Members shall treat all customers fairly and respectfully, taking reasonable account of any vulnerability or circumstances that may affect the customer’s ability to understand the proposed work, its cost or the terms of the contract.
Members shall explain the proposed work, costs, risks and contractual terms in clear language, allow customers reasonable time to consider their options, and avoid exploiting distress, fear or vulnerability to secure a contract or additional payment.
Where appropriate, members shall encourage customers to seek independent advice or involve a trusted person before making a significant financial commitment.
CORC require members to remain responsible for ensuring that work undertaken on their behalf meets the Code’s requirements. Members should also ensure that subcontractors have appropriate competence, insurance and health and safety arrangements. Where subcontractors are used, the member should remain the customer’s principal point of contact unless otherwise agreed in writing.
Members should not discriminate unlawfully, threaten or intimidate customers, or behave abusively towards CORC staff, customers, other members or investigators.
Persistent abusive communication or harassment may be treated as a disciplinary matter, while preserving members’ ability to raise legitimate complaints and challenge CORC decisions appropriately.
All information provided to CORC, both during application and throughout membership, is to be accurate and complete.
Members should notify CORC of material changes and correct any inaccurate information promptly. Deliberate concealment, forged evidence or false claims about qualifications, insurance or accreditations will be expressly identified as potential serious breaches.
Establish and maintain high standards for the conduct of the work undertaken and products and services supplied by member companies.
Each CORC member shall be given a registered membership number and web page. These will be included in the CORC published list of members on www.corc.co.uk which shall be updated on a daily basis.
CORC members shall give correct contact details and answer calls and messages from customers and the CORC whenever possible.
ESTIMATES, QUOTATIONS AND CONTRACTS
CORC members shall supply sufficient information at the commencement of a contract to satisfy clients needs such as the scope of work, materials, preparation, access arrangements, total price including VAT where applicable, exclusions and payment terms.
CORC members shall not undertake unsolicited visits to consumers homes.
Each quotation for the general public should reflect their limited technical knowledge. All wording should be self explanatory and avoid an over-technical bias.
Once the parties agree to the resultant written quotation or estimate, a contract shall exist between them. This must be confirmed in writing.
Where work to be carried out is of a minor, urgent or quantifiable nature, a trade member may point out to the client that it would be to the practical advantage of both parties if the work was carried out on a day work or cost plus basis. Providing the client agrees to these arrangements, they shall be informed of day work rates for labour, plant, material and transport together with any minimum charge that may apply. Day work sheets and/or time sheets shall be made available to the client if requested. Require clear rates, how materials and additional costs are calculated, and how the customer approves expenditure.
All quotations and estimates shall clearly identify any access arrangements, safety measures or precautions that the customer is required to provide or maintain, where applicable.
Members shall be responsible for ensuring that the work they undertake is properly planned and carried out in accordance with applicable health and safety legislation. Members must take appropriate steps to protect their employees, subcontractors, customers, members of the public and the customer’s property during the works.
Where the customer is required to take specific precautions, the member shall explain these requirements clearly before work commences. Nothing in the quotation, contract or any agreement with the customer shall transfer or remove any health and safety duty that the member is legally responsible for.
Where additional work is required or requested that hasn’t previously been detailed in the quote, the members shall provide the customer with a revised or additional quote to include the additional work before that work takes place. This requires written customer approval of the revised scope and price before proceeding, except where a genuine emergency makes this impracticable. Document any emergency action and costs
We require all CORC members to provide the correct 14 day cancellation notice and information where applicable, retain evidence of delivery, and obtain the appropriate express request and acknowledgements before starting early.
All members must comply with applicable consumer cancellation legislation and CORCs requirements for providing cancellation documentation.
Where a customer has a legal right to cancel a contract, the member must provide the customer with clear, accurate and complete written information explaining their cancellation rights, the applicable cancellation period and the procedure for exercising those rights. Where required by law, the member must also provide the prescribed cancellation form and a copy of the contract or written confirmation.
