Pre-purchase

Qualifications and licensing.

It is an unusual feature of New Zealand's construction legislation that reroofing is not classified as restricted building work, provided it falls within certain parameters as a like-for-like replacement. This means the only legal requirement to undertake reroofing works is to incorporate a company and open a bank account to accept a deposit. Despite this low regulatory threshold, reroofing is a complex and technically demanding trade discipline that requires years of accumulated practical and theoretical knowledge. For this reason, it is strongly recommended that consumers only seek quotes from qualified roofers or roofing companies that employ roofers who hold a current practising licence as a Licensed Building Practitioner (LBP).

Steel roofing installers typically train through the New Zealand Certificate in Roofing (Installation) Level 4. This qualification includes strands such as Profiled Metal Roof and Wall Cladding or Metal Tile Roof and replaces the older National Certificate. Training is commonly delivered through providers such as ICE (Industry Connection for Excellence) and is usually completed via a three-year apprenticeship that combines on-the-job experience with block courses. The programme covers installation techniques, safety practices and regulatory knowledge. Award of the Level 4 certificate qualifies an individual as a roofer.

Once an individual holds a Level 4 roofing qualification, they can apply to become a Licensed Building Practitioner. The LBP licence spans seven defined areas of practice. To obtain a licence, applicants must demonstrate relevant skills, knowledge and experience through the submission of work examples, references and, in some cases, interviews. This assessment process is designed to ensure practitioners meet Building Code requirements and recognised industry standards for quality and safety. Consumers can search the public LBP register to verify the current status of any LBP certification held by a roofer.

Once a roofer is both qualified and licensed, they are eligible to sign off restricted building work, such as consented new builds. Although reroofing does not legally require this level of qualification, it is strongly recommended that consumers apply the same standard and only seek quotes for reroofing works from roofers who hold both a Level 4 qualification and an active LBP licence.

Use the LBP Register to check the current status of any certification held by a qualified roofer.

Roofbuddy helps by ensuring that all quotes issued through the Roofbuddy marketplace come from companies employing roofers who are fully qualified and licensed. These qualifications are displayed alongside each quote, allowing consumers to confirm current licence status directly and efficiently on the LBP register.

Public Liability Insurance.

Public liability insurance is held by roofing companies to cover any ‘direct cause damage' to a property that occurs during the course of roofing works. Its primary function is to cover the cost of repairing property damage caused by the actions of employees, contractors or the use of equipment while the works are underway.

For example, if a roofer accidentally punctures a water pipe, damages a neighbouring property, drops a loose sheet onto a vehicle, or water enters and causes damage during a weather event while the job is in progress, public liability insurance is intended to respond to these losses. In these situations, the cost is met by the insurer rather than being borne directly by the company, its workers or the homeowner.

Having current and adequate public liability insurance is critical because reroofing involves high-risk activities such as working at height, using power tools and handling heavy materials near occupied areas. This insurance ensures that all parties are financially protected in the event of an accident or unforeseen damage. Many councils, principal contractors and commercial clients require proof of valid insurance before work can begin, making it a foundational element of compliance, professionalism and risk management. It is strongly recommended that consumers apply the same standard.

Two factors are particularly important. The first is currency, confirming that the policy is active and remains operative for the full duration of the works. The second is sufficiency of cover, ensuring the policy limit is appropriate for the risk profile of the project. For most residential roofing works, coverage of between $2 million and $5 million is generally considered acceptable, although higher limits may be appropriate depending on the size, complexity or location of the structure.

Consumers are strongly encouraged to request a current certificate of public liability insurance from any company before accepting a quote for roofing works.

Roofbuddy helps by ensuring that all quotes issued through the Roofbuddy marketplace are from companies holding current and sufficient public liability insurance. Certificates are displayed alongside quotes for consumers to review, and automated reminders prompt service providers to renew their insurance so cover remains in place as a prerequisite for quotes being presented.

Reference sites and track record.

Consumers should undertake a thorough review of available information about roofing companies and follow several lines of enquiry before accepting a quote. Asking questions during the quoting process is strongly encouraged, as it helps establish confidence, experience and capability based on comparable work completed previously.

Google reviews can provide useful insight into a company's track record, but they have limitations and should be interpreted carefully. Not all feedback is fair or reasonable, and negative reviews should be read in context and alongside the company's response to better understand the circumstances. Likewise, not all positive reviews are necessarily from genuine customers. Taking a balanced and sceptical approach to both positive and negative feedback is appropriate, and online reviews should be considered as one of several data points rather than a definitive assessment of track record.

