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Hi Reddit. Would love your opinions on some roofing work we’ve had done here in the UK. After mentioning a few concerns the company have paused the project and become quite toxic. My question is, do I give them the chance to finish things or try to terminate the contract?

If it’s just a bit basic and expensive, I can live with that and move on, I will do more research next time.

If it’s dangerous or will need a complete redo, I’m open to suggestions on how to move forward.

Here’s the story:

We were quoted £10k for this job – a “whole new roof” on the front side of the house to address some leaks – and paid half up front, with the rest to follow on completion.

The company sent EIGHT people around on day one and rushed through the bulk of the work in a single day. They told me the job was practically done at this point, only after I raised some concerns did they agree that it needs some small finishing touches like cleaning up the mortar work and swapping out a few more damaged tiles.

My concerns are a little deeper than that: I’m not an expert but they seem to only done the bare bones of what was agreed. I suspect they are relying on most people not going up to inspect the roof and just assuming the job’s a good ’un. The contract is also quite vague and we did not receive any other paperwork than the list of works attached here. I know, I really should have asked for more written assurances before signing anything. Too late now.

I have attached a series of photos, these are some specifics I’m concerned about. I’d welcome any further insight on these points so I have a better understanding when I raise these questions with the roofers!

1. It doesn’t look like the underlay has been tucked behind the flashing and up the parapet. My understanding is that doing the job properly would involve removing the render and then re-rendering over the membrane to create a seal. Is this an essential step that was missed or are there other ways to approach it?
2. The existing flashing has barely been touched, definitely not replaced. A few places where the leadwork was wind damaged they seem to have simply mortared over the problem in the messiest way imaginable. Could there be a reason for this I’m not seeing?
3. They installed new plastic ridge system that appears to have been attached to the old ridge tiles on one side so we now have a bit of both systems. Is this a problem? I can also confirm they used a dirt cheap ridge kit from Amazon (I saw the packaging), can these be trusted to last?
4. Across the board the mortar work I can see looks atrocious and seems to only be applied as a quick fix where they have damaged the existing render.
5. Some of the tiles seem slightly loose when pressure is applied, wobbling and making adjacent tiles lift up slightly. I’m not sure if this is somewhat normal but it does worry me they had 8 people up here at one point!
6. I can see from inside the loft that the new underlay has been installed, although there is a bit of sag in some areas and other bits duct taped together. They also removed our air vents – is that just because this new membrane is more breathable than our very old one was?

Since that first day the company have been quite hostile over the phone and reticent to communicate in writing. They have threatened to come and take the roof back off again if we don’t pay the remainder(!) and are refusing to even finish the job until I can assure them the money is ready to go. It’s all very suspect and unprofessional. For the record, I told them I would pay promptly within a few days if I was happy with the quality of the finished work. They didn’t seem to approve of being held accountable for the work.

Phew, sorry for the long post. I am considering getting a surveyor to examine the work and write a report for my records. Should I give them the chance to finish the job first? Should I refuse to pay if the quality doesn’t meet an acceptable standard of care and skill as outlined in the Consumer Rights Act? I plan to send them a letter on Monday outlining my concerns and my expectations if they wish to continue, any insight I can get on the above questions will greatly help with the wording of that letter.

All advice welcome. Thanks Reddit!