How to Choose a Roofer in Adelaide

Choosing a roofer in Adelaide comes down to verifiable facts rather than a friendly first impression. A roof repair or replacement is one of the larger jobs a South Australian homeowner will commission, so the checks below matter. This guide sets out what to confirm before you sign anything, using the rules that apply under South Australian law.

Check the licence first

Most roofing work in South Australia is regulated. A business carrying out building work for another person generally needs a building work contractor's licence from Consumer and Business Services (CBS), the state regulator. Roof plumbing, which covers gutters, downpipes, flashings and stormwater connections, falls under the separate plumbing, gas fitting and electrical (PGE) licensing system.

According to the Housing Industry Association's guide to SA licensing, contractors face significant penalties for doing building work without the right licence. That penalty exposure is the roofer's problem until something goes wrong on your roof, at which point it becomes yours.

Verify the licence yourself rather than taking it on trust. The CBS Find a Licence Holder register lets you search by licence number, surname or trading name. Cross-check the name on the register against the name on the quote, because a tradesperson sometimes quotes under one trading name while the licence sits with a different entity.

The register also tells you whether a person previously held a licence and what conditions applied to it. A licence that has lapsed or carries conditions is a useful prompt to ask the roofer directly what changed before you go any further.

Confirm public liability and building indemnity insurance

Public liability insurance covers damage the roofer causes to your property or a neighbour's during the job. Most established Adelaide roofers carry cover of $5 million or $10 million, and you are entitled to ask for a current certificate of currency before work starts.

Building indemnity insurance is a separate and stricter requirement set by state law. Under the Building Work Contractors Act 1995 (SA), a builder must take out building indemnity insurance in your name for domestic building work above a set value, and the South Australian Government Financing Authority administers the scheme. From 10 November 2025 the threshold that triggers this cover rose from $12,000 to $20,000, as explained by Lynch Meyer Lawyers.

This insurance protects you if the builder dies, disappears or becomes insolvent before finishing the work or fixing a defect. Claims can be made up to five years after the work is completed. For a full re-roof above the threshold, ask to see the building indemnity policy in your name before paying a deposit.

Get three written quotes

Three written quotes give you a price range and expose the outliers. A quote far below the others usually signals cheaper materials, an unlicensed operator, or a scope that quietly leaves out scaffolding, waste removal or making good.

Each quote should be itemised rather than a single lump sum. Look for the material being used, such as Colorbond steel or terracotta tiles, the area in square metres, the treatment of ridge capping and flashings, and who handles rubbish and access equipment. A quote that lists "supply and install roof" with one number gives you nothing to compare and nothing to hold the roofer to later.

Treat the quote and the contract as two documents. The quote is a sales figure, while the written contract is what binds both sides, so the scope in the contract should match the quote line for line.

Understand the contract, deposit and cooling-off rules

South Australian law caps how much a contractor can ask for upfront. For a domestic building work contract priced at $20,000 or more, the deposit is limited to 5% of the contract price, as set out in the Law Handbook SA guidance on building work contracts. A roofer demanding 30% or 40% before any material arrives is operating outside the norm and is worth questioning.

You also have a cooling-off right. A homeowner can terminate a domestic building work contract by giving written notice within five clear business days of making the contract, and any deposit must then be refunded. This gives you a short window to reconsider after the pressure of the sales conversation has passed.

Read the payment schedule before signing. Progress payments should be tied to completed stages of the work rather than to dates, so you are never paying for a stage the roofer has not yet finished.

Read reviews properly

Google and product review sites are useful, but read past the star rating. A roofer with 40 reviews averaging 4.6 tells you more than one with five perfect reviews posted in the same week. Look for reviews that mention the specific work you need, whether that is a leak repair, a tile-to-Colorbond conversion or a full replacement.

Pay attention to how the business responds to criticism. A measured reply to a one-star review that explains what happened says more about how the company will treat you if something goes wrong than a wall of glowing comments.

Photos from real jobs and a physical Adelaide address both add weight. An operator with no traceable address and only a mobile number is harder to pursue if a defect appears two years later.

Know your warranty position

Every domestic building work contract in South Australia carries statutory warranties whether or not they are written into the document. Section 32 of the Building Work Contractors Act 1995 implies warranties that the work will meet accepted trade standards and follow the agreed plans, and proceedings for a breach can be started up to five years after completion.

Separate from those statutory rights, ask about the manufacturer's product warranty and the roofer's own workmanship warranty. A Colorbond steel product can carry a manufacturer warranty measured in decades, while a roofer's workmanship guarantee is often shorter, so confirm both in writing and check what voids them.

A roofer who explains the difference between a product warranty and a workmanship warranty without prompting is usually the one who understands the job.

Keep your signed contract, the itemised quote and any warranty documents together in one place. If a defect appears in year three or four, that paperwork is what lets you rely on the five-year statutory window rather than arguing about what was agreed.

Red flags to avoid

Unsolicited door-knocking after a storm is the most common warning sign in Adelaide. Operators who tell you they "noticed damage from the street" and want to start today are applying time pressure for a reason.

Other signals worth heeding include a refusal to provide a licence number, a request for a large cash deposit, no written quote, and reluctance to put the warranty in writing. Each one on its own may be explainable, though more than one together is a reason to walk away and call the next roofer on your list.