Last Updated on September 17, 2026
There is no licence to trade as a roofer in the UK. Anyone can print a van sign tomorrow. What exists instead is a set of voluntary registers and one legal requirement, building regulations. Each one takes about two minutes to check.
Checked on 11 September 2026.
Gas engineers must be on the Gas Safe Register. Electricians have Part P schemes. Roofers have nothing compulsory. No exam, no register you must join, no card you must carry before you climb a ladder and take a deposit.
That does not mean nothing can be checked. It means the checks are on you, and most people never run them. In July 2026, Whito checked 173 roofing firms recommended by ChatGPT, Gemini and Google AI Mode and could verify only 51% as active registered companies in or near the recommended towns. In September 2026, a second pass on 79 Google AI Mode recommendations found three dissolved or in-liquidation firms presented as trustworthy, one dissolved since October 2017.
Here is what each register actually is, what it proves, and how to check it.
The registers, at a glance
| Register | Run by | Compulsory? | What it proves |
|---|---|---|---|
| NFRC membership | National Federation of Roofing Contractors (trade body, over 1,350 members) | No | Vetted trade association member |
| CompetentRoofer | NFRC, government-licensed scheme | No | Can self-certify building regulations compliance on roof refurbishment |
| TrustMark | Government-endorsed scheme, backed by DESNZ and DBT | No | Vetted against scheme standards via a scheme provider |
| Companies House | UK government | Yes, for limited companies | The company legally exists and is active |
| Building regulations | Your local authority building control | Yes, for larger roof jobs | The work itself was signed off |
No single entry on that list proves a roofer is good. Together they tell you whether a firm is real, established, and willing to be inspected. That is more than most customers ever check.
What each one proves, and does not prove
NFRC
The National Federation of Roofing Contractors describes itself as the UK’s largest roofing trade association, with over 1,350 members. Members apply and are vetted before joining.
Proves: the firm chose to join a trade body and passed its vetting.
Does not prove: the individual on your roof is qualified, or that this specific job will be done well. And a logo on a van proves nothing at all. Whito’s July 2026 study found 92% of AI-recommended roofing firms were not NFRC members, and logos are easy to copy.
Two-minute check: search the firm’s name in the NFRC trade member directory at nfrc.co.uk/trade-member-directory.html. If the name is not in the directory, the logo is decoration.
CompetentRoofer
CompetentRoofer is the government-licensed competent person scheme for roof refurbishment in England and Wales, operated by NFRC. Members are audited and inspected before acceptance and periodically afterwards. A member can self-certify that qualifying work complies with building regulations instead of you paying the council to inspect it, and projects up to £50,000 on buildings of four storeys or less come with a ten year insurance-backed guarantee.
Proves: the firm has been inspected and can legally sign off its own building regulations work.
Does not prove: anything about jobs outside the scheme’s scope, or work in Scotland or Northern Ireland.
Two-minute check: ask the firm for its CompetentRoofer membership number, then confirm it via competentroofer.co.uk. You can also check any competent person scheme membership through the scheme’s own register. Gov.uk explains how the schemes work at gov.uk/building-regulations-competent-person-schemes.
TrustMark
TrustMark is the government-endorsed quality scheme for work in and around the home, backed by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero and the Department for Business and Trade. Registered businesses are vetted to meet scheme standards through a scheme provider.
Proves: vetting happened, and there is a complaints route if things go wrong.
Does not prove: the price is fair or the firm is the best in your area.
Two-minute check: search the firm at trustmark.org.uk/homeowner/find-a-tradesperson.
Companies House
The one register that is not optional for a limited company. The search is free and takes under a minute. It shows whether the company exists, when it was incorporated, whether it is active or dissolved, and who the directors are. Note the register’s own caveat: Companies House does not check the accuracy of the information filed.
Proves: the legal entity exists and is currently active.
Does not prove: competence, insurance, or that the trading name on the van matches the registered company.
