How to Hire a Licensed Roofer in Australia: A Buyer's Checklist

Roofing work sits at the intersection of two things that go wrong quietly: working at height and keeping water out of a building, and both are reasons to hire on licence and insurance rather than on the lowest number in your inbox. This guide covers how to verify a roofer is who they say they are, what a proper quote looks like, and the pattern of behaviour that marks out the storm-season operators who disappear after the deposit.

Check the licence before you check the price

Every state licenses roofing work differently, but all of them run a public register you can search by name or licence number in a couple of minutes. Ask for the licence number up front and check it against your state's building or fair trading register before you agree to anything. A real licence shows the class of work it covers (roof plumbing, roof tiling, general building) and whether it is current, and a roofer who is cagey about giving you the number is telling you something. Roof plumbing, which covers metal roofing, guttering and flashing, and roof tiling are frequently separate licence classes, so a business doing both a full metal re-roof and clearing gutters may need cover in both, or may be subcontracting part of the job. Ask.

Insurance is not optional

Confirm current public liability insurance, and for larger residential jobs, home building compensation cover (the renamed home warranty insurance that varies by state and by contract value). This protects you if the job is not finished, if it fails within the warranty period, or if something is damaged during the work. A roofer working at height on your property without public liability cover is a genuine financial exposure if something goes wrong, not a paperwork technicality.

What a proper quote includes

A written, itemised quote should specify the roofing material and profile by name (not just "metal roof" but "Trimdek, COLORBOND Ultra, Monument"), the base metal thickness for sheet work, whether sarking or insulation is included, how existing flashings and ridge capping are treated, whether any old roofing is asbestos and how it is handled if so (see our asbestos roofing rules if the home predates 1990), gutter and downpipe scope, disposal of the old roof, and a start and completion window. If a quote is a single line and a dollar figure, ask for it broken down before you sign. Understanding roofing sheet profiles before you get quotes means you can tell whether two roofers are actually quoting the same job.

Red flags: the storm chaser pattern

After a hail or wind event, doorknocking operators appear offering a "free inspection" and pressure for a same-day signature, often citing a supposed insurance deadline. Genuine insurers do not require you to sign a contract with a specific tradesperson within 24 hours, and a legitimate roofer is happy to leave a written quote for you to compare. Other red flags: a large upfront deposit before any material is ordered (a reasonable deposit for custom-ordered sheet or tile is normal, an unusually large one is not), no fixed address or ABN you can verify, and reluctance to provide references from recent local jobs.

Match the job to the trade

A re-roof, a tile repair needing matching second-hand stock, a gutter replacement and a roof restoration (cleaning, repointing, recoating an existing tile roof) are different jobs that different businesses specialise in. A roof restoration company is usually not the business to call for a structural repair, and a roof plumber doing new metal work is not always set up for tile repointing. Being specific about the job when you request quotes gets you businesses who actually do that work day to day, rather than a generalist quoting a margin for risk they are less familiar with.

Warranty and workmanship guarantees

Beyond the manufacturer's warranty on the roofing material itself (COLORBOND steel and most tile ranges carry a long-term product warranty against corrosion or manufacturing defects), ask specifically what workmanship warranty the roofer offers on the installation, separate from the material. A reputable roofer typically guarantees their labour for several years against leaks caused by installation error, in writing, and should be willing to come back and rectify a fault under that guarantee without an argument about whose responsibility it is. Get this in writing as part of the contract, not as a verbal assurance, and keep the paperwork with your home records alongside the compliance certificate for any structural work.

Payment schedules and deposits

A fair payment schedule for a residential re-roof is typically a modest deposit to secure the booking and order custom material, a progress payment once the old roof is off and new material is on site or being installed, and a final payment on completion once you are satisfied the job is finished and the site is cleaned up. Be cautious of any roofer asking for the bulk of the contract value upfront before material has been ordered; this is one of the clearest warning signs alongside the storm-chasing pattern above, and it leaves you with little leverage if the job stalls.

Where to find a business, not just a listing

Our roofer and supplier directory lists Australian roofing businesses by trade and location, separate from the classifieds side of this site, and every listed business can be claimed and verified by its owner. If you are sourcing your own materials to manage cost, whether that is COLORBOND sheet in a matched colour or profile-matched second-hand tiles, browse current listings and bring the specifics (profile, base metal thickness, colour name) to your roofer so the quote and the material line up. Get at least two written quotes for anything beyond a minor repair, check the licence and insurance on both, and put everything in writing before work starts. For the legal and safety detail behind this checklist, see our listing rules and safety guide.