How we chose
We started from the twenty-one flat-roofing firms showing across Telford. Scheme memberships were sourced from the Confederation of Roofing Contractors register, each firm's own website and platforms such as Checkatrade [1] [4]. Each business must first meet our basic checks: it is who it says it is, it is trading today and can be reached, and anything it must hold by law is in place. Eleven firms met all three. What customers say counts most toward the score, then qualifications, then trading history and stated cover, then pricing clarity and website detail. All evidence is dated early September 2026.
How to hire
Match the roofer to the roof first. A flat roof specialist owns rubber, fibreglass and felt systems, deck repairs, edge trims and flashings, which is different work from pitched tiling or leadwork, so say which system you have or want when you first enquire. Tell each firm the roof size, how many storeys high it sits, whether anyone walks on it and what symptom you see, from ponding water to blistered felt. A firm that quotes a full replacement off one photograph has not seen the deck underneath.
Check the registers that matter for this trade before you book. Search the Confederation of Roofing Contractors member pages for the business name and check the membership detail that comes back matches the firm you are hiring [1]. NFRC runs a trade member directory that lists current members only, and its site says that directory should be the main source of contractor verification [8]. TrustMark lists firms for work in or around the home that have passed its checks on standards and customer service, searchable by trade and area [5]. A logo on a van proves nothing on its own, so ask for the membership detail and check it yourself on the register.
Know where building-regulations sign-off fits. A roofer registered under the CompetentRoofer scheme can self-certify a roof covering replacement instead of you applying for approval, with the government page naming CompetentRoofer among the authorised schemes [2]. That contractor notifies the scheme and you receive a compliance certificate direct once the work is finished [4]. Ask who notifies what before work starts, and agree which certificate you will hold at the end, especially where insulation is being upgraded at the same time.
Get two or three itemised written quotes on the same written scope, so you compare like with like. Each quote should name the system and brand, the area in square metres, whether the deck and firrings are included or extra, scaffolding or tower access, how waste is removed, the start date and payment stages. A deposit for materials is normal, while full payment before completion is not. Treat an outlier far above or below the rest as a question rather than a bargain, and ask what is included or excluded [7].
Check waste and insurance in the same pass. Anyone carrying construction waste away must sit on the Environment Agency public register of waste carriers, which you can search by business name [6]. Ask for public liability cover details and, for larger jobs, a recent local reference you could verify. File every quote, invoice, certificate and guarantee with your house papers, since you will need them when you sell or claim.
On the day, check the crew protects paths and planting, strips back to sound timber and shows you photos of any rotten deck before charging for new boards. Agree how ponding, upstands and outlets are handled, since flat roofs fail at details rather than middles. Do not pay the balance until you hold the compliance certificate where one applies, the written guarantee with its length and terms, and an invoice matching the quoted scope [4].
Pricing
As of summer 2026, rough UK ranges run like this: a flat roof replacement costs around sixty to one hundred and thirty pounds per square metre, supplied and fitted, sitting near ninety on a typical job [3]. Felt sits at the bottom of that band, rubber in the middle and fibreglass toward the top. A small garage of around fifteen square metres typically lands near twelve hundred to eighteen hundred pounds in felt, or sixteen hundred and fifty to two thousand seven hundred in rubber or fibreglass [3]. These are national guide figures; Telford usually sits below London and South East prices.
What moves the price most is the system, then the state of the timber deck and how the roof is reached. A two-storey roof needing scaffolding adds around fifteen to thirty-five pounds per square metre, and new timber for a rotten deck adds around twenty to forty-five [3]. Labour is usually the larger share at well over half the total, tilting further once scaffolding or a full strip joins in [3].
Ask whether the quote includes scaffolding, skip hire and VAT on top, since published ranges rarely hold all three in one figure. Firms in this round all offer quotes or quote forms but publish almost no example rates, so treat any single fixed price for a large roof with no breakdown as a question, not an answer. A repair to one small area with sound timber underneath is the sensible lower-cost choice; a roof near the end of its life wants a replacement figure instead [3].
Get the scope in writing before work starts: exactly which system and brand, the area covered, whether deck replacement is included or charged extra, which trims and flashings are new, how long the work takes, and what guarantee comes with it and who honours it. Agree payment stages and keep every quote, invoice and certificate together [7].
Red flags
Quotes a full replacement without climbing up to inspect the roof or asking for photos of the deck, outlets and upstands.
Cannot give a trade-body membership detail you can check yourself on the issuing register [1].
Prices the job per square metre but will not say which system and brand that rate buys.
Adds a new layer over obvious ponding and rotten boards instead of pricing the deck repair honestly.
Asks for full payment in cash before starting, with no written quote or terms [7].
Has no answer on who carries the waste away or whether the carrier sits on the public register [6].
Will not put the scope, price, guarantee length and start date in writing before lifting a tool.
The bottom line
For most Telford homes, start with Severnside: a stated flat-roof specialism across three systems, cover written down and registration you can check yourself. Its site prices nothing, so ask for an itemised fixed quote and read the guarantee terms before you agree anything. If you would rather weigh two review sources, First Choice is a close alternative for award-winning installations with free quotes.
Match the firm to the job: J Price for a choice of three systems, Heritage for a long checkable record, Dryfix for a quote in writing with no call-out charge, and Hornet or Zach Latham for a family firm near you. Then get two or three itemised quotes on the same written scope and check the compliance paperwork before you pay.
Corrections and business responses
Tell us what needs checking, or ask to claim a listing and reply to an assessment.