Two-minute check: search the exact company name at find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk. Look at the status line (active, dissolved, liquidation), the incorporation date, and the registered address. A company incorporated three weeks ago asking for a large deposit deserves a harder look. In Whito’s September 2026 pass, 46% of AI-recommended roofers could not be matched to any registered company at all. Sole traders do not appear here, which is legal, but then you have even more reason to check the other registers.
Building regulations
Not a register of roofers, but the one legal requirement that touches roof work. Trafford Council’s building control guidance states that approval is needed if you repair or replace more than 50% of the surface area of your roof, or more than 25% of the total area of the building envelope. Replacing a substantial part of a roof also usually triggers insulation upgrades to current standards.
You have two routes: a building notice to your local authority, or a CompetentRoofer member who self-certifies. A roofer who says “you don’t need building regs for a full re-roof” is wrong, and you, the property owner, carry the liability when you sell the house.
Red flags
- Cash only, especially after storm damage. Storm-chasing crews work postcode by postcode after bad weather. No paper trail means no comeback.
- No fixed address. A mobile number and a first name is not a business. Check the address given against Companies House.
- The company on the invoice is dissolved. Whito’s September 2026 check found firms with 4.8 and 5.0 star ratings whose companies were dissolved years earlier, one since October 2017. Reviews outlive companies.
- A trading name that matches nothing. If the van name, the invoice name and the Companies House name are all different, ask why before you pay anything.
- Membership logos with no number. Any logo can be copied into a website footer. A firm that is really registered will give you the number without hesitation.
- Large deposit demanded on day one. Established firms with merchant accounts rarely need most of the money up front.
If you run a roofing business
The absence of a licence is your opportunity. Put your Companies House number, your NFRC or CompetentRoofer membership number, and your insurance details on your website footer and your quotes. None of it costs a penny, and it separates you from every unverifiable firm in Whito’s studies. Nearly half the roofers AI assistants recommend cannot be matched to a registered company. Being checkable is now a competitive advantage.
What this page does not cover
- Quality of workmanship. No register can promise a good roof.
- Scotland and Northern Ireland building control, which run under separate systems with different rules.
- Insurance verification. Ask for the certificate and ring the broker if the job is large.
- Gas, solar or electrical work done alongside roofing, which have their own schemes.
Method and limits
Register descriptions, member counts and search URLs were checked live on the registers’ own sites on 11 September 2026. Building regulations thresholds are as published by Trafford Council building control and the NFRC competent person scheme; your local authority applies the same national regulations but confirm details with them. The Whito findings quoted come from studies run in July 2026 (173 firms) and September 2026 (79 firms, Companies House pass). Whito is an independent publisher, not a regulator, and nothing here is a substitute for the registers’ own records.
Sources
- NFRC member count and trade member directory.
- TrustMark scheme description and find-a-tradesperson search.
- CompetentRoofer scheme scope, self-certification and guarantee terms.
- GOV.UK competent person schemes what self-certification means.
- Companies House search free company checks and the accuracy caveat.
- Trafford Council building control re-roofing thresholds.
- Whito: AI-recommended roofers vs Companies House, September 2026 79 firms, 46% unmatched, three dissolved.
- Whito: AI roofer recommendations study, July 2026 173 firms, 51% verified, 92% not NFRC members.
Before you go
Check how visible your business is. The free Whito Visibility Check runs seventeen automated checks on what search engines and AI assistants can see on your homepage. Seventeen checks, about twenty seconds, no email, no sales call. Run the free Visibility Check.
List your business free. The Whito directory is free to join and free to stay in. Nobody can pay to appear, and nobody can pay to move up. Add your listing.
More guides for roofers: Whito’s roofers hub.
Related research: Whito checked 79 AI-recommended roofers against Companies House in September 2026.
Looking for a roofer instead of running one? Search the free directory: /find/roofers/.
