Get a roofing quote

Start with the basics: your name, a phone number, and the full address including postcode. The postcode matters because it tells us which council covers your street, and that can change what the job involves. If you are outside Crawley itself, our areas we cover page shows the places within about 30 road miles.

Then describe the roof problem in your own words. These are the details that help most.

• Where the trouble shows: a ceiling stain, a drip in the loft, a sagging gutter, a missing tile.
• How long it has been going on, and whether wet or windy weather changes it.
• The type of building: terrace, semi, detached, bungalow, flat-roofed extension, garage block or commercial unit.
• Any photos taken from the ground or through a window. Please never climb onto a roof or lean off a ladder to take them.
• A surveyor's report or insurer's note, if one prompted the enquiry.

If water is coming in now, say so first. Water coming in gets stopped from doing more harm before any bigger repair is discussed. For a roof that is already leaking, read how we deal with emergency roof repairs.

Our surveyor inspects from the ground first and then from a safe position higher up. A pitched roof gets checked at the covering, the ridge and hips, the verge edges, the valleys, the flashings and the gutter line, plus the underside in the loft when it can be reached. A flat roof gets checked at the membrane, the upstands, the outlets and the edge trims. Pictures of every finding come back to you, sound areas included, so the full picture is in front of you and not only the bad news.

We explain what each finding means and whether it needs a repair or a new covering. Plenty of roofs need only a repair, and you will hear that from us. Our page on what happens at a roof survey walks through the visit in more detail.

After the survey we write one total price for the job we described. It is in writing, you can take as long as you like to read it, and it names the work in plain words. Whichever quote you hold, ours or someone else's, look for VAT and scaffolding in it. Those two cause most of the unpleasant surprises. The costs page shows our guide prices and the published UK ranges alongside them.

You may want other quotes as well. That is sensible. Citizens Advice advises comparing written quotes from several traders before choosing. Our note on how many roofing quotes to get explains what to compare.

Take the time to check any roofer, us included. Ask for a written quote and for recent examples of work, and think twice about anyone who offers nothing but a mobile number. Our guide on how to tell a dodgy roofer sets out what to look for.

A contract signed at your home after a survey counts in law as an off-premises contract, and you usually have 14 days to cancel it. The rules differ when you ask for an urgent repair, so ask us to explain how they apply to your job before you sign. Questions like that are welcome at any stage.