From first call to finished roof — what to expect when you choose East London Roofers.
Call 0203 441 9626 (7 days, 8am–6pm, 24/7 for emergencies) or book a callback through the form on any page. Tell us what you’ve noticed — a damp patch, missing tiles, a gutter overflow — and your postcode. We’ll have a good idea of your roof type from the postcode alone: E8 means Victorian slate in Hackney, RM10 means Becontree clay tiles in Dagenham, IG1 means 1930s concrete in Ilford.
We visit your property at a time that suits you. Our surveyor inspects the roof from ground level with binoculars, from the roof itself where safe access allows, and from inside the loft space. We check every element: covering condition, flashings, valleys, ridges, chimney stacks, guttering, fascias, timber structure, underlay, insulation, and ventilation. Everything is photographed.
On Victorian terraces across Hackney and Bow, we’re specifically looking for nail sickness, lead theft damage, and lime mortar erosion. On 1930s semis in Ilford and Romford, we check for porous concrete tiles, hip iron corrosion, and valley mortar failure. On post-war blocks in Barking and Dagenham, we assess flat roof membrane condition and drainage falls. Every survey is tailored to the property type.
Within 24 hours of the survey, you receive a detailed written quote. Every material is named by manufacturer and specification. Every element of the work is listed separately. Scaffolding, waste disposal, and any allowances are itemised. The total is fixed — the price we quote is the price you pay. No hidden extras, no vague lump sums, no surprises mid-job.
If we find something during the survey that might cost extra once work begins (e.g. timber condition that can only be assessed once tiles are stripped), we flag it in the quote with a per-metre or per-item rate so you know the potential range before committing.
Once you approve the quote, we schedule the work. Standard repairs: within 2–5 working days. Re-roofs and larger jobs: typically 1–3 weeks depending on scaffold availability and weather. Emergency work: same day, 24/7. We confirm the start date in writing and give you a realistic completion date.
For jobs requiring scaffolding in Hackney, Tower Hamlets, or Newham, we handle the council scaffold permit application (allow 5–10 working days for processing).
Our team arrives at the agreed time. We sheet below the work area to protect your garden, driveway, and any vehicles. Work proceeds methodically — strip, inspect, repair, install, flash, finish. At the end of each day on multi-day jobs, we tarp any exposed areas so your property stays watertight overnight.
We communicate throughout. If we find anything unexpected (and on 130-year-old Victorian roofs, surprises happen), we call you immediately, explain what we’ve found, and agree the additional work and cost before proceeding. No work is done without your approval.
We clear all debris, bag all waste, sweep the site, and remove all materials and equipment. Waste goes to licensed facilities — we provide waste transfer documentation on request. We walk you through the completed work, show you before-and-after photographs, and answer any questions.
You receive a written 10-year workmanship guarantee certificate on the day of completion. Material manufacturer guarantees (up to 25 years for GRP, 20 for EPDM) are provided alongside. Our guarantee covers defects in workmanship — if a repair we made fails due to our work, we come back and fix it at no charge. Storm and impact damage are excluded (that’s what your buildings insurance covers).
We keep records of every job. If you need us in 5 years for a different issue, we can pull up the photos and specification from your previous work — useful context for any future roof decisions.
We inspect before we quote. Every quote follows a physical inspection of your roof. We do not estimate from photographs, Google Street View, or "similar properties." Your roof is unique — your quote should reflect what we actually find.
We itemise everything. Our quotes list every material by manufacturer and specification, every element of the work separately, and every cost item (scaffold, waste, permits) as a distinct line. You can compare our quote against any competitor's line by line. A lump-sum quote with no breakdown is not a quote — it is a guess.
We flag unknowns honestly. On a 130-year-old Victorian roof in Hackney, we might find rotten timbers once tiles are stripped. Rather than presenting this as a surprise mid-job, we include a contingency line in the quote: "Timber repairs if found: £X per metre." You know the potential range before you commit.
