudge. They confirmed what others have also told me: that a company cannot offer an insurance-backed guarantee on a repair, only on a full roof replacement. And that, yes, putting in new insulation in the repair area could cause condensation and damp in other areas.

Also, in case it helps anyone else, repointing ridge tiles is no longer recommended: to comply with building regulations, it needs to be the dry ridge system.

bgy3jlh

Update: I used the non-NFRC company because using an NFRC company for a repair could cause condensation problems on account of them needing to replace the insulation in that 1 repair area only. My existing insulation is actually just polystyrene. 

FreeBear

bgy3jlh said: Also, in case it helps anyone else, repointing ridge tiles is no longer recommended: to comply with building regulations, it needs to be the dry ridge system.

A couple of houses just round the corner from me have had new roofs done in the last few months. Neither used a dry ridge system, going for more traditional cement mortar - Done properly, ridge & hip tiles can last well over 100 years on a bed of mortar. Most sources quote a 20-30 year life span for dry ridge systems..
If you are trying to preserve the historic fabric of a building, you can claim an exemption for Building Regs.