How to Quote Roofing Jobs in the UK (2026)
Slow Quoting Is Losing You Work – Here’s How to Fix It
Homeowners searching for a roofer typically contact two or three tradespeople at once. The first one to send a professional, clear quote has a significant advantage. If your process involves going home, opening a laptop, building a quote in Word, and emailing it three days later, you are competing against someone who sent a polished quote from their phone while still in the customer’s driveway.
This guide covers how to quote roofing jobs in the UK in 2026: what to include, how to price accurately, and how to get quotes out fast enough to win the work before a competitor does.
What to Include in a Roofing Quote
Your Business Details
Business name, contact details, and if you are VAT registered, your VAT number. This looks professional and protects you legally if there is a dispute later.
Scope of Work
Be specific about what you are doing and, just as importantly, what you are not doing. “Replace all damaged tiles on rear elevation” is clear. “General roof repair” is not. Vague scopes lead to disputes.
Materials
List the materials you are using and the quantities where relevant. Customers appreciate knowing what they are paying for. It also protects you if material costs rise between quote and job.
Labour Costs
Some roofers quote a single total price, others break out labour and materials separately. Both approaches work, but breaking it out can help justify the overall price to a customer questioning the number.
Total Price (Inc. VAT if Applicable)
Make the total clear. If you are VAT registered, show the VAT separately and then the total including VAT. No one likes a surprise on the final invoice.
Payment Terms
State your deposit requirement, when the balance is due, and how you accept payment. This should be on every quote without exception. It sets the expectation before the job starts.
Quote Validity
Material prices change. Labour costs change. Include a validity period on your quotes – typically 30 days – so you are not held to a price you quoted six months ago.
How to Price Roofing Jobs Accurately
Know Your Day Rate
Work out what you need to earn per day to cover your costs, pay yourself, and make the business viable. Most experienced UK roofers charge between £200 and £350 per day per person depending on location and the type of work.
Price Materials With Margin
Always add a margin to materials. You are sourcing, collecting, transporting, and managing materials. A 15 to 20 per cent markup is standard practice.
Factor in Access and Risk
Scaffold hire, equipment costs, height risk, working in adverse weather – these add real cost to roofing jobs. Itemise them on your quote so the comparison with cheaper quotes is fair.
Don’t Compete Purely on Price
Homeowners who have had a bad experience will pay more for someone who communicates well, sends a professional quote, and shows up when they say they will. Price for the quality you deliver.
How to Send Quotes Faster
Tradify
Tradify lets you build and send a professional quote from your phone while still at the customer’s property. You add your line items, labour and materials, attach any site photos, and fire it off by email before you are back in the van. The customer receives a branded, professional PDF they can view and accept online.
Pricing: From ~£34/month per user. Free 14-day trial, no card required.
Jobber
Jobber’s quoting feature lets you attach photos from the site visit directly to the quote. For roofing work where showing the customer exactly what needs doing helps justify the price, this is a strong advantage. Customers can approve quotes through the client portal, which creates a clear record of acceptance.
Pricing: Priced in USD from ~$39/month (approx. £30+ at current rates). Free 14-day trial.
Tradify vs Jobber: Quoting for Roofers
| Feature | Tradify | Jobber |
|---|---|---|
| Quote from phone on site | ✓ | ✓ |
| Photo attachments on quote | ✓ | ✓ |
| Client online approval | ✗ | ✓ |
| Convert quote to invoice | ✓ | ✓ |
| Quote templates | ✓ | ✓ |
| Built for UK trades | ✓ | ✗ |
| Starting price | ~£34/month | ~$39/month (USD) |
| Best for | Speed and simplicity | Client experience |
Following Up on Quotes
Most roofers send a quote and wait. If they do not hear back, they assume the customer went elsewhere. Often, the customer is still deciding and a simple follow-up message would have won the job.
Follow up every quote within three to five days if you have not heard back. A short message asking if they have any questions is not pushy. It shows you are interested in the work and gives the customer a prompt to reply. Tradify and Jobber both track which quotes are outstanding.
Frequently Asked Questions
A roofing quote should include your business name and contact details (plus VAT number if registered), the customer name and address, issue date and a validity period (typically 30 days), a clear scope of work describing exactly what is and is not included, itemised materials with quantities, your labour costs, your payment terms including deposit and balance due date, and the total price including VAT if applicable.
Start with your target day rate – most UK roofers charge £200–£350 per person per day depending on region and job type. Add materials at trade prices plus a 15–20% markup to cover sourcing and logistics. Factor in scaffold hire, equipment, access difficulty, and risk. Check the total against local market rates before sending.
Same day is the standard to aim for – ideally before you leave the property or within a couple of hours of the site visit. Homeowners comparing multiple roofers frequently go with whoever responds first. Quoting software like Tradify lets you build and send a professional quote from your phone before you pull off the driveway.
A quote is a fixed, binding price. If the customer accepts it, you are committed to doing the work for that price. An estimate is a rough guide that can change as the job progresses. Most roofers should provide a written quote for defined work like re-roofing or tile replacement, and only use estimates for investigative work where the full scope is unknown until you open up the roof.
UK roofer day rates in 2026 range from approximately £200–£250 per day in the North of England, Scotland, and Wales to £300–£450+ per day in London and the South East. Specialist work (green roofing, heritage slating, commercial projects) commands higher rates. Emergency call-out rates typically carry a 25–50% premium on top of standard day rates.
Tradify and Jobber are the two most widely used quoting apps among UK roofers. Both let you build professional quotes on your phone using saved materials and labour rates, send them by email from the site visit, and convert accepted quotes to jobs and invoices in one tap. Tradify is generally the better fit for sole traders; Jobber suits growing teams with a stronger client approval portal.
TradeStack HQ is reader-supported. Some links on this page are affiliate links. If you click through and sign up, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. We only recommend tools we genuinely believe will help your roofing business.