10 questions to ask a roofer before you hire
A roof is the most expensive trade job most homeowners ever pay for, and the one with the least margin for error. A bad roof job leaks, voids your insurance and can cost more to rectify than the original quote. The questions below are the ten that separate the roofers worth hiring from the ones who will be impossible to find when something goes wrong.
Whether you are pricing a small repair after a storm or a full re-roof on a 1970s tile house, run this list down the phone and watch the answers.
1. Are you licensed in this state?
Roofing licensing in Australia is state-specific. In QLD, the QBCC issues roofing and roof tiling licences. In VIC, the VBA registers roof plumbers and builders. In NSW, roofing work over a value threshold (currently $5,000) requires a NSW Fair Trading contractor licence. Other states have their own regulators.
Ask the roofer for their licence number, then check it on the relevant state register. It takes 60 seconds and it tells you whether they are who they say they are. An unlicensed roofer working on a job above the threshold cannot be insured, cannot give you a valid warranty, and voids your home insurance if anything goes wrong.
2. Can you show me your public liability certificate?
Twenty million dollars of public liability is the minimum for residential roof work, and it is non-negotiable. Roofs are dangerous places. A dropped tool, a tile that slides off, a fall, or a flying piece of debris in a wind gust can cause life-changing injuries and serious damage to neighbouring property.
Ask for the certificate of currency in writing. Check the expiry date. Many tradies have a certificate from years ago that lapsed. If the roofer cannot produce a current one, they do not go on your roof.
3. Repair, restore or replace?
The honest answer to "does the whole roof need replacing?" is the single best signal of a good roofer. A roofer who climbs up, looks at the fixings, the underlay, the flashings and the tiles or sheeting, then recommends a repair where a repair is sufficient — that is the roofer you want.
The roofer to walk away from is the one who, after a single leak, recommends a full replacement without inspecting the rest of the roof. That is not a diagnosis, it is a sales pitch. Cement tiles past 40 years and Colorbond past 25 years near the coast may genuinely need replacing, but only after a real inspection.
4. What type of fixing will you use?
On Colorbond and corrugated iron, the right fixing is a cyclone-rated Tek screw driven through a neoprene washer into the purlin. The screw clamps the sheet down without crushing the profile, and the washer seals the hole so water cannot track in.
Old-style nails, screws without washers, or fixings reused from the original install are all fails — especially in coastal or cyclone-prone regions. If the roofer talks about "the same nails as last time", you are looking at a job that will leak the next time the wind blows hard.
5. Is guttering included or separate?
Guttering is one of the most commonly excluded items on a roof quote. It is silently left off and surfaces as a variation once the roof is half stripped. Replacing the roof but leaving 30-year-old gutters is also a false economy — the new flashings often do not line up with old gutter brackets and the old gutters will fail within a year or two anyway.
Ask the roofer to itemise the quote: roofing material, fixings, underlay, flashings, ridge capping, valleys, and gutters. If gutters are not on the list, they are not included. Get a gutter price up front, even if you decide to defer the work.
6. Will you provide a written workmanship warranty?
Twelve months on workmanship is the bare minimum. Six or seven years is common from established residential roofers. The Colorbond and tile manufacturers themselves carry separate, longer warranties on the materials.
Get the workmanship warranty in writing on the quote. A verbal warranty from a roofer you cannot reach by phone is worth nothing. Ask what is covered (leaks, fixings backing out, flashing failures) and what is not (storm damage, fallen trees).
7. Do you handle insurance claims directly?
After a storm, you have a choice. Some roofers routinely deal with insurance assessors, provide quotes in the format insurers expect, and even meet the assessor on site. Others prefer to give you a clean quote and let you handle the claim with your own insurer.
Both answers are legitimate. The roofer to walk away from is the one who promises to "sort the insurance" but cannot explain how, or who pressures you to sign a contingency assignment that gives them control of your claim. Read anything you sign.
8. Will you remove and take away the old roofing?
Stripping and tipping old roofing tiles or sheets is heavy, dirty, expensive work. A full re-roof on a 200 sqm house can produce two to three skip bins of waste, and tip fees alone can run to several thousand dollars. Many quotes silently exclude removal and disposal.
