Is it a quote or an estimate?
Look at the word at the top, then read the small print. A quote is an offer to do the job for a specified price. Once you accept it, the price holds unless you agree to extra work or the scope changes.
An estimate is the tradesperson's best guess. Consumer Protection says the final bill should generally land within 10 to 15% of it. On a big job like a re-roof, a firm quote is worth insisting on.
If a roofer charges to prepare a quote, they have to tell you before they start on it. Plenty don't charge, but a fee is fair enough on a complicated roof that needs a proper measure-up.
What a good roofing quote spells out
- The business's full legal name, contact details and, if they have one, the LBP number of the person in charge
- Your address, and exactly which parts of the roof are included
- The roofing material by name and profile, for example COLORSTEEL corrugate in a named colour, plus the underlay, flashings and fixings
- Fixings that suit your exposure zone. Within 500 m of the coast, zone D rules call for stainless steel structural fixings
- Spouting (gutters), downpipes and fascia, if they're being replaced, or a clear note that they're not
- Access: scaffolding, edge protection and who supplies it
- Removal and disposal of the old roof, and what happens if it tests positive for asbestos
- Whether a building consent is needed, who applies, and whether the council fee is in the price
- What's excluded, and the rate for extras such as rotten purlins or battens
- Start and finish dates, and what happens if weather holds the job up
- The payment schedule, and whether GST is included
- Warranties on the product and on the workmanship, and how long each one runs
How do you compare two quotes fairly?
Line them up item by item, not total against total. The official checklist for building work says to compare quotes for the same scope and materials, and that's exactly where most cheap quotes come unstuck.
One price may include scaffolding and the other may not. One may allow for new underlay and new spouting, while the other reuses the old. Ask each roofer to price the same specification, then compare again.
When two numbers are far apart, the reason is usually on a short list: the roof's size and pitch, how easy it is to reach, the material and profile, whether spouting and flashings are included, how much scaffolding is needed, and what's been allowed for if the framing underneath turns out to be rotten.
What the law adds once a job reaches $30,000
At $30,000 or more, including GST, the contract for residential building work must be in writing and dated. Before you sign, the roofer must give you the official disclosure information and checklist.
If the written contract leaves things out, default clauses fill the gaps. Under those, the roofer must get any building consents before starting and hand over the code compliance certificate before sending the final payment claim. If you ask for a change that affects the price or finish date, they must set out the cost and time involved in writing within 10 working days.
Our guide to written contracts and disclosure covers what a contract must contain and the warranties you get by law.
How should the payments work?
There's no legal requirement to pay a deposit. If you're asked for one, Consumer Protection advises keeping it to no more than 10% of the total.
After that, the official checklist says to think carefully before paying more than the value of the work done and materials supplied so far. On a re-roof, a sensible schedule ties payments to stages you can see from the ground: materials delivered, old roof off, new roof on, job signed off.
If your contract doesn't set payment terms, the default clauses make progress payments due 20 working days after a written payment demand.
Quotes that should make you pause
- One line with one number, such as 're-roof, all included', and nothing else
- No word on whether the job needs a building consent, or who's applying
- 'Plus extras' with no rates attached
- A deposit well over 10%, or full payment before materials arrive
- An expiry date of today or tomorrow
- High-pressure water-blasting on a cement or decramastic roof that hasn't been checked for asbestos
- No insurance or warranty details, and vague answers when you ask
If the quote starts with cleaning an old roof
WorkSafe's guidance for weathered asbestos cement and decramastic tile roofs is to apply biocide with a low-pressure sprayer, keep the surface wet, and never use high-pressure spraying or blasting. Businesses aren't allowed to use high-pressure water over 350 kPa on asbestos at all. If a quote for an older roof opens with a water-blast, ask whether it's been tested first.
Before you sign
Check the LBP register
If the job needs a building consent, look up the LBP on the public register and make sure their licence class fits. Our guide to checking an LBP shows how.
Ask for the disclosure statement
It's compulsory at $30,000 or more, and you can ask for it at any price. It lists the business's legal name, its insurance and the guarantees it offers.
Settle the consent question in writing
Get the roofer to say whether consent is needed and who's applying. If you're unsure, ask your council before work starts. Our building consent guide explains when a re-roof needs one.
Tell your insurer
Your house insurance may not cover you during renovations, so ask before work starts. You may need separate contract works insurance.
Agree how variations work
Any change to scope or price should be agreed in writing before the work is done, not on the final invoice.
Keep everything together
Quote, contract, emails and photos. You'll want them for the code compliance certificate, any warranty claim and when you sell.
Your part of the paperwork, and the roofer's
You can
- Read the whole quote, exclusions included
- Ask your questions by email, so the answers are on record
- Check the business name matches the LBP register and the invoice
- Photograph the roof from the ground before work starts
- Update your sum insured once a new roof is on
Leave to a roofer
- Measuring the roof and pricing the scope
- Explaining any line you don't understand
- Written notice of any variation before doing it
- The completion paperwork: insurance copies, warranties and maintenance needs
What we'd do with two quotes on the table
We'd ask both roofers to price the same material, underlay, spouting and access, then compare line by line. If one is much lower, we'd find out what's missing before getting excited. And for a re-roof we'd only sign a quote, never an estimate.
Want a roofer to take a look?
Tell us the job and your postcode. We match it with a Find My Roofer certified roofer who specialises in that kind of work, and they call you to quote. Your number goes to them alone.