Photographs of genuine reference sites are one of the strongest indicators of capability and workmanship. Roofing companies often display these on their websites or social media platforms. If they are not available publicly, roofers should be willing and able to share examples of completed work via email or text message. Images showing company-branded vehicles, signage and uniformed staff can further support credibility and establish authenticity.

Roofbuddy helps by vetting roofers before they are onboarded to the marketplace, including reviewing Google reviews, reference sites, trading history and broader online presence. Once onboarded, each service provider has a profile displaying verified Roofbuddy customer feedback, the number of jobs completed through the marketplace, relevant qualifications and insurances, and a photograph gallery of reference sites.

Roofbuddy consultants can also provide additional context around recent performance, quality assurance outcomes, communication style, lead times and broader customer feedback.

Click here to review our Full Requirements for Roofers who want to join the Roofbuddy marketplace

Deposit conventions.

The average roofing quote exceeds $20,000 including GST, making roofing contracts a significant financial commitment for consumers. It is fair and reasonable for roofing companies to request deposits as an advance on labour and materials required to fulfil the quote. It is important that consumers understand where risk sits at different points in the transaction, particularly in relation to deposit milestones, and that conventions for fair and reasonable deposit values are negotiated and upheld.

There are no firm rules, but the following deposit structures are widely accepted as reasonable guidelines for various project sizes.

The period of greatest risk for consumers occurs when deposits have been paid but no materials have yet been ordered or delivered and no on-site works have commenced. Roofing materials must be measured precisely on-site before being manufactured, so it is advisable to minimise the time between payment of a deposit and confirmation that the roofer or supplier has received and processed the material order. Consumers should not hesitate to ask to be blind-copied into the order email to confirm this step has occurred.

Once materials have been ordered and delivered to the property, the consumer's risk profile reduces significantly. When the job is underway and the roofing company has incurred costs for scaffolding and labour, the risk pendulum begins to shift. At that point, the roofing company has committed more resources to the job than the value covered by the deposits. This imbalance peaks at completion, when the service provider has fulfilled 100% of their obligations but is still owed the final tranche. This is an uncomfortable position for roofing companies, so consumers should not be surprised if final payment is requested promptly. This is discussed further in the later section on quality assurance.

Roofbuddy helps by clearly setting out appropriate deposit milestones for each quote and specifying when each payment tranche should be made. Roofbuddy offers consumers, on request, a comprehensive 69-point quality assurance inspection conducted by an independent LBP-qualified roofer at the completion of works. For Roofbuddy marketplace customers, the cost of this assessment is $299 including GST, while for non-Roofbuddy customers the cost is $899 including GST. This assessment confirms that all quoted obligations have been met and that the work has been carried out correctly in accordance with the Building Code and industry best practice. The report is provided to consumers before the final completion payment is released, giving full confidence before funds are transferred.

Service provider solvency considerations.

When a consumer pays a large unsecured deposit to a roofing company in exchange for a commitment to future works, roofer solvency becomes a critical consideration. Current market conditions have squeezed margins and thinned installation pipelines across the industry. This increases financial pressure on roofing companies and leaves little buffer if a job runs into difficulty or unexpected cost.

These conditions can increase risk for consumers, particularly where new deposits are paid into businesses that have incomplete work or strained finances. In such scenarios, incoming deposits can be used to cash-flow the completion of older jobs. If consumer funds are paid in advance and a company subsequently becomes insolvent or enters liquidation, deposit payers become unsecured creditors and those funds are almost never recovered.

Assessing the solvency of a roofing company is not straightforward. In an ideal world, consumers would request balance sheets, profit and loss statements and aged payables, but this is neither practical nor reasonable in most residential transactions.

Instead, longevity and organisational structure are useful indicators. By searching the Companies Register, consumers can review the entity's incorporation date, shareholding structure and director appointments. In many cases, the individual providing the quote will be the majority shareholder and a director of the business.

To learn more about a company, visit the Companies Register.

Structural questions can also help establish scale and stability, such as how many installation teams are operated and whether the business has dedicated office administration. None of these factors alone should be dealbreakers, but taken together they help build a clearer understanding of the business before a deposit is paid.

There is no single test that guarantees solvency, and even well-run companies remain exposed to market conditions and recent trading performance. The current environment is challenging for the entire industry. While New Zealanders can feel uncomfortable discussing financial matters, a proactive and open approach is often the most effective way to establish confidence and credibility. Straightforward questions should be easy for a stable business to answer and should not raise concern if the operator is on solid footing.

