Roofing deposits, stage payments and contracts explained
Most roofing disputes we hear about aren't about the roof at all. They're about money paid at the wrong time for work that wasn't defined clearly enough in the first place.
A materials deposit of 10–25% is normal on larger roofing jobs and often nothing on small repairs. Stage payments should be tied to defined milestones — scaffold up, strip and deck complete, covering complete — with the final payment made only after you've inspected the finished work.
What a deposit is legitimately for
On a re-roof, the contractor commits real money before setting foot on site: tiles, battens, membrane, lead and dry-fix components are ordered and paid for, and scaffolding is booked. A deposit covers that outlay. On a small repair using stock materials there's nothing to fund, which is why we don't take deposits on tile repairs and flashing jobs. Reasonable range on a substantial job is 10–25% of the contract value; anything approaching half before work starts shifts all the risk to you for no good reason.
Structuring stage payments
Stages should map to visible, verifiable milestones. A typical re-roof might run: deposit on order of materials; a payment when the scaffold is up and the strip is complete; a payment when the roof is battened, felted and the covering is on; and a final balance after completion, clean-down and your inspection. The important principle is that you should never be significantly ahead of the value of work completed, and the final payment should be large enough to matter — 15–25% is a sensible tail.
Getting the scope right first
The most valuable document in the whole process is a written scope. It should say what's being stripped, what's being re-used versus renewed, what underlay and battens, what ridge and verge system, how many courses of new leadwork and in what code, what happens to the waste, and what is explicitly excluded. Almost every 'they said it was included' argument traces to a quote that said 'strip and re-tile roof — £X' and nothing else.
Variations and unforeseen work
Roofs hide things. It's genuinely common to find rotten rafter feet, failed purlin ends or a chimney in worse shape than it looked. What matters is the process: work stops, you get photographs, you get a written price for the additional work, and you agree it before it proceeds. What isn't acceptable is verbal notification followed by an inflated final invoice. Agree the variation process in writing at the outset, including an hourly or day rate for unquantifiable extras.
Retention on larger jobs
On bigger contracts it's reasonable to hold a small retention — say 2.5–5% — for a defined period after completion, released once the roof has been through some weather. It's more common in commercial work than domestic, but for a large domestic re-roof it's a fair mechanism and a confident contractor won't object. If you use one, put the release date in writing and honour it promptly.
Your cancellation rights
Where a contract for work over £42 is agreed in your home rather than at a business premises, the Consumer Contracts Regulations give you 14 days to cancel. The contractor must tell you about this right in writing, and if you want work to start within that period you must agree to it explicitly — in which case you may owe for work done if you then cancel. A firm that doesn't mention cancellation rights at all is either sloppy or hoping you don't know.
Paying safely
Bank transfer or card, into an account whose name matches the business you contracted with. Be extremely wary of any email or message saying bank details have changed — invoice redirection fraud targets exactly this kind of transaction, and the standard advice is to phone a known number and verify verbally before transferring. Keep every invoice, receipt and photograph; if you sell the house, the paperwork on a recent re-roof is genuinely valuable to a buyer.
How we handle it
We quote in writing with an itemised scope, take no deposit on small repairs, and take a materials deposit on larger jobs with stage payments tied to milestones you can see from the ground. We photograph anything we find before covering it and price variations in writing before doing them. If a job goes smoothly there are no surprises on the final invoice, and that's the point.
FAQs
No. On domestic roofing a materials deposit of 10–25% is the norm on larger jobs. A demand for half up front is a reason to ask hard questions.
We'd advise against it. Cash leaves no trail, complicates any dispute, and removes protections that come with card or bank payment.
Expect photographs, a written price and your agreement before it proceeds. Agree that process in writing before work starts so it isn't improvised under pressure.
If it was agreed in your home, you generally have 14 days under the Consumer Contracts Regulations. If you asked for work to begin inside that window, you may owe for what has been done.
Related reading
More on process & paperwork and the jobs that usually come with it.
- How to choose a roofer without getting stungProcess & paperwork
- What should a roofing quote include?Process & paperwork
- Skylight and roof window installation: what to expectProcess & paperwork
- Lead alternatives: when they work and when they don'tMaterials & systems
Looking for something specific? See our roofing services, cost guides, common roof problems or the areas we cover.
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