The required information and documentation must be provided within the applicable legal timescales and in the required format. Members must retain evidence that the documents were provided to the customer, including a copy of the documents and a record of when and how they were delivered.
Members must not commence work during an applicable cancellation period unless the legal requirements for starting work early have been satisfied. Where required, the customer must make an express request for work to begin during the cancellation period, recorded in writing or on another legally permitted durable medium. The member must also obtain any required acknowledgement concerning the consequences of early performance and the customer’s cancellation rights.
A customer’s agreement to start work early does not, by itself, remove their cancellation rights. Members must not mislead customers about their right to cancel or pressure them into signing cancellation waivers or early-start requests.
Members must not commence work on the assumption that a cancellation document, waiver or other form has been completed correctly. They must ensure that the applicable legal requirements have been met before proceeding.
Failure to provide the required cancellation information or documentation, or commencing work without satisfying the applicable legal requirements, may constitute a breach of this Code of Conduct and may result in disciplinary action by CORC.
Members must understand that a failure to comply with statutory cancellation requirements may also have legal consequences, including an extended cancellation period or other remedies where provided by law.
Members will respect the confidentiality of information that they obtain through work and business relationships.
DEPOSITS AND PRE-PAYMENTS
A member company shall repay any deposits and pre-payments promptly and in full should a contract be cancelled through no fault of the client, less any direct costs incurred.
Full payment shall not be taken from the customer until the member has completed the work and the customer has had a reasonable opportunity to inspect the work unless stage payments have been agreed (see below)
If there are to be stage payments, they should be agreed in advance for set stages and payment made in completion of those stages. Stage payments should be agreed when the contract is made.
- Deposits and advance payments must be proportionate and clearly explained.
- Members must not describe a payment as non-refundable without a lawful and contractually justified basis.
- Any deduction must have a proper legal and contractual basis and be supported by evidence.
- Refunds must be made within the applicable legal or agreed time frame.
- Members must not retain payments for work not carried out without a lawful basis.
EXECUTION OF CONTRACT AND MATERIALS USED
Members shall carry out all work with reasonable care and skill, in accordance with the contract, applicable legislation, relevant Building Regulations, and applicable British Standards, recognised industry guidance and manufacturer instructions, where relevant to the work undertaken.
Members shall use materials suitable for their intended purpose and shall not knowingly misrepresent the quality, origin, specification, performance or certification of any materials or products supplied.
Where a member becomes aware of a material departure from the agreed specification or a relevant technical requirement, the member shall inform the customer promptly, explain the implications and agree an appropriate course of action.
WORK AND MATERIAL GUARANTEES AND MATERIAL CERTIFICATION
CORC members are independent businesses and are responsible for the contracts they enter into, the work they undertake, the materials they supply and their compliance with applicable legal obligations.
CORC membership does not constitute a guarantee by CORC of any individual contract, project or outcome. Nothing in this Code excludes or limits any liability that cannot lawfully be excluded or limited.
A trade member may guarantee its work against failures due to its defective workmanship for a minimum period of one year from the date of completion of the work subject to receipt of full payment within the terms of the guarantee. Repair and maintenance work shall be excluded from such a guarantee. Guarantees are not mandatory by law and are given at the discretion of the roofer.
All CORC Associate members, as a condition of their membership, shall provide their own material guarantees of ten or more years duration and shall ensure, where applicable, that their materials meet a BS, EN, BBA or other approved technical accreditation operative at the time. Their materials may be viewed by clients on www.corc.co.uk linked to individual Associate member’s sites where these exist.
A CORC member must honour their company guarantee and go back to the customer within an acceptable time frame.
INSURANCE
A trade member shall arrange, and at all times maintain adequate insurance cover in respect of employer’s and public liability. The CORC will ask for public liability insurance from our members annually. If we do not receive this, we will chase via e mail and letter.
The CORC require members to notify CORC promptly of material changes including:
- Expired, cancelled or materially reduced insurance cover.
- Insolvency proceedings, liquidation or cessation of trading.
- Changes in ownership, directors or business identity where relevant to membership eligibility.
- Relevant regulatory action, loss of accreditation or qualifications they have claimed to hold.
