Comparing roofing quotes side by side sounds simple, until you notice one figure includes VAT and another doesn’t. Or one quote builds in scaffolding while another charges it separately. Here’s what should actually be in a roofing quote, and what the tax rules say about the VAT you’ll pay.
Roofing work is standard-rated VAT in almost every case
A VAT-registered contractor charges the standard 20% rate on routine roof repair, re-roofing and general maintenance work. HMRC’s VAT Notice 708 on buildings and construction confirms this. Work to existing buildings is normally standard-rated, with only a small number of specific exceptions. Reduced or zero rates only cover certain cases. Qualifying new-build work gets zero-rating, and some conversions or renovating a long-empty home get a 5% reduced rate. Even then, that lower rate only applies while the roofing work is part of the wider construction project, before the building counts as finished. Once a building is finished, any further roofing work goes back to the standard 20% rate, whatever rate the original project carried.
Why this catches people out
Homeowners sometimes assume building work in general gets a reduced VAT rate. They’re then surprised when a straightforward re-roof or repair comes in at the full 20%. It’s worth knowing this before you get quotes. A rival’s unusually low price might simply leave VAT off, which a fair comparison needs to catch. And you don’t want a surprise 20% added to a figure you’d budgeted without it. Always ask a roofer to say plainly whether their quoted figure includes or excludes VAT.
Scaffolding: rarely optional, sometimes hidden
Almost any roof work beyond a single-storey extension needs scaffolding. It’s one of the largest line items on a re-roof, and it has nothing to do with the roof covering itself. Some quotes build scaffolding in as standard. Others list it separately, or don’t mention it until the job is under way. Ask specifically whether scaffolding is included. If a quote looks unusually low compared with others, this is one of the first places to check why.
Disposal and skip hire
Stripping an old roof creates a genuinely large amount of waste: old tiles, felt, battens, and often timber if structural work is needed. Whether that disposal sits inside the price or gets billed separately is easy to miss when you’re comparing quotes on price alone. It can add a real amount to the final bill if nobody planned for it upfront.
What a fair quote breaks down
A trustworthy quote lists labour, materials, scaffolding, disposal and VAT separately. It doesn’t just give you one number with no explanation of what it covers. That lets you compare quotes like-for-like, instead of guessing why one figure is higher than another. We hold ourselves to that same standard on every roof repair or replacement quote we write. Our guide to choosing a roofer you can trust covers more of what to look for beyond just the price.
Getting a fair comparison in Chelsea
Chelsea and the surrounding boroughs tend to see higher scaffolding and access costs than outer London. Narrower streets and more restricted parking for skips and deliveries push the price up — a genuine cost, not padding, and one a fair quote should reflect rather than hide. The same applies in Chelsea, Fulham, or Putney. Ask each roofer to show scaffolding and access costs separately, so you can see what you’re actually paying for.
Want a clear, itemised quote that shows exactly where the cost comes from? Get in touch and we’ll walk you through it before any work starts.