How to invoice as a roofer (UK)

How roofers normally break the money down

A roofer's invoice is usually scaffold and access costs, labour days on the roof, and materials such as tiles, felt, battens and ridge cement. Keeping those apart is what stops the customer asking what the total covered.

Step by step

1. 1Put scaffold hire on its own line with the hire period. Homeowners rarely expect it and it is often the largest single cost.
2. 2Describe what you actually did up there — stripped and re-felted, replaced 40 slipped tiles, re-bedded the ridge.
3. 3Bill labour as days on site, with the number of roofers if it was a team.
4. 4List materials by type: tiles or slates, felt, battens, ridge cement, lead flashing.
5. 5State the workmanship guarantee on the invoice, in years. It is the single thing that stops a roofing bill being challenged.

When to send it

On completion, once the scaffold is struck. For a full re-roof, take a deposit for materials and invoice the balance at the end.

Roofing totals are large enough that customers sometimes wait for insurance. Ask at quote stage whether a claim is involved and get the insurer's reference on the invoice.

Common questions

Should scaffolding be a separate line on a roofing invoice?

Always. It is a large third-party cost the customer did not budget for, and burying it in the labour figure makes your day rate look absurd.

How long should a roofing guarantee be?

Ten years on workmanship is the common standard for a re-roof, with materials covered by the manufacturer. Whatever you offer, write it on the invoice.

Can I invoice a roofing job to an insurer?

You invoice the policyholder unless the insurer has instructed you directly. Either way, put the claim reference on the invoice so it can be matched.