- Criminal or civil findings where relevant to the membership criteria and lawfully requested.
Should we not receive this, the member will be removed from our website to ensure consumer safety.
Members should provide the policy documentation of public liability, employer and professional indemnity insurance policies (as required) on request.
An Associate member shall likewise arrange and, at all times, maintain adequate insurance cover in respect of public and products liability.
The Confederation of Roofing Contractors do not accept any responsibility for works carried out by their members.
INSURANCE BACKED GUARANTEES (IBGs)
IBGs are separately chargeable and are at the roofers discretion.
If an IBG has been promised in writing to a customer, it must be issued in accordance with the relevant terms and eligibility requirements.
Roofers should never claim that an IBG has been arranged, issued or is available unless that statement is accurate.
A company guarantee is a guarantee written by the company themselves. An insurance backed guarantee is a product paid for and given to the roofer by ourselves.
CORC roofers should co-operate with CORC investigations into missing or disputed guarantees.
HEALTH & SAFETY
Trade members must comply with the regulations laid down by the Health and Safety Executive with particular attention given to:
Personal Safety
COSHH Regulations
Scaffolding/Towers
Materials Handling
Disposal of Waste Materials
Safety Clothing and Headwear
Mechanical Tools
ADVERTISING
Trade and Associate members shall ensure that advertising and promotion of their products and services are accurate and do not transgress the British Code of Advertising Practice and the British Code of Sales Practice.
Trade members shall not cold call or doorstep pressure sell. Any CORC members found to be doing this will be suspended as a member immediately pending an internal investigation which may result in membership being revoked.
The Competition and Markets Authority’s updated guidance explains the current rules on misleading actions, omissions and aggressive commercial practices. This includes false endorsements, misleading availability, misleading context, aggressive sales and unreasonable demands.
Members shall not mislead, intimidate, harass or exert undue pressure on customers to enter into a contract, make a payment or agree to additional work. Members shall not make claims about the condition of a roof, the urgency of repairs, the availability of discounts, their qualifications or accreditation, or the protection provided by any guarantee or insurance product unless those claims are accurate and can be substantiated.
Members shall respect a customer’s decision to obtain independent advice or quotations and shall not use fear, intimidation or misleading statements to prevent them from doing so.
COMPLETION OF CONTRACTS
A Trade member will complete each contract:
On time, as agreed in the contract but with provision for weather, unforeseen circumstances or agreed variations to the work and other factors outside the trade member’s control. Where delay is likely to occur, a trade member shall give due notice to the client.
Unless the client has failed to make agreed payments, is in serious breach of the contract or there is some other substantial valid justification or the contract has been determined.
INSPECTION
A trade member will carry out an inspection of its work after completion of a contract to ensure that standards of workmanship and materials used conform with that contract’s detailed terms and relevant codes of practice.
CORC members will:
- Give customers prompt notice of delays and explain the reason.
- Agree revised completion dates where appropriate.
- Leave the site reasonably clean and remove waste in accordance with applicable requirements.
- Explain any outstanding work or defects at handover.
- Provide relevant product information, maintenance guidance and guarantee documents.
- Take reasonable steps to protect the customer’s property during the work.
COMPLAINTS
A trade member shall have a clear policy for dealing with complaints which shall include a nominated senior member of staff, or in the case of a small firm, the principal, who shall have primary responsibility for their resolution. This policy shall be displayed on the premises of the head, franchised or branch offices to be observable by clients.
A client with a complaint shall normally first approach the trade member responsible for their contract. The trade member shall respond quickly and acknowledge complaints within a specified period with the client. Agree a reasonable inspection date, normally within ten working days of the complaint, unless circumstances justify a different timeframe. Provide a written response setting out the findings and proposed resolution. Keep the customer informed if investigations or repairs are delayed. Cooperate with CORC when it requests information about the complaint.
Any client who thereafter continues to have a genuine complaint should approach the CORC to seek assistance, and should confirm their complaint in writing. The CORC will seek, by conciliation with the trade member, to resolve the client’s complaint. To seek assistance a client should view www.corc.co.uk for contact details or telephone 01206 306600.
