The short answer
Often yes. A roofing contract signed at your home or anywhere away from the trader's premises can be cancelled without giving a reason, within a cooling-off period of 14 days that starts the day after you sign. The main exception is an urgent repair that you invited the roofer to carry out. If you are unsure which applies, the Citizens Advice consumer helpline is 0808 223 1133.
The 14-day cooling-off period
Most roof jobs are agreed after a survey at the customer's own house, and a contract made there counts as an off-premises contract. The Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 define that as one made "in a place which is not the business premises of the trader". For these contracts the law gives the consumer a right to cancel "without giving any reason".
For services, the period ends at the end of 14 days after the day the contract is entered into. Citizens Advice counts the window from the following day, and calls 14 days the least a seller may allow. Either way, you have a fortnight to think, so a signature on the doorstep is not the end of the matter.
Citizens Advice ties the rule to a business that reached you somewhere other than its own premises, for a service costing £42 or more, a figure every roof job clears.
You do not need a special reason. A second quote that looks better, a worry about the scope or simple doubt is enough. Do the cancelling in writing and keep a copy, so the date of your notice is not in dispute.
The urgent repairs exception
There is one rule that catches roof customers out. Regulation 28(1)(e) takes the cancellation right away when the customer asked the trader to attend specifically to deal with an urgent repair or urgent upkeep. Citizens Advice makes the same point for anyone who calls a business in over something pressing: no automatic cooling-off follows.
In practice this covers the customer with water coming through the ceiling who rings a roofer to come and make it safe. It is a good rule for that customer, because the work can start at once without a waiting period hanging over it.
It does not cover everything on the same visit. A leak call that turns into a quote for a whole new roof is a different job from the urgent one, and whether the larger job falls under the exception depends on its facts. If you want to be certain, ask for the make-safe work and the longer job to be written up separately, and keep the dates clear.
The exception turns on what you asked for, not on how the roofer found you. Our page on how many roofing quotes to get explains why a calmer comparison is easier before an emergency than during one.
Starting early and what you should be told
Waiting 14 days is awkward when a roof is failing, and the rules allow an early start. For an off-premises contract, the request to begin within the cancellation period has to be made on a durable medium. In everyday terms, that means in writing, whether on paper or in an email you can keep, so the request is not left to memory.
The trader also has to tell you about your right to cancel. If cancellation information is never given, the period is extended, and the regulations allow up to 12 months after the day it would have ended. A contract with no cancellation notice is therefore open to cancellation for far longer than a fortnight.
When you receive a quote or a contract, look for three things:
- a plain statement of your right to cancel and how to use it;
- one total price in writing, with the work described;
- a note of any request you made for an early start, signed or sent by you.
If a roofer will not put these in writing, treat that as a reason to slow down. Our survey comes first and the quote follows it, so you see what is proposed before any contract exists.
How to cancel, and where to get help
Tell the trader in writing, say that you are cancelling the contract and give the date. Email or a letter works, and sending it inside the 14 days matters more than how it travels. Keep the sent message, and a note of when you posted it, so you can prove it.
If the roofer already started work at your request, the money question needs care, and the rules cover what can be charged for work done in that case. Rather than guess, ring the Citizens Advice consumer helpline on 0808 223 1133 before you pay or refuse to pay anything.
Cancelling is also different from complaining about work that was done badly. That is covered by the Consumer Rights Act 2015, which looks for reasonable care and skill in a service, and our page on how to complain about a roofer follows the steps. You can also see the services we cover from the Farnborough roofing homepage.
Nothing here is legal advice. It reflects the published regulations and the Citizens Advice pages as read in October 2026, and the helpline is the place for a particular case.
