Tradng Standards - Roof Coating Scams

20th September 2024

As we approach the autumn and winter months there has been an increase in reports of rogue traders who go door to door and offer to carry out roofing repairs and to coat the roof with products they say will save the resident money on their energy bills.

In one 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.

Another cold caller offered to clean and seal a couple's roof for a cost of £10,000, saying that the sealant would save them hundreds of pounds on their energy bills.

After taking a £2,000 deposit they simply power washed the roof and then left the property.
They did not provide any contact details and the couple were unable to get in touch to ask for a refund.

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: www.tsscot.co.uk/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 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