Recent reports of residents who have been scammed by doorstep criminals into accepting roofing work has prompted the warning to residents to avoid unsolicited traders and seek verified quotes.
The warning follows local reports in recent weeks of residents who had been involved with illegitimate roofers in Bromley, Beckenham, and Biggin Hill. The rogue traders reportedly offered to do roofing and roof cleaning work, with criminals pressuring residents into costly and unnecessary jobs.
Recent interventions by Trading Standards have fortunately prevented substantial losses for residents. The best protection is not engaging with doorstep criminals and ensuring friends, family, and especially isolated or vulnerable neighbours receive the same advice and support.
How roofing crime typically unfolds
Roofing scams often begin with criminals offering seemingly low-cost repairs to gain initial agreement, before rapidly escalating the scope and price of the work, including when they claim to have "found" additional problems. In many reported cases, scaffolding is erected at the earliest opportunity, creating urgency and making it far harder for residents to withdraw, even when concerns rise.
Once work begins, only a fraction of the quoted repairs may be completed, leaving residents with shoddy workmanship and inflated charges, and in some instances, needing to pay for work to be rectified or completed by a reputable roofer. This combination of pressure tactics, unnecessary work, and lack of redress forms a consistent pattern across recent reports of roofing doorstep crime.
Protect yourself from doorstep scams
The Trading Standards advice is clear: don't deal with doorstep traders. Be very selective when choosing traders to do work on your house - use Trading Standards Checked to find local, reliable, and vetted traders.
- Get at least three written quotes - prepare a clear detailed brief beforehand.
- Seek references, read reliable reviews, and ask to visit previous jobs where possible.
- Check company details - if it's a limited company, verify status, incorporation date, and directors via the Companies House register.
- Confirm affiliations - contact any organisation whose logo appears on a leaflet or website; if they are not affiliated, report to Bromley Trading Standards.
- Insist on a written contract before works commence, and a 14-day cooling-off period with full cancellation rights. Always check the terms and conditions.
- Check and verify a trader's insurance.
- Be wary if you are asked to pay by cash, cheques or bank transfers to an individual if they are unconnected with the trader/company you are dealing with.
- Sense-check availability - reputable traders rarely can start immediately; question any traders claiming that they "can start today" .
Actions to avoid:
- Don't contact traders solely via leaflets, online platforms, or social media without thorough checks.
- Don't pay large sums of money upfront - schedule payments as works progress.
- Don't be rushed into deciding - always seek advice from a trusted contact before agreeing to works.
Report, advice, and guidance
If you believe you or someone you know is at immediate risk of losing money to a scam or doorstep criminal, contact the police directly on 999.
Contact Citizens Advice for help and advice on 0808 223 1133 or on the Citizens Advice website.
Contact your bank's fraud team if you think you've been scammed: Call 159 - Stop Scams UK.
If you have been tricked into sending money by bank payment, check out the Toolkit and UK Finance Authorised Push Payment Fraud guidance for more information on recovering lost money.
Having a large-scale renovation of your roof may require building control - visit the council website for more information on Building Control.
Report fraud by calling 0300 123 2040 or visiting the Report Fraud website.
Request a No Cold Caller sticker from Trading Standards at trading.standards@bromley.gov.uk.
Further details on Trading Standards advice.
For general information about scams in various languages, visit the Friends Against Scams website.
Bromley Trading Standards
To keep up with the latest scam alerts and warnings from Bromley Trading Standards sign up on www.bromley.gov.uk/TradingStandardsAlertSignUpForm.
Bromley Trading Standards also runs a fair-trader directory to help you find a safe, reliable trader that you can trust, visit www.bromley.gov.uk/tradingstandardschecked to learn more.