Ask whether removal is included, where the old material is going, and — critically — whether asbestos testing is required for any old corrugated sheets installed before the late 1980s. Asbestos sheeting requires a licensed removalist and dramatically changes the cost. A roofer who waves this off is putting both of you in legal trouble.
9. What happens if it rains mid-job?
The single most expensive thing that can happen during a re-roof is rain on a partially stripped roof. Water gets into the ceiling, soaks the insulation, stains the plaster and can damage everything below. A real roofer has a contingency: tarp at end of day, use weather-watch apps, never strip more than can be re-covered before sunset, and have a plan for unexpected storms.
Ask the question. A confident answer ("we tarp every night, we don't strip more than half a roof in a day, and we watch the radar") tells you the roofer has done this hundreds of times. A vague answer is a roofer you do not want on your house.
10. Do you have an answering service?
Roofers are literally on roofs, in noisy work, often without their phones. Calls go unanswered for hours. Voicemails pile up. The best roofers in your area now run an answering service or AI receptionist that picks up every call, asks the right qualifying questions and books the quote in their calendar.
The reason this matters is responsiveness. If you cannot reach the roofer before they take your deposit, you will not reach them when a leak shows up the day after a storm. If you are also pricing leak repairs in your area, see our guide on roof leak repair in Brisbane and on how to choose a roofer in Australia.
FAQ
What licence does a roofer need in Australia?
It varies by state. In QLD, roofers need a QBCC roofing licence. In VIC, the VBA registers roof plumbers and builders. In NSW, roofing work over a value threshold requires a NSW Fair Trading contractor licence. Always ask which licence they hold and verify the number on the relevant state register before you sign.
How much public liability insurance does a roofer need?
Twenty million dollars of public liability is the minimum for residential roof work in Australia, and it is non-negotiable. A tool dropped from a roof, a tile that slides off, or a fall onto a neighbouring property can cause serious injury and serious damage. Ask for the certificate of currency and check the expiry date.
How do I tell if my roof needs replacing or just repairing?
An honest roofer will look at the age of the roofing, the condition of the fixings, the underlay and the flashings before recommending either. Cement tiles past 40 years often need replacing. Colorbond past 25 years near the coast often does too. A roofer who tries to sell you a full replacement after a single leak without inspecting the rest of the roof is selling, not diagnosing.
What fixings should a roofer use on a Colorbond roof?
Modern Colorbond is fixed with cyclone-rated Tek screws driven through neoprene washers into the purlins. Old-style nails, especially in coastal or cyclone-prone areas, do not meet current standards. If a roofer is talking about reusing old nails or fixing without washers, that is a fail.
Is guttering included in a roof quote?
Often it is silently excluded. Always ask. Replacing the roof but leaving 30-year-old gutters is a false economy because the new flashings rarely line up with old gutter brackets. Ask the roofer to itemise: roofing material, fixings, underlay, flashings, ridge capping, valleys and gutters. If gutters are not on the quote, they are not included.
Will a roofer handle my insurance claim after a storm?
Honest roofers will tell you straight: yes, they routinely deal with insurance assessors and provide quotes in the format insurers expect, or no, they will give you a quote and you handle your insurer yourself. Both are legitimate. The roofer to walk away from is the one who promises to 'sort the insurance' but cannot tell you how.
Will the old roofing be removed and disposed of?
Removing and tipping old roofing tiles or sheets is heavy, dirty work and tip fees can run into the thousands for a full re-roof. Many quotes silently exclude removal and dump fees. Always ask whether removal is included, where the old material is going, and whether asbestos testing is required for any old corrugated sheets.
What happens if it rains in the middle of the job?
A real roofer has a contingency. They will tarp the roof at end of day, use weather-watch apps to plan the strip-and-replace sequence, and never strip more than they can re-cover before sunset. If a roofer cannot tell you what they will do if a storm rolls in mid-job, they have not thought about it — and your ceiling will pay the price.
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