Roofbuddy helps mitigate this risk by providing robust Customer Warranties designed to ensure consumers receive the quoted works at the quoted price.

These protections apply where consumers choose to book the optional 69-point quality assurance post-installation assessment, currently priced at $299 including GST, and do not release final payment before a passed QA report has been issued. Across more than 4,200 roofing transactions completed on the Roofbuddy marketplace, these protections have been activated in favour of consumers on more than 50 occasions where service providers were unwilling or unable to meet their quoted obligations. To date, every consumer who has transacted through the Roofbuddy marketplace has ultimately had the quoted works completed at the quoted price, a track record that reflects the effectiveness of these protections.

Specifications and quote comparison.

Roofing specifications and quotes can be complex and multidimensional. A roofing quote is made up of a series of standard inclusions and exclusions that ultimately determine the total quoted price. Once confidence has been established in the service providers themselves, it is critical that all quotes are aligned for specification parity before any comparison is made on price alone. Comparing non-equivalent scopes is one of the most common causes of cost overruns, disputes and dissatisfaction.

Quote specifications to consider

Steel roofing materials

Steel roofing makes up the majority of roofing in New Zealand and is the focus of this guide. Roofing steel is supplied by four main manufacturers: Colorsteel, Colorcote, Kiwicolor and Unisteel. All supply broadly comparable steel substrates, galvanisation systems, paint coatings, colour ranges and warranty frameworks.

Review a Comparison Overview between these suppliers by clicking here

Steel coil is sold to roll-forming manufacturers who fold and cut it into finished roofing profiles, custom made to suit the specific dimensions of each property. These finished products are then supplied to the roofing company ready for installation. In practice, product quality, composition, availability and warranty terms are very similar across suppliers. Roofing companies typically have a strong commercial alignment with one supplier, and this relationship often determines which material they can quote most competitively.

Steel gauge

Steel roofing is commonly offered in two thicknesses: 0.4mm and 0.55mm. Both thicknesses use the same galvanisation, coating systems and warranty structures, with the only difference being the substrate thickness.

There is a geographical quirk where South Island and Central North Island quotes tend to default to 0.4mm, while Auckland and Wellington more commonly quote 0.55mm. There is little technical rationale for this distinction.

Some roofers prefer working with 0.4mm steel because it is easier to cut and handle on site and may refuse to install 0.55mm. Others work exclusively with 0.55mm because they find thinner material dents more easily during installation, particularly on complex roofs, leading to higher replacement rates at completion. Most competent roofers will work with either. The typical cost difference is approximately $5 plus GST per square metre.

0.55mm is strongly recommended if the roof is likely to be trafficable in future, such as where solar panels, heat pumps or other services may be installed later. It is also recommended for low-pitch roofs below 10 degrees, where dent risk is higher due to installer positioning during installation. Provided there are no dents at completion and no subsequent foot traffic, the choice of 0.4mm versus 0.55mm has no meaningful impact on longevity, appearance or performance.

Scaffolding and edge protection

Scaffolding or edge protection is a legal requirement for roofing works and a critical health and safety control.

For roof pitches under 25 degrees, edge protection is generally adequate and more cost effective. This consists of ground-supported poles with multiple horizontal rails at roof edges. For roof pitches above 25 degrees, full platform scaffolding is required. Platform scaffolding is substantially more involved and costly, with full working decks installed around the structure.

Roofing companies may subcontract scaffold installation or erect it themselves. There is no licensing or ticket requirement for scaffolding under 6 metres, which covers the majority of residential homes.

If gutters and downpipes are being replaced, this can trigger a requirement to move from edge protection to platform scaffolding and materially increase costs. Platform scaffolding alone can make up around half of the cost of gutter replacement in this scenario.

Where platform scaffolding is required, it is sensible to consider whether other works should be undertaken at the same time while access is available.

Painting, cladding repairs, guttering, fascias, cleaning or other maintenance can often be bundled efficiently. Electrical sleeving is also required where live services enter the structure to protect installers.

Scaffolding and electrical sleeving should always be included within the quoted specifications unless explicitly excluded at the consumer's request.

Roofing profiles

Roofing profiles are available in a wide range of options, but corrugated and trapezoidal profiles account for the majority of residential installations due to cost effectiveness.

Corrugated profiles are typically suited to traditional villas and bungalows and are warrantable down to an 8-degree pitch. Trapezoidal profiles are more commonly used on modern or architectural homes and are warrantable down to a 4-degree pitch, making them suitable for lower pitched roofs between 4 and 8 degrees where corrugated profiles are not warrantable.

