Signs your roofing contractor isn’t as honest you’d hoped

If only it was as simple as finding a contractor, doing a quick interrogation of their company, and assigning them to the task of sorting out your roof. Although things, unfortunately, aren’t that simple, there are some telltale signs that you’re about to hire the wrong tradesperson for the job… here are several key questions to ask yourself beforehand to help you find the right roofing contractor.

Do they match your expectations?

Although having an online presence is great for your research, whether it’s a Facebook Business page, a website, or something like a Yell.com or Checkatrade link, this is no guarantee that what you see is what you’re going to get. As noted on Reader’s Digest, glowing reviews online don’t necessarily mean that a contractor is as good as the internet makes them out to be.

If you expect to see a well-promoted ‘strong, customer-focused approach’ to work, but can’t get hold of them on the phone or via email – they’ve already failed to match what you’d expect from them.

Are they dangerously eager?

Contrastingly, a contractor that’s overly enthusiastic about the prospect of sorting out your roof may also be worryingly desperate for the work. Naturally, you’re dealing with a self-employed person, which you can probably appreciate is a difficult job at any time, but a contractor who is instantly ready to get started may also be struggling due to a poor reputation.

Similarly, as noted on RealHomes.com, if you receive a quote for the work which is lower than what you’re expecting, this could be a sign of poor workmanship and inadequate materials. As they say, if a job’s worth doing, it’s worth doing well!

Do you know what you’re paying for?

Back to those crucial quotes for a moment, you can’t be expected to know exactly what’s involved in any roofing project – which means you also won’t be sure whether a quotation is right. If you ask for one, and it appears to be vague, brief, or even ridiculously complicated, err on the side of caution.

Crucially, when you do decide on a quote, you also want it to be signed off with some form of written contract. This means that you won’t unexpectedly encounter hidden costs, or fall into a trap of paying for a series of ongoing extras as the project is slowly completed.

Here, by ‘anybody’, we don’t just mean anybody! (Well spotted if you recognised the ‘vagueness’ of this subheading – you’re already getting a keen eye for vetting online texts!) Essentially, we mean someone you trust – a person you know wouldn’t recommend a service without knowing that it’s right for you.

Ultimately, up and down the country roofing, building, electrical, plumbing, and every other type of contractor is vying for this exact customer relationship – one that generates business via word of mouth. The exception here, of course, is those who have a poor reputation, or others new to the trade. If your Newham, Newark, Newhaven or Newcastle roofing contractor isn’t actually ‘new’ – but hasn’t got a positive reputation you can pin down, then approach with caution. This doesn’t mean they’re being dishonest – but you just can’t honestly know what you’re going to get.