Someone knocked on my door offering to clean my roof: what to do

How it usually goes

The opening offer is small: moss off the roof, a gutter clear, a few loose tiles. Then the caller goes up and "finds" something worse. Hertfordshire Trading Standards has warned of roofers targeting homeowners in St Albans, Harpenden and Hemel Hempstead who start with low-cost repairs, claim to have found "additional problems", and put scaffolding up very quickly, which makes the work harder to cancel.

Two real cases show how far it goes:

• Bromley, 2024: a resident agreed to a cheap gutter clean and a small repair. The trader then claimed the roof needed work and demanded £26,000. The resident paid half and lost £13,000.
• Amersham area, 2022: two brothers cold-called a widow in her 80s, told her tiles were loose, and showed her a piece of rotten batten they claimed came from her roof. They quoted over £14,000 and took an £8,000 deposit. Her son had drone photos from a few months earlier showing the roof in good condition, and an independent surveyor later found only a small maintenance job. Both were convicted of fraud and money laundering and sentenced to prison in February 2026.

The warning signs

In January 2026, Hertfordshire County Council's trading standards officers listed what to watch for:

• A small job that grows into a bigger one, or a price that rises because materials or VAT were "not included".
• An expensive quote that drops quickly, on condition you agree to start now.
• A large deposit for materials, scaffolding or anything else.
• Being told the job is urgent, being pressured to agree, or getting no paperwork before work starts.

Add one more from the Amersham case: being shown "damage" you can't check yourself. Anyone can hold up a broken tile or a rotten batten. Ask for photos of your own roof, with your chimney or your neighbour's house in the shot.

Why the "roof renovation" they sell is a problem

Many doorstep offers are for what Hertfordshire Trading Standards calls a "roof renovation service": pressure-cleaning the roof, then painting it. Its warning, published through Age UK Hertfordshire, says "it is very expensive and experts advise it is likely to cause damage to the tiles", and that it may shorten the life of the roof. Its advice is not to have this kind of work done at all.

The roofing industry agrees. NFRC says it has "never recognised the practice of moss removal or roof painting as a true roofing discipline", and that moss "is rarely a problem and only needs to be removed if it is blocking gutters" and other drainage points. Our guides on roof coatings and on whether roof cleaning damages tiles go into the detail.

Your right to cancel

If you agree to work in your own home and it costs more than £42, the law gives you 14 days to cancel. Coventry City Council's Trading Standards team explains that the trader must give you your cancellation rights in writing when you agree the work, and "it's a criminal offence if they don't".

Hertfordshire Trading Standards suggests using those 14 days properly: take time to reflect, talk to someone you trust, and get a second opinion from a local trader.

What to do now

• If they're still at the door: say no, don't let them onto the roof, and close the door. Buckinghamshire and Surrey Trading Standards' advice is never to agree to work from unexpected doorstep callers.
• If you've already agreed: cancel in writing within 14 days and keep a copy.
• If you've paid or feel pressured: report it to the Citizens Advice consumer helpline on 0808 223 1133, or to Action Fraud. Hertfordshire Trading Standards also says to report anything suspicious to the police.
• Look out for older relatives and neighbours. NFRC asks people to take extra care of elderly relatives who may be targeted by doorstep selling.

How to check any roofer, including us

The same checks apply however you found a trader: a knock at the door, a card through the letterbox, or a website like this one. Bromley Trading Standards advises:

• Get at least three written quotes, against a clear description of the job.
• Check references, reviews and previous work.
• If a leaflet or website shows a trade body or scheme, contact that organisation directly to confirm the trader is a member.
• Get a written contract before work starts, with full written cancellation information.
• Check the trader's insurance.
• Don't pay large sums upfront. Spread payments across the job.

Hertfordshire Trading Standards also suggests using an approved trader scheme, such as Which? Trusted Traders.

How we work

You'll never be rushed by us. Send us photos of your roof or gutters and we'll tell you what we see, including when the honest answer is that your roof can wait. If you book, you'll get a written quote first, and photos of your own roof and gutters before and after the work.

Written by Hawkes Roofing, roofers based in St Albans working across Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire and north-west London. Last reviewed 26 October 2026.