National Federation of Roofing Contractors (NFRC)

The National Federation of Roofing Contractors (NFRC) is a trade association for the roofing industry in the United Kingdom. It was founded in 1892 and describes itself as the largest roofing trade association in the UK. It is based at Roofing House in central London, and its website is nfrc.co.uk.

NFRC has over 1,350 members, including specialist roofing contractors, manufacturers and distributors of roofing products, merchants and service providers.

Activities

• Technical guidance. NFRC's technical team produces guidance notes and technical documents in response to member concerns, covering pitched roofing (slate, tile), flat roofing, roof windows, fixings and more. These are available through its Knowledge Hub and technical library; some are free to the public.
• Competent Person Scheme. In 2012 NFRC set up a Competent Person Scheme (CPS) that allows registered roofers to self-certify that roof refurbishment work in England and Wales meets current building regulations, instead of applying separately to building control.
• Standards. NFRC takes part in British and European standards work affecting roofing, such as the UK code of practice for slating and tiling (BS 5534).
• Safety and skills. It promotes training, safety and competence, including support for apprenticeships and work under the Building Safety Act.
• Awards and events. It runs the UK Roofing Awards.

For consumers

Homeowners can check whether a contractor is an NFRC member through the federation, and can ask whether re-roofing work will be self-certified through the Competent Person Scheme or notified to building control.

Related UK bodies

The UK has a number of specialist roofing associations, several of which share offices with NFRC, such as the Liquid Roofing and Waterproofing Association. Others include the Single Ply Roofing Association and the Confederation of Roofing Contractors. The Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) funds training across the sector, and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) regulates safety. Membership of NFRC is voluntary; the UK has no general licensing requirement for roofers.