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Over the last couple of weeks there have been reports from across Scotland of cold callers who tell householders that urgent work needs carried out on their roof. In addition as well as rogue traders who have been contracted to carry out a small repair job to a roof, and then tell the homeowner that they have found further work that needs to be done immediately.

Last week, a man in his 80s in the West of Scotland was visited by cold callers who said they had noticed some damage to his roof tiles. He agreed to allow them to take a closer look and, after going onto the roof, they showed him a video which supposedly showed extensive damage.

They initially quoted £200 to carry out the repair work on the spot, which the man agreed to pay as he was worried about leaks. However, they then said they had found further damage and kept increasing the price until it was almost £3,000.

The man contacted his sister to ask for advice as he couldn't afford to pay the full amount - she asked the roofer to provide an invoice with a breakdown of costs and, when he refused, told him to leave the property or she would call the police.

In another recent case, cold callers offered to line a roof and coat it with a paint that would supposedly provide a defence against frost.
The resident paid almost £2,000 and the scammers spent a couple of days working on the roof.
After they had left the resident discovered that the painting had been done to a very poor standard and that some slates and part of the guttering had been damaged. The trader agreed to come back to fix the issues, but failed to keep any appointments and eventually stopped answering the phone.
The resident asked an independent surveyor to check the roof and discovered that the paint which had been used would not provide any frost protection. The whole roof had to be repainted.

We asked a roofer who is part of Scotland's Approved Trader Directory to answer some frequently asked questions about roofing to help consumers make informed decisions and avoid scams.
Read the Q&A here: https://www.tsscot.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Roofing-QA.pdf

How to Avoid
Any unsolicited trader who offers to carry out work on your property must give you their business name and address.
Don't agree to let a cold caller start work straight away - do plenty of research into their company and, if something doesn't look right, don't deal with them.

Rather than dealing with cold callers, find trusted traders to carry out work on your property:
TrustMark is the Government Endorsed Quality Scheme - businesses registered with them have been vetted to meet required standards and have made a commitment to good customer service:
www.trustmark.org.uk/find-a-tradesman
 
Businesses that are part of the CTSI's Approved Code scheme have been vetted and have a commitment to consumer protection and raising standards:
www.tradingstandards.uk/consumer-help/find-an-approved-code-business
 
Find members of trade associations such as the Federation of Master Builders via the Trade Association Forum:
www.taforum.org/membership/member-directory
 
Competent person schemes are a way for tradespeople to prove their ability to carry out certain work to required standards, instead of you applying for building regulations approval. Schemes have insurance-backed warranties and complaints procedures if there’s a problem with the work:
www.competentperson.co.uk
 
All of the businesses listed on the Buy With Confidence website have been fully checked and vetted by a local authority Trading Standards service:
www.buywithconfidence.gov.uk
 
Find traders who have been vetted through a national or local authority approved trader scheme at approvedtrader.scot
Rogue traders often imply that urgent work is required in order to pressure householders into making a decision quickly. Always take time to think before making a decision - don't agree to make any payments for goods or services on the spot.

Report any suspicious behaviour to Police Scotland on 101 or 999 in an emergency. 
Report scams to Advice Direct Scotland on 0808 164 6000 or via scamwatch.scot.
Sign up for Neighbourhood Watch Scotland

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