We communicate throughout. The moment we find something unexpected, we call you. No work proceeds without your approval. No invoice contains anything you did not agree to.
We leave the site clean. Every day. Not just the final day. If it rains and we stop tiling, the roof is tarped before we leave. Your property is watertight every night.
East London properties present access challenges that suburban sites do not. Narrow Victorian terraced streets in Bethnal Green, Bow, and Hackney mean scaffold lorries need parking suspensions (£50–£150/day from the council). Rear-access-only properties — common on terraced rows in Stratford and Plaistow — require through-building carry or crane lifts for materials, adding £300–£1,000 to the project.
We handle all permit applications, parking suspensions, and access logistics as part of the project. The cost is itemised in your quote so there are no surprises.
Property: Mid-terrace Victorian slate, Graham Road, Hackney E8.
Problem reported: Damp patch on second-floor bedroom ceiling.
Day 1 (survey): Inspected from ground level, roof level (via neighbour's loft hatch), and inside the loft. Found: 6 slipped slates due to nail sickness, lead chimney flashing lifting on the weather side, valley mortar cracking at the party wall junction. Photographed everything.
Day 2 (quote): Written quote emailed: slate re-fixing with copper nails £280, chimney re-flash in Code 5 lead £650, valley pointing £180, scaffold £480. Total: £1,590 inc. VAT.
Day 5 (work): Scaffold erected at 7am, slate work and flashing completed by 3pm, valley pointed, site cleaned. Scaffold struck next morning.
Result: Damp patch dried within 2 weeks. 10-year guarantee. Total time from first call to completion: 5 working days.
Our relationship does not end when the scaffold comes down. If you notice anything in the weeks or months after our work — a drip after heavy rain, a tile that looks out of line, a gutter that runs slow — call us. We come back, inspect, and fix anything related to our work at no charge under the 10-year guarantee.
We also recommend a roof health check every 5 years. This is not a sales tactic — it is how you catch small problems before they become expensive ones. We offer this as a paid service (£120–£250) because it takes time to do properly, but the fee is always credited against any repair work you book as a result.
Emergencies follow a compressed version of the same process. Call 0203 441 9626 24/7 — the phone is answered by a person who dispatches our nearest available team. We aim to arrive within 1–2 hours across all East London postcodes. The team carries tarps, temporary fixings, boarding, and patching materials on every van.
Make-safe costs £180–£400 and stops the immediate water ingress. We photograph everything for your insurance claim. The permanent repair is quoted during the emergency visit so you know exactly what to expect, and scheduled once conditions allow safe, quality work.
Do I need to be home during the work? Not for most external roof work. We need access to the loft for the survey, but the work itself is done from outside. We will agree access arrangements with you in advance.
What about my neighbours? We notify immediately adjacent neighbours before scaffold goes up. For terraced properties, we coordinate with neighbours whose roofs share party walls or valleys.
Do you move satellite dishes? Yes. We remove and reinstate aerials, satellite dishes, and any other roof-mounted equipment as part of the job. If a dish needs relocating to accommodate the work, we discuss this before starting.
What happens if it rains? Tiling and slating work pauses in active rain. We tarp any exposed areas and resume when conditions improve. Our scheduling builds in weather contingency so rain does not delay your completion date.
Can I see examples of your work? Yes. We have before-and-after photographs from hundreds of East London jobs spanning every property type and service. Ask during your survey appointment and we will show you completed work on properties similar to yours.
163 five-star reviews are not an accident. They are the result of doing what we say, when we say, at the price we quoted. No shortcuts, no hidden extras, no excuses. That is how we work — on every job, on every roof, across every East London postcode.
Ready to start? Call 0203 441 9626 or book a callback. No call-out fee, no obligation, no pressure.
No call-out fees. No obligation. Just an honest quote from a local East London roofer who’ll turn up when they say they will.
020 3959 2819