Paying a roofer

Should you pay a roofer upfront or a deposit?

When you pay a roofer is something to agree in writing before work starts. Below: what to ask for, your right to cancel and where to go in a dispute.

The short answer

Pay only what the written quote says is due, on the date it names, and not the whole price before work starts. A contract you sign in your own home gives you 14 days to cancel it, though work can begin inside that window solely on your written request. A deposit is a matter for the quote, and its size is for you to agree. Ask what each payment buys before you hand over any money.

5 min read · Part of Roofing in Folkestone

A hipped red-tile roof on a white-rendered bungalow — A homeowner and a roofer reading a written quote together

What the quote should say about payment

No cost guide used for this site publishes a standard deposit, so there is no figure to measure a request against. The measure is clarity. A fair quote sets out the payments in writing, and each one is tied to something you can see.

The one total price, and whether VAT is included.
When each payment falls due, tied to a stage of the work rather than to a date alone.
What the first payment is for, such as ordering materials to your specification.
The final payment, due once the work is complete and the site is left clean.

If a roofer asks for the full price on the doorstep, or for cash alone with nothing written down, treat that as a reason to stop and think. You are entitled to ask who is being paid, for what, and when, and a straight answer takes a minute to give.

We give one written total price when the survey has been done, and the payment terms belong with it, in the same document, so nothing rests on word of mouth alone. Read the terms as a whole, and ask about anything that is vague.

Your right to change your mind

A survey at your home followed by a signature at your home is what the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 call an off-premises contract. Regulation 5 covers a contract made while trader and consumer are both physically present somewhere other than the trader's business premises, and your own front room is such a place. Under regulation 30, the cancellation period ends at the end of 14 days after the day on which the contract is entered into.

Work can start inside those 14 days, but solely at your request. Regulation 36 says that for an off-premises contract the request must be made on a durable medium, which in practice means in writing.

There is one exception worth knowing. Regulation 28(1)(e) removes the right where you have specifically requested a visit from the trader to carry out urgent repairs or maintenance. Citizens Advice describes the same exception as you asking the business round for urgent repairs or maintenance. So a repair you asked for in an emergency carries no cancellation right, and a planned re-roof signed after a survey does.

Deposits, stages and what protects you

Ways of paying and what to ask
Request	What to ask first
A deposit before the start	What is it for, and where is that written?
Payment at stages	Which stage triggers each payment?
The balance on completion	What counts as complete, and who checks?
Payment in cash	Will I receive a written receipt for it?

Under section 49 of the Consumer Rights Act 2015, a trader's work has to meet the test of reasonable care and skill. That is the standard your work is held to, whatever the payment pattern, and you should not release the last payment while you have an open worry about the work. Say so in writing, with photographs, and give the roofer a fair chance to put it right.

Whatever you agree, keep a copy of the signed quote, the receipts and any message about changes. These papers matter if a dispute begins, and they are also what you hand to the next owner of the house. A folder with the quote, the scaffold dates and the completion notes is worth more than it looks.

If a dispute starts

Start by writing to the roofer, setting out what was agreed, what happened and what you want done. Keep it short and dated, and send it in a form you can prove, such as email. A calm letter that names a fair remedy and a reasonable date for it is more likely to be answered than a long one, and it becomes the first page of your file if the matter goes further.

If that fails, the Citizens Advice consumer helpline is on 0808 223 1133. Citizens Advice can pass information about complaints on to Trading Standards, which you cannot do yourself, and Trading Standards does not advise individuals directly.

There is also a duty on the trader. Since 6 April 2026, section 308 of the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 requires a trader to tell the consumer about any alternative dispute resolution arrangement available if they are unhappy with the outcome. Ask for it in writing, so you know which scheme you can use before you need it.

Read about what a written roofing quote should include and what roofers charge. Citizens Advice also explains cancelling building work, and the homepage lists what we do.