Should a roofing quotation be free?

Before you begin your search for a professional roofing contractor, there’s something worth considering upfront. Should a roofing quotation be free?

Should you expect a free roofing quotation from an expert?

Oh yes — we all like something for free!

And most of us expect to receive a quotation free of charge.

Indeed, most professional roofing contractors offer this service at no cost to the customer!

As a consumer, we wouldn’t expect to pay for a quotation for work to be carried out on our property.

But should a roofing quotation be free?

The true cost of giving a free roofing quotation

Whilst a roofing quotation may have been ‘free’ for you to obtain from a contractor it is worth remembering that it wasn’t ‘free’ for them to produce this for you.

So please bear in mind the time and effort your very often ‘technologically challenged’ roofing contractor has put in in order to produce this for you!

Still think it costs nothing for your roofing contractor to produce your quotation?

Then add up in hours the time they have spent talking to you, travelling to see you, giving you their very knowledgeable advice whilst at your property, travelling back to their place of work, gathering costs, and producing the quotation (very often with two fingers on an iPad as working a computer is not their strongest point)!

Honest feedback in return is all they ask for

So please — when your roofing contractor calls you to discuss the quotation with you afterwards … we’re sure you know where we’re coming from! And we are also sure you are not one of those people who rudely can’t get them off the phone fast enough — or worse, doesn’t answer the phone or return their calls at all!

Some honest feedback is all they are asking for. In exchange for the time spent producing your quotation, it really isn’t a lot to ask for, is it?

When will a contractor charge for a roofing quotation?

If you’re purchasing a property and something has come to light in the survey, many contractors will charge for a roofing quotation.

This is largely down to the fact there is little chance of them winning any work – with any roofing quotation provided simply being used as leverage to reduce the sale price of the property in question!

Many contractors, therefore, reserve the right to charge for this service. However, some may offer you your fee back should you go ahead and instruct them to carry out the work at a later date.

So, anyone with genuine intentions shouldn’t be afraid to ask if they are prepared to do this.