15th October 2026
At this time of year there is always an increase in roofing scams. Citizens Advice have reported this week that one in 10 of all the scams it recorded over the past year were related to roofing, making it the most common type of scam brought to them.
Here are some recent examples reported across Scotland:
A man in his 80s 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, a cold caller knocked on a couple's door and said he had noticed that part of their guttering needed to be replaced. He offered to do it for free on the spot.
The couple agreed and gave the caller a small amount of money as a thank you. The 'roofer' then offered to clean the moss off the roof for £100.
The couple agreed and the caller returned the following day. However, rather than cleaning the roof, he removed all of the tiles and left them in the garden. He advised the couple that the whole roof needed to be replaced, saying he could do it for £6,500.
The couple felt they had no option but to agree as the caller had already removed the tiles from the roof.
A couple of weeks after the work had been completed, the roof started to leak and the couple decided to seek a second opinion from a roofer found via their local authority's approved trader site. This roofer found that the repair work carried out had been done to a poor standard, and advised that it would need to be redone.
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:
Find traders who have been vetted through a national or local authority approved trader scheme at
approvedtrader.scot
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
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.
Find out More
Find traders in Scotland who have been vetted by Trading Standards: approvedtrader.scot
Police Scotland: www.scotland.police.uk/doorstep-crime-and-bogus-callers
Trading Standards Scotland: www.tsscot.co.uk/priority-areas/doorstep-scammers