Questions to ask a roofer before you hire.
Ask these on the phone or at the door. The answers tell you more than any advert, ours included.
- Before you hire a roofer, ask about insurance, who does the work, what the price includes, how long it takes and what the guarantee covers.
- A good answer is specific and comes with paper. A worrying answer is vague, in a hurry or only verbal.
- Our answers: public liability €6.5M, employer liability €13M, a free survey, a fixed written price and a 10-year guarantee.
- For a Dublin leak repair the 2026 guide is €400–€2,500 plus VAT. A new roof is far more, and priced only after a survey.
Most roofing disputes start with something that was never asked. The homeowner assumed the scaffold was in the price, or that the old battens were being replaced, or that the guarantee covered a leak elsewhere on the roof. Ten minutes of questions up front prevents most of that. Here are ten, in the order they usually matter, each with what a good answer sounds like and what a worrying one sounds like.
01 / Ten questionsWhat to ask, and what to listen for.
1. "Can I see your insurance certificates?"
Good: they send a public liability and an employer liability certificate within a day, and the dates are current. Worrying: "we're covered", with nothing to show, or a certificate for a different company name. Ours are €6.5M public liability and €13M employer liability.
2. "Who will actually be on my roof?"
Good: a plain answer about the crew and whether any of the work is subcontracted. Worrying: "it depends who is free". Some of our reviewers name the crew who came to their house. Read the reviews to see how it looks from the customer's side.
3. "Will you survey the roof before you price it?"
Good: yes, with photographs and a look at the attic timbers. Worrying: a price from a phone call for anything beyond a small repair. Our survey is free, and a figure over the phone is only ever a range.
4. "Is the price fixed, and is it in writing?"
Good: a written price listing what is included and excluded. Worrying: "we'll see how we get on". Our price is fixed once it is written down.
5. "What does the price include?"
Ask specifically about scaffold or other access, membrane and battens, lead at chimneys and valleys, and taking the old material away. Two quotes for one roof often differ only in what each leaves out.
6. "What will you do if you find something worse once it is open?"
Good: they explain how extra work is raised, shown to you and agreed before it happens. Worrying: a shrug. Water damage often turns up once a covering is lifted, so you want the process agreed beforehand.
7. "What guarantee do I get, and what does it cover?"
Good: a number of years, in writing, with the scope. Worrying: "lifetime" with no document. Ours is 10 years on installation work and repairs, and the Lifetime Leak Guarantee applies to a complete roof replacement only.
8. "How do you work safely at height?"
The law on this is S.I. 318/2007. A good answer names the access: scaffold, tower or lift, and it is priced in. We are compliant with that regulation.
9. "Can I speak to someone whose roof you did?"
A good roofer will point you to dated jobs and reviews. See the real Dublin jobs under roofing jobs in Dublin. One reviewer wrote:
“Started soon after getting them in for a quote and did a great, thorough job”
Laura O'Brien, Google review, 2026-07-09
10. "What are the payment terms?"
Ask when money is due and in what stages, and have it in writing. Whoever you choose, do not pay cash with no paperwork. The Competition and Consumer Protection Commission publishes guidance on consumer rights at ccpc.ie.
02 / PricesWhat to expect to be quoted.
Use the guide below to judge whether a quote is in the right area. All figures are 2026 guides, plus VAT, and a survey fixes the real number. A leak repair is €400–€2,500. A valley rebuild is €1,200–€4,500. A flat roof is €90–€140 per m². A concrete tile roof is €8,000–€18,000. A complete slate roof is €12,000–€28,000+. Anything not in that list, such as unusual lead work, is priced after a survey and not guessed. The roofing prices page has the table.
03 / GuaranteesThe guarantee question in full.
Repairs and installation work carry a written 10-year workmanship guarantee from Recommended Roofing. A complete roof replacement also carries the Lifetime Leak Guarantee. A repair or a part-roof job does not get the lifetime cover, only the 10-year one, so ask which applies before you agree to anything.
Ask any roofer the same three things: how many years, in what form, and what you have to do to keep it valid.
The full wording is on the guarantees page. Read any guarantee, ours included, before you sign: what it covers, who stands behind it and how to make a claim.
Keep reading:
How to choose the best roofer in Dublin · How to spot a rogue roofer
Services: roof repairs, roof inspections and emergency roof repair.Hiring a roofer: the common questions.
What should I ask a roofer before hiring them?
Ask for their insurance certificates, who will do the work, whether they survey before pricing, whether the price is fixed and written, what it includes, what the guarantee covers, how they work safely at height and what the payment terms are.
What is a good answer to "are you insured?"?
A prompt yes with certificates for public liability and employer liability that are in date and in the company's name. Ours are €6.5M and €13M.
What is a worrying answer to "how much will it cost?"?
A confident exact figure over the phone for anything beyond a small repair. A figure is only reliable after someone has seen the roof.
Should I get more than one quote?
Yes, and compare them line by line. Two quotes for the same roof often differ because one leaves out scaffold, lead or the removal of old material.
How long should a roof survey take?
It depends on the roof. What matters is what you get: photographs, a plain account of what is wrong and what is only ageing, and a price on paper. We do the survey free.
Is a roofer's guarantee worth anything?
Only if it is written, has a number of years and a clear scope. Ours is 10 years on installation work and repairs, and the Lifetime Leak Guarantee applies to a complete roof replacement.
Can I get a roofer to come out for an emergency leak?
Ring 01 265 7795. For a leak coming in now or storm damage our target is to be with you within 6 hrs, make the roof safe first and repair it after, with a written report for your insurer.
Should I pay a deposit?
That is for you to agree in writing. Be wary of any demand for cash before a survey or without a written price. Ask what the deposit covers and when the balance is due.
Are Guild members better roofers?
Membership of the National Guild of Master Craftsmen shows the roofer belongs to that body. It does not replace insurance or a written guarantee, so ask for those too.
Do I need a survey for a small repair?
For a simple leak repair the 2026 guide is €400–€2,500 plus VAT. Even then, someone should look at the roof, because the leak is often a symptom of something wider.
Where can I read about my consumer rights?
The Competition and Consumer Protection Commission publishes guidance for consumers at ccpc.ie.
How do I book a free roof survey in Dublin?
Ring 01 265 7795 or use the form on this page. The survey is free and the fixed price follows in writing.
Get your roof
looked at.
Tell us what the roof is doing and roughly where it is. Someone looks at it for free and a fixed written price comes after. Send the form, or ring.