Outside of aesthetics and minimum pitch limits, consumers should expect comparable performance and pricing between these two profiles. More specialised architectural or commercial profiles are available but carry higher material and labour costs and are rarely justified unless a specific design outcome is desired.

Certain roof types, such as flat roofs, require specific fit-for-purpose profiles like clip-lock systems. These requirements should be identified and discussed clearly at the quoting stage.

Quote inclusions and exclusions

Inclusions and exclusions are critical and should be clearly defined to ensure quotes are genuinely comparable.

Standard inclusions should typically cover all flashings, fixings, labour, penetrations, back-trays, Dektites, removal and disposal of old roofing materials, and site cleanup. Failure to include these items often results in unexpected variations later.

Gutter and downpipe replacement is optional but should be considered carefully, as gutters often reach end of life at a similar time to the roof. Where platform scaffolding is already required, replacing gutters concurrently can be cost effective.

Purlins are the timber members that roofing is fixed into. When converting from tile or Decramastic roofing to steel, full purlin replacement is mandatory and should be included in the quoted scope. When re-roofing steel over steel, it is customary to allow for some level of purlin repair, though the full extent cannot always be known until the roof is removed. In these cases, variations based on actual conditions discovered are fair and reasonable.

Structural repairs, truss work, painting, plastering, fascia, bargeboard or weatherboard replacement, gutter repairs and satellite dish realignment are typically excluded and should be priced separately if required.

Complications and cost modifiers

Certain conditions materially increase complexity and cost. Roofs with multiple intersecting pitches require higher skill and labour. Flat roofs are technically demanding, require expensive profiles and often carry additional contingency due to higher waterproofing risk.

Apron flashings where roofing connects into cladding require careful consideration. In some situations, existing functional flashings can be retained with new sacrificial flashings installed for appearance. In other cases, particularly where roofing type is changed, full cladding removal and builder involvement may be required.

Horizontal apron flashings across single boards are straightforward. Raked aprons cutting across multiple boards, plaster or sheet materials are significantly more complex and costly. Consumers should take time to fully understand whether roofing quotes include proper integration into cladding. In some scenarios these omitted works can run into tens of thousands of dollars.

Proximity to site

The proximity of the service provider's base of operations to the property is a relevant consideration. Roofing works often span weeks. Greater travel distance can introduce delays, particularly for follow-up visits or warranty work. Where a property sits within a service provider's normal operating area, response times are typically faster and resolution easier.

Achieving aligned and genuinely comparable quote specifications is the single most important step in selecting the right roofing quote. Obtaining multiple competitive quotes can be time consuming and requires a high level of technical understanding. Service providers benefit from information asymmetry in pricing and scope, and quotes can appear attractive while hiding exclusions or downstream costs.

Roofbuddy helps by conducting a detailed needs analysis, creating a comprehensive and accurate scope of works, and ensuring all specifications and inclusions are clearly defined. Once approved, these identical specifications are released to vetted roofers who submit competitive, directly comparable quotes. Consumers are then able to assess pricing alongside full roofer profiles, reviews, lead times, insurance and qualification documentation, saving time while materially reducing risk.

Contract works Insurance.

A contract works insurance policy acts as a bridge between a homeowner's standard home and contents insurance policy and the service provider's public liability insurance. Some home and contents policies are partially or fully voided when what the insurer defines as “major works” are being carried out at a property. Where this occurs, coverage can be invalidated for the duration of the roofing works, even though the homeowner continues paying premiums.

Public liability insurance held by the service provider responds only to direct cause events. This includes damage caused by employees or subcontractors, water ingress related to the works, equipment, installation activities or other actions directly attributable to the roofing works themselves. However, if a home and contents policy has been invalidated and damage occurs that is unrelated to the works, this can create a significant gap in coverage. For example, an electrical fault in a household appliance causing a fire during the roofing period would not be covered by public liability insurance, and may also fall outside home and contents cover if that policy has been suspended.

Once a quote has been confirmed and indicative installation dates are known, consumers are strongly encouraged to contact their home and contents insurer and disclose the scope, nature and expected duration of the roofing works. Some insurers do not charge for this notification and simply require advance notice. Others may require a contract works policy to be put in place to maintain coverage while works are underway.

In most cases, contract works insurance should be relatively inexpensive. If an insurer proposes a disproportionately high premium for this cover, it is reasonable to seek alternative providers, as pricing can vary significantly between insurers.

Roofbuddy helps by prompting consumers in writing at point of sale, again at handover, and verbally upon job confirmation, to ensure they contact their insurer and confirm whether a contract works policy is required or already in place.