Ask these ten questions before any roofer starts work on your Winchester property. The answers — and the non-answers — tell you everything you need to know.
Hiring a roofer is one of the higher-risk home improvement decisions a Winchester homeowner makes. The work is difficult to inspect, the prices are significant, and the consequences of poor workmanship may not become apparent for months or years. Asking the right questions before anyone gets on your roof is the most effective protection available. Here are the ten that matter.
The National Federation of Roofing Contractors is the main trade body for UK roofing. Membership requires assessment of technical competence, insurance and financial standing. Ask for the NFRC membership number and verify it at nfrc.co.uk before the roofer leaves. A roofer who claims NFRC membership that cannot be verified is not NFRC registered.
Public liability insurance — at minimum £1m, preferably £5m — is a non-negotiable requirement. Ask to see the actual certificate, not just a verbal confirmation. Check the expiry date. An uninsured roofer working on your property leaves you liable for any accident or third-party damage.
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We are NFRC registered and carry £5m public liability insurance. We will show you both on request — before any survey.
📞 Call 01962 809171A written quote that specifies materials, scope of work, what is and is not included, and a fixed price is the baseline for any significant roofing job. A verbal estimate is not a quote. If a roofer will not produce a written quote, find a different roofer.
Scaffolding for a full re-roof on a Winchester 3-bed semi costs £800–£1,400. Some contractors quote excluding scaffold to make their number look lower. Always confirm explicitly whether scaffolding is in the quoted price.
For any tile or slate work: confirm the exact tile profile, manufacturer and whether new or reclaimed. For lead work: confirm the lead code (4 or 5 as appropriate). For flat roofing: confirm the system (GRP, EPDM or felt) and the manufacturer warranty. Vague answers on materials are a red flag.
10 years is the standard workmanship guarantee on a full re-roof. Ask for this in writing — a verbal guarantee is not enforceable. The written guarantee should specify what it covers and what the process is for claiming against it.
Longevity is not a guarantee of quality, but it is correlated with it. A roofing contractor that has been trading in Winchester for 10+ years and has verifiable reviews from local homeowners has a track record you can check. A contractor that registered last year has not.
Check the contractor's Google Business Profile, not just their own website. Google Reviews are independently submitted and cannot be curated by the contractor. Look at the spread of reviews and the responses to negative ones.
Many larger roofing companies use subcontractors for some or all of the work. This is not inherently a problem, but you should know about it. Ask who specifically will be carrying out the work and whether they are directly employed or subcontracted. The contractor who quoted you is responsible for the quality regardless of who does the work.
A standard deposit is 10–25% of the job value. Requests for 50% or more upfront, or cash-only payment, are warning signs. Staged payments tied to completion milestones are reasonable for larger projects. Never make the final payment until you are satisfied with the completed work.
A contractor working regularly in Winchester should be able to provide references from recent local homeowners. For significant jobs — full re-roofs, major lead work on period properties — contact one or two references and ask specifically about whether the work came in on price, on time, and whether any snagging issues were addressed promptly.
We answer yes to all ten questions
NFRC registered, fully insured, written quotes, 10-year guarantee. References available on request.
📞 01962 809171For conservation area properties: "Can you confirm the exact tile profile and whether it is reclaimed or reproduction? Have you checked with Winchester City Council's conservation team on the material requirement for this property?"
For listed buildings: "Do we need Listed Building Consent for this work? If so, will you manage the application? What is the processing timeline?"
For period properties requiring lime mortar: "What mortar specification are you using for the ridge bedding and chimney repointing? Is it lime mortar, flexible modified cement, or standard sand and cement?" Standard sand and cement on a period Winchester property causes brickwork damage — it is the wrong specification.
For any lead work: "What lead code are you specifying for the flashings and back gutter?" Code 3 is below specification. Code 4 minimum for flashings, code 5 for back gutters and valleys.
Create a simple comparison table: price (inc. VAT), scaffolding included (yes/no), waste disposal included (yes/no), tile specification, lead specification, mortar specification for period properties, guarantee duration, and start date. Only when all these are specified can you meaningfully compare three quotes. The cheapest quote with missing specifications is not the cheapest quote — it is the least complete quote.
Whatever roofing work your Winchester property needs, these are the mistakes we see most frequently from homeowners who have been through a bad experience:
Accepting a verbal quote. Any job over £300 should have a written, itemised quote. Verbal quotes are unenforceable and tend to grow significantly by the time the invoice arrives.
Paying the full amount upfront. A deposit of 10–25% is standard. Full payment before work is complete removes all your leverage if the work is unsatisfactory.
Not checking NFRC registration. A roofer claiming NFRC membership who is not listed at nfrc.co.uk is not registered. Takes 30 seconds to check.
Choosing on price alone. Three quotes where one is 35% below the others is not a bargain — it is a signal that scaffolding, waste disposal or material quality is being cut from the scope.
Not asking about mortar specification. For Winchester period properties, the wrong mortar causes brickwork damage. Always ask: lime mortar or modified cement?
The next step after reading any roofing guide is a free professional survey. We cover all of Winchester and the surrounding Hampshire area — Eastleigh, Romsey, Chandler's Ford, Bishop's Waltham, New Alresford, Kings Worthy, Twyford, Colden Common, Otterbourne and Compton.
Call 01962 809171 or email info@winchesterroofers.co.uk. Free survey. Written condition report. Same-week appointments. No call-out fee. No obligation.
Ask for NFRC registration, insurance certificate, written itemised quote, scaffolding inclusion confirmation, material specification, written workmanship guarantee, trading history, subcontractor policy, payment terms and local references.
Go to nfrc.co.uk and use the contractor search. Enter the company name or postcode. If they are not listed, they are not registered regardless of what they claim.
10–25% of the job value is standard. Requests for 50%+ upfront or cash-only are warning signs. Never pay the final balance until you are satisfied with completed work.
No call-out fees. No obligation. An honest quote from a local roofer.
01962 809171