How to Vet a Roofer in Cork
CIRI Registration, Tax Clearance, Insurance Verification and Checking Real Jobs on Cork Estates
CIRI Registration, Tax Clearance, Insurance Verification and Checking Real Jobs on Cork Estates
Cork's housing stock covers a wide range: Victorian terraces in Sunday's Well and Montenotte, 1970s and 1980s concrete-tile estates in Bishopstown, Wilton and Togher, and coastal properties at Cobh, Crosshaven and Kinsale where Atlantic exposure punishes cheap fixings within a few winters. After every winter storm, unregistered traders appear at doors across the county. Vetting is not paranoia. It is the difference between a roof that carries a written guarantee and a roof that carries a mobile number that stops answering in spring.
If you are already dealing with an active leak, book Cork roof repairs from a registered contractor rather than the first van that knocks. The price difference between a registered and unregistered operator is usually smaller than people expect, and the paperwork is the whole point.
The Construction Industry Register Ireland (CIRI) is the statutory register the government points homeowners at, run by the Construction Industry Federation. Every legitimate roofing contractor working in Ireland should be on it. Membership is not free and not automatic: contractors submit accounts, insurance, tax clearance and safety documentation to qualify.
How to check, in 60 seconds:
If nothing comes up, ask the roofer for their CIRI number directly and search on that. If they cannot provide one, they are not on the statutory register.
CIRI is separate from trade-body memberships such as the National Guild of Master Craftsmen, which speaks to craft standards rather than statutory registration. A serious contractor holds both because they say different things. Recommended Roofing is CIRI registered and a listed member of the National Guild, with the same phone number and email address in the Guild's own directory as appear on this site.
Tax clearance is the step most homeowners skip and should not. A roofer with current tax clearance has filed returns and is in good standing with Revenue. Ask the roofer for two things: their Tax Reference Number (TRN) and their Tax Clearance Access Number. Then:
It takes under a minute. The whole point of the access number is that the contractor issues it to third parties to verify. A roofer who refuses to supply it is giving you an answer before the conversation has started.
Every roofer will say they are insured. Fewer will produce a certificate of currency dated within the last twelve months before the site visit. That last group is the group you want.
What to ask for, in writing, before work starts:
For reference, Recommended Roofing carries €6.5 million public liability and €13 million employer liability, and we hand over certificates before the site visit rather than after the deposit. That is not a boast; it is what a straight contractor does.
While you have the roofer on the phone, ask the follow-up: do you employ your own crews, or do you subcontract? Our crews are directly employed, which is why our insurance covers the people on your roof without argument. Subcontracted crews are a different conversation with a different insurer.
“For our Sunday's Well home I needed a last-minute replacement of leaking roof at the rear of a three-storey house. Recommended Roofing provided a prompt, fair estimate and — despite the wet weather — had a scaffold tower in place and the job finished in one day. The installers (David and one colleague) were efficient, courteous, and helpful throughout, and they left the site tidy, removing all waste. Very pleased with the quick response, the team, and the quality of the work. Highly recommended.”Andy Byrne, Sunday's Well, Cork, ★★★★★ on Google
Certificates prove a roofer can do the job. Completed addresses prove they have done the job. In Cork specifically, ask for:
Then drive past. Look at the ridge line from the footpath: is it straight? Are the verges neatly bedded? Is there mortar smearing on the slates from a rushed pointing job? If you are spending €12,000 to €28,000 on a natural slate re-roof, a Saturday morning driving through Bishopstown, Ballincollig or Glanmire is cheap due diligence. If a roofer offers photos on a phone but no addresses, the photos might be theirs and might not. Insist on an address.
Our completed work across Cork is documented in our gallery of finished roofing jobs. You can also read verified reviews from Cork and other cities and browse case studies from real jobs.
A properly vetted roofer sends a written, itemised, fixed-price quote. Read it for four things:
For an indicative range to measure a written quote against, our roofing price guide sets out what Cork roof work typically costs in 2026. Our detailed Cork repair cost guide covers what moves the price on different types of job.
