Most people only find out how the roofing industry actually works after something's gone wrong.
That's the real problem Adelaide Roofers exists to solve. A new roof — or even a repair after a storm — is one of the biggest and most opaque purchases most homeowners will ever make. You can't see inside the finished work. You don't know whether a quote is fair or a warning sign. And a search for “roofer near me” just hands you a list of ads, with no way to tell who's actually a licensed roofer in Adelaide, who's actually an insured roofer, and who's going to still be answering the phone in twelve months if something goes wrong.
So before any roofer joins the Adelaide Roofers network, we check five things ourselves — licensing, insurance, track record, suburb fit, and warranty cover — so you don't have to find out the hard way. Here's exactly what we look for, and why each one matters.
1. Licensing
In South Australia, anyone carrying out domestic building work for someone else — including roofing — must hold a current Building Work Contractor's Licence issued by Consumer and Business Services (CBS), under the Building Work Contractors Act 1995. Before a roofer ever joins our network, we confirm this directly against CBS's own public register — not against whatever they tell us.
That check tells us a roofer has actually met the state's competency and financial requirements, and that they're legally allowed to take on the work in the first place. Licences can also be suspended or cancelled, so we check current status — not just that a licence was issued at some point in the past.
Every roofer we refer has already cleared this. If they can't produce a current licence number, they don't make it into our network — simple as that.
2. Insurance
A licence tells us someone is allowed to do the work. Insurance tells us what happens if it goes wrong — so we confirm three types are current before we ever refer an insured roofer:
- Public liability insurance — covers damage to your property or injury to a third party during the job.
- Building Indemnity Insurance (BII) — a specific SA requirement for domestic building contracts of $20,000 or more. It protects you if the builder dies, disappears, becomes insolvent, or is found negligent and can't or won't fix the problem.
- Workers compensation — covers anyone working on your roof if they're injured on site.
We ask for actual certificates of currency — dated documents, not a verbal assurance — before a roofer is added to our network.
3. Track record
Licensing and insurance tell us a roofer is legally allowed to do the job, and covered if it goes wrong. They don't tell us if the work is actually good — so we check that separately, before anyone joins our network:
- Recent completed jobs locally, with photos where we can get them
- Contactable references — not just star ratings
- How long they've genuinely been trading under their current business name
A roofer with nothing to show and no one for us to call doesn't get referred — that's not a risk we're willing to hand to you.
Not sure yet whether your job is even a repair or a full replacement? Try our free calculator for an instant estimate either way.
4. Suburb fit
“Nearby” isn't just a convenience filter — it changes the quality of the work, which is why we match you with a roofer who already works your part of Adelaide, not just whoever's available first. A local roofer already knows which materials suit the local conditions, what your council actually requires for approvals in that area, and which suppliers can get materials to your street quickly if something's back-ordered.
It matters after the job's finished, too — a local roofer has a shorter drive back if something needs a warranty callback. See the suburbs we cover.
5. Warranties
Two different warranties are in play on any roofing job, and we confirm both before we refer a roofer — not left for you to chase up afterwards:
- Manufacturer's material warranty — covers the roofing material itself, but is often void if it's installed by an unlicensed or non-approved installer. We confirm the roofer is an approved installer, so this warranty actually holds if you ever need it.
- Workmanship warranty — covers the installation itself, and is only as good as the company standing behind it. We confirm the workmanship warranty period upfront, in writing.
6. Who's actually doing the work
Many roofing companies subcontract the physical installation — sometimes to workers paid per square metre, an incentive structure that can reward speed over quality. Before we refer a roofer, we confirm whether it's their own employees doing the work or a subcontractor — and if it's a subcontractor, that they're separately licensed and insured too.
Free toolWant to check a licence yourself?
Everything above is what we already check before a roofer joins our network. If you'd rather check one yourself — including a roofer you found without us — use our free tool.
Check a licence → If something doesn't check out
If a roofer can't produce a current licence number, current insurance, or any real evidence of past work, we don't refer them — full stop. That's exactly why we do this checking upfront, before your name and theirs are ever put together.
Want the full list of questions and red flags to watch for, even if you'd rather vet a roofer yourself? Get our free guide.
