UK Roofing Statistics 2026: AI Visibility, Verification and Marketing Data

Updated 4 September 2026. Compiled from Whito’s own published studies, each figure dated and linked to the study it came from. Refreshed with each quarterly edition of the Whito AI Visibility Index.

This page folds every roofing figure from across Whito’s 150 published studies into one place. No figure below is restated from another statistics site. Every one comes from research Whito collected itself, with the collection date and the source study beside it.

Only 51% of 173 roofing firms recommended by AI engines could be verified as active registered companies, and 92% are not NFRC members. A review platform sat behind the AI recommendation in 100% of towns tested, the highest dependence of the eight sectors Whito measures. Two of the ten review profiles behind AI’s most trusted roofing recommendations belong to dissolved companies. The rest of this page puts a source and a date on those figures and on every other roofing number Whito holds.

The key figures

Sources: Whito original studies, collected July and August 2026, and Whito’s May and June 2026 cost and marketing data reports. Each figure is sourced individually below.

What AI recommends when someone asks for a roofer

1. Only 51% of 173 roofing firms recommended by ChatGPT, Gemini and Google AI Mode could be verified as active registered companies in or near the recommended town, and 92% are not NFRC members.
Source: Whito’s roofer AI study. Base: 173 firms, 3 engines x 15 towns, collected 10 July 2026.

2. A review platform or comparison portal sat behind the recommendation in 20 of 20 towns, 100%, when Google AI Mode was asked for a trustworthy roofer. No other sector in the index reached 100%. Across the three trades tested together, Checkatrade alone was cited in 50 of the 60 answers.
Source: The Whito AI Visibility Index, Q3 2026. Base: 20 Google AI Mode answers for roofers, collected 22 August 2026.

3. One Swansea roofing answer called a firm trustworthy while its own Google listing, visible inside the same answer, showed 2.0 stars. The answer cited a trade body membership as the reason to trust it.
Source: The Whito AI Visibility Index, Q3 2026, collected 22 August 2026.

4. Of 79 AI-recommended roofers checked against Companies House in the August panel, 5, or 6.3%, could not be verified as an active company trading in or near the recommended town.
Source: Whito’s verification study of 728 AI-recommended businesses, checked 28 August 2026.

The review profiles behind the recommendations

5. Two of the ten roofing review profiles behind AI’s most trusted recommendations belong to dissolved companies, one dissolved since 2017. Eight of the ten score 9.9 out of 10 or better.
Source: Whito’s review forensics study, from the 173-firm roofer panel, July 2026.

What roofer marketing costs

6. A UK roofing lead on shared platforms costs £25 to £120, about £55 in the middle. A roofer converting one in five pays about £275 per won job; one in ten pays £550 for the identical lead. The platform did not change, the follow-up did.
Source: Whito’s roofing lead cost data, July 2026, from published UK platform pricing.

7. A sole trader roofer can run effective marketing for £200 to £600 a month. Google Ads clicks for roofing keywords cost £3 to £20.
Source: Whito’s roofer marketing cost report, May 2026.

8. A UK roofer charges £30 to £45 an hour, with London and the South East adding 15 to 30 per cent on most jobs.
Source: Whito’s UK trades cost compilation, June 2026, from published cost guides.

Demand and reviews

9. The UK roofing market is worth £6.8bn, and 55% of homeowners search online when they need a roofer. Roofers with 50 or more Google reviews get 3.5 times more enquiries than those with fewer than 10.
Source: Whito’s roofer marketing data report, May 2026, compiled from published market and platform data.

10. Only 9% of UK homeowners rate a builder’s website among their top three factors when choosing a tradesperson. Reviews carry the decision.
Source: Whito’s UK trades marketing statistics, compiled 29 August 2026, from the HomeOwners Alliance 2026 survey (base: 834 homeowners).

Every Whito study behind this page

• We asked 3 AI engines to recommend a roofer in 15 UK towns. 173 firms, the 51% verification rate and the NFRC membership check. July 2026.
• Review forensics. The ten review profiles behind AI’s most trusted roofing recommendations, including the dissolved companies. July 2026.
• The Whito AI Visibility Index, Q3 2026. Who Google AI Mode recommends sector by sector, including the 100% platform dependence figure and the Swansea 2.0-star finding. August 2026.
• The verification study. 728 AI-recommended businesses checked against Companies House, including the 79 roofer entries. August 2026.
• What roofing leads really cost. Cost per won job, not cost per lead. July 2026.
• What roofer marketing costs. Monthly budgets and click prices. May 2026.
• Roofer marketing data. Market size, search behaviour and review effects. May 2026.
• UK trades cost compilation. Hourly and day rates in context. June 2026.
• UK trades marketing statistics. The cross-trade picture, including what homeowners check when choosing a trade. August 2026.

Marketing guidance for the trade itself lives at Whito for roofers, including how to check a roofer against the NFRC register.

Method and known limits

This page is a compilation, not a new collection. Every figure was published in a Whito study first, and each entry above names its study, its base and its collection date. The studies use different samples collected on different dates, so figures are not directly comparable across entries: the July study used 15 towns and three engines, the August index used 20 towns and one engine. Where a figure comes from a third-party source inside a Whito report, the entry says so. Nothing here has been restated from another statistics site.

This page is refreshed when a new edition of the AI Visibility Index is published, quarterly. The next index edition is due December 2026. Corrections are noted on the page with a date, never quietly edited.

How to cite this page

Common questions

Can you trust an AI-recommended roofer?

Check before you hire. Only 51% of 173 AI-recommended roofing firms could be verified as active registered companies in or near the town, 92% are not NFRC members, and two of the ten review profiles behind AI’s most trusted recommendations belong to dissolved companies. Many honest sole traders are not registered as companies, so an unmatched name is a prompt to check, not a verdict.

How much do roofing leads cost in the UK?

£25 to £120 per lead on shared platforms, about £55 in the middle. The number that matters is cost per won job: a roofer converting one in five pays about £275 per job won, while one in ten pays £550 for the identical lead.

How much does a roofer charge per hour in the UK?

£30 to £45 an hour is typical, with London and the South East adding 15 to 30 per cent on most jobs, according to Whito’s June 2026 compilation of published cost guides.

Where do these statistics come from?

From Whito’s own published studies: original AI recommendation panels collected in July and August 2026, a Companies House verification pass, review forensics on the platforms behind the recommendations, and cost and marketing data reports from May and June 2026. Each figure on this page names its study, base and collection date.