Roofing Scams - Trading Standards

21st June 2024

Some of the most frequently reported doorstep scams relate to roofing, where a cold caller says that urgent repair or maintenance work is required.

One couple in Aberdeenshire recently agreed to have their roof tiles replaced for a cost of £13,000, to be paid in cash.

Two weeks later, a number of the tiles fell off, with one of them almost hitting the homeowner. When they contacted the company to complain, they were told that the worker who had fitted the loose tiles had been fired. They phoned back several times to secure a refund or to arrange for repairs to be carried out, but the company stopped answering their calls.

In another recent case, cold callers offered to carry out a small repair to a roof for a cost of £2,000. Once they had completed this, they told the homeowner that further damage had been found and that one side of the roof would need to be re-tiled, costing a further £10,000. The homeowner agreed to pay a £2,000 deposit and half of the work was completed.

The trader said the work would be completed the following day and asked for the rest of the money to be paid via bank transfer.
The homeowner wanted a surveyor to inspect the work before he made the final payment and asked the workers to leave the scaffolding in place. When he said this, they began to remove the scaffolding and the trader said they wouldn't be able to complete the work for a couple of weeks.

The homeowner felt pressured into paying the remaining £8,000 on the spot so that they would complete the work as he didn't want to be left with a half-completed roof that was not fully waterproof.


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 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.

Sign up for Neighbourhood Watch Scotland Alerts to stay up to date with what is going on in your community: www.neighbourhoodwatchscotland.co.uk

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.

Find out more
Police Scotland: www.scotland.police.uk/doorstep-crime-and-bogus-callers

Find traders in Scotland who have been vetted by Trading Standards: approvedtrader.scot

Trading Standards Scotland: www.tsscot.co.uk/priority-areas/doorstep-scammers