Any two of those together and the answer is no. One on its own is a conversation worth having before it becomes a contract.
We are CIRI registered, hold €6.5 million public liability and €13 million employer liability, employ all crews directly and hand over written insurance certificates before any site visit. Every repair carries a minimum 3-year written guarantee, rising to 10 years on major repairs. Every full roof replacement carries a 10-year workmanship guarantee and a Lifetime Leak Guarantee. The price quoted is the price paid, and we go into the attic on every survey rather than quoting from the garden.
We actively encourage every customer to check the CIRI register, the National Guild of Master Craftsmen listing, the insurance certificates and the VAT number before appointing us. A contractor who does not want to be checked is telling you something.
The same four checks apply anywhere in Ireland. If you are outside Cork, these guides cover the process for our other service areas:
To get a written, itemised quote from a CIRI-registered Cork roofer, visit our contact page or call us on 021 2040925. We cover Cork city and county, and every quote is free, no-obligation and in writing before anything is signed.
Registration on CIRI is not yet a strict legal requirement for every domestic job, but CIRI is the statutory construction register the government promotes and any contractor doing commercial, public-sector or BCAR 2014 work must be on it. For residential work, an unregistered roofer is a choice, and one with less recourse if things go wrong. Check on cif.ie; it takes under a minute.
Go to cif.ie and use the CIRI register search. Enter the trading name exactly as it appears on the quote. Confirm the county matches and that the status reads 'Registered', not 'Lapsed' or 'Applied'. If nothing comes up, ask the roofer for their CIRI number and search on that directly.
Ask the roofer for their Tax Reference Number (TRN) and their Tax Clearance Access Number. Enter both together into the 'Verify Tax Clearance' tool on Revenue's ROS portal at revenue.ie. The result is a plain yes or no, and it takes under a minute.
Minimum €6.5 million public liability and €13 million employer liability, evidenced by a certificate of currency from the broker dated within the last twelve months. Ask for the cert by email before the site visit, not on the day of the job.
On jobs of €10,000 or more, a deposit of around 33% with the balance on completion is standard Irish practice. On jobs below €10,000, no deposit at all is the norm, payment on completion. Anyone asking for more than a third, or any deposit on a small repair, is outside normal practice.
Repair work should carry a minimum 3-year written guarantee, rising to 10 years on major repairs. Full roof replacement work should carry a 10-year workmanship guarantee plus a Lifetime Leak Guarantee. The guarantee should appear on the quote itself, not be promised verbally after you have signed.
Ask for two completed jobs within 5km of your home, by street or estate name, with the month and year and the type of work. Then drive past and look at the ridge line, verges and pointing from the footpath. Photos on a phone are not evidence, an address is.
Yes. If a roofer subcontracts but does not hold employer liability insurance for those workers, an injured worker's claim can involve the property owner. Ask directly: 'Will your own people be on my roof, or is this being subcontracted?' A roofer who employs directly can answer that without hesitation.
An itemised, fixed-price breakdown with VAT shown separately at 13.5%, scaffolding as a separate line where the job needs it, the guarantee stated in writing, and clear payment terms. A verbal price in the driveway is not a quote.
It corroborates, but it does not replace checking the basics. CIRI is statutory registration, Guaranteed Irish is about Irish ownership and employment, and the National Guild of Master Craftsmen is about craft standards and trade membership. A serious contractor holds more than one because they say different things, none of them replaces checking insurance, tax clearance and completed jobs yourself.
No. Scaffolding applies where the building is very high or where a busy street means people walking below need protection. On most domestic jobs it is not needed. Where it is required, it should appear as a separate line on the quote, never buried in the headline price.
Contact Recommended Roofing through our contact page or call 021 2040925. The quote visit is free, no-obligation and in writing. We go into the attic on every survey, and insurance certificates are supplied before the site visit.
Nearby areas we cover
Roof Repairs in Cork, Ireland. Free survey, written fixed-price quote, 10-year guarantee.