Where either party to a dispute invokes litigation, or goes to arbitration or adjudication outside the auspices of the CORC, the CORC shall take no further part in its resolution other than to take disciplinary measures against the member if required, in accordance with the Code of Practice once the dispute is resolved. Any correspondence or reports issued by the CORC in connection with a dispute which subsequently goes to litigation outside the CORC cannot be used by any of the parties to that dispute.
The CORC, as a trade association, do have to be transparent and honest to the public. This does mean that should someone ask if a roofer has had complaints, we do have to advise them if they have, however the CORC will not divulge any information about the complaint other than that there is a/some complaint/s and if they have been resolved.
The CORC follow a strict complaints procedure. If we receive 3 or more minor complaints in regards to a member, we will suspend membership pending an appeal from that member. Should they pass the appeal, the member will go on a probation to ensure no further complaints are received. If a member receives one major complaint, they can be suspended immediately pending an appeal. The CORC can remove membership at any given point.
Members must cooperate fully and in good faith with CORC in connection with complaints, investigations, compliance checks, membership reviews and disciplinary proceedings.
Members shall respond to reasonable requests for information, provide relevant documents and explanations within the timescale specified by CORC, and ensure that their responses are accurate and complete.
Failure to respond, refusal to cooperate, the provision of misleading information, or any attempt to obstruct a CORC investigation may constitute a breach of this Code and may result in suspension or termination of membership.
Where necessary to protect consumers or the integrity of CORC, the organisation may impose an immediate temporary suspension while the matter is investigated.
PUBLICITY AND SUPERVISION
In addition to its own complaints procedure, each member shall display on its premises viewable by clients, the CORC logo to publicise observance of this Code of Practice. This code shall also be displayed on www.corc.co.uk
Each Trade member shall ensure that its office employees are trained to observe sale of goods legislation and to fully comprehend this Code of Practice and its operation. Management, technicians and operatives shall also be required to observe basic standards of tidy dress, safe working practices and reasonable behaviour towards clients and their property.
SUSPENSION, REMOVAL AND APPEALS
The CORC shall keep a record showing all complaints received and action taken in terms of resolution by conciliation, resolution by arbitration and any disciplinary action taken against a trade member. Any evidence or documents sent to the CORC during a complaint will be removed 6 months after the complaint has been closed.
Members should notify CORC promptly if they cease trading, enter relevant insolvency proceedings or become unable to fulfil outstanding contracts or guarantees.
This would help CORC respond appropriately where customers have paid deposits, work is incomplete or promised IBGs remain outstanding.
Trade Members (roofing contractors) and Associate Members (manufacturers, distributors, or service companies) in membership with the Confederation of Roofing Contractors (herein after referred to as CORC) shall subscribe on an annual basis to the terms of the Code of Practice.
The CORC reserve the right to suspend or remove membership at any time with sufficient reason and to terminate membership if a member fails to meet the standards
At a complaints suspension, a member will be sent an e mail and a recorded delivery letter informing them of this decision and their right to appeal. All evidence from the customer and the roofer is considered and decision are all recorded.
Upon suspension, contractors are given 14 days to process an appeal. If an appeal is not received membership will be terminated at the end of the 14 days and this will advised by e mail and recorded delivery letter. If an appeal is received within the 14 days, it will be discussed with the committee and responded to by the end of the 14 days.
If an appeal is successful, the roofer will be put on a 6 month probationary period and monitored for complaints.
Upon removal, contractors are asked to remove unauthorised claims promptly from websites, social media, vehicles, paperwork, advertising and third-party directories they control.
Removed members are prohibited from:
- Claiming to be a current CORC member when they are not.
- Using CORC branding to imply approval of work, products or services beyond the scope of their membership.
- Falsely claiming that CORC guarantees their work or that CORC itself provides their workmanship.
- Continuing to use the logo, membership certificate or membership claims after suspension or termination, where use is no longer authorised.
- Altering, copying or fabricating CORC documents, certificates or IBGs.