Every year thousands of Australian homeowners pay a roofer who was never going to do the job properly — and most of the time, the scam gave itself away early. This episode lays out the seven red flags that separate a cowboy from a professional: the unannounced door knocker, the big cash deposit, the suspiciously cheap quote, the roofer you can't verify, the reviews that read like ads, the mid-job upsell once they're on the roof, and the deal with no paperwork. Spot these before you sign, and you'll dodge almost every roofing scam going.
Door knockers offering a 'today only' price are the number one trap — good roofers are booked out, not driving around looking for damage
A cash deposit of fifty percent or more before a tile is lifted is a classic disappear-with-the-money setup
A quote thousands cheaper than the rest is cheap because it left something out — scaffolding, old-roof disposal or flashing you'll pay for later
Always look up their Australian Business Number and licence yourself; the ones who can't be verified are usually the ones with the worst stories
Ten five-star reviews posted the same week, with no photos, no history and generic praise, are almost always planted
Beware the mid-job upsell — finding 'much more damage' once the old roof is half off is a pressure tactic, not an accident
No written quote, no contract, no proof of insurance means nothing to fall back on when it goes wrong
Licences, insurance and warranties to check before hiring a roofer
Roof repair costs in Australia: what's reasonable to payFull show notes and transcript: australianroofers.com/podcast/how-to-spot-a-roofing-scam
The AustralianRoofers.com Podcast is produced by Australian Roofers — Australia's editorial directory of roofers. More episodes at australianroofers.com/podcast.