What do we check, and in what order?
LBP status, where the job needs one
We look the roofer up on the public LBP register and check their licence is current and covers the work. For restricted roofing work, such as a consented re-roof, that means a Roofing licence with the right area of practice (metal tile or membrane, for example), a current plumber or gasfitter registration, or a Carpentry licence for lightweight profiled metal roofing. We also look at their licence history and any discipline in the last three years.
Work that doesn't need an LBP
Plenty of roofing work isn't restricted building work: moss treatment, roof painting, spouting cleaning and most like-for-like repairs. A roofer who only does that doesn't need to be an LBP, and we won't pretend otherwise, but they still pass every other check on this page.
Insurance, seen and not assumed
We ask for a current public liability insurance certificate and check the business name on it matches the roofer we're dealing with. The policy has to cover at least $2 million.
The work they specialise in, and where
A roofer is certified job by job: re-roofs, spouting, decramastic repairs, membrane roofs and so on. For each one, we check their licence class covers it where the job needs an LBP, and ask for photos plus an address or invoice for three jobs of that type from the last 12 months. They only get the kinds of jobs they're certified for, in the areas they cover, so a spouting specialist doesn't get a decramastic re-roof, and a roofer based across town doesn't get a job they can't reach.
Checking again
Every three months we look the roofer up on the LBP register again, where their work needs an LBP. We ask for a new insurance certificate whenever theirs renews, which is at least once a year, and we recheck straight away after a complaint. If a licence lapses or is suspended, insurance runs out or complaints build up, the roofer loses certification and stops getting jobs from us.
Checks run both ways
Roofers aren't the only ones checked. Homeowners' phone numbers are verified too, before any job reaches a roofer.
Why check the register ourselves?
A licence number on a van or a quote proves nothing on its own. The register shows whether it's current and what it covers. Claiming to be licensed when you're not is an offence, with a fine of up to $50,000, but the register is how you catch it in the first place.
There's a reason to check on your side too. Knowingly hiring someone who isn't suitably licensed to do or supervise restricted building work is also an offence, with fines of up to $50,000 for an individual.
What should you still check yourself?
- For restricted building work, the LBP number on your quote matches the register, in the right licence class
- A written, dated contract for any residential building work of $30,000 or more including GST
- The official disclosure information and checklist before you sign, which the roofer must give you at that price, or on a smaller job if you ask
- That the disclosure statement lists the roofer's insurance and any warranties, with their limits
- Who is getting the building consent, if one is needed
- If a deposit is asked for, no more than 10% of the total, which is the most Consumer Protection advises paying
- A record of work from the LBP when consented restricted work is finished
- If asbestos is being removed, the removalist's licence showing as Current on WorkSafe's register (is my roof asbestos?)
What certified means, and what it doesn't
Find My Roofer certified is our standard and nobody else's. It isn't an LBP licence, a trade qualification or an industry body's badge, and any licence the job needs still comes from the LBP scheme.
We don't inspect roofs, check workmanship on site or supervise jobs. Our checks don't replace your rights under the Consumer Guarantees Act, or the warranties the Building Act writes into every residential building contract. The contract for the work is between you and the roofer, and if something goes wrong, our complaints page explains where to go.
What we'd do before signing
Even with our checks, take five minutes to look the roofer up on the register yourself and read the disclosure statement before you sign. It's your contract, and the register is open to anyone.