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Canberra, Australian Capital Territory

Roofers in CanberraSummer hail, winter frost and a rulebook of its own.

Canberra roofs have been through what the Canberra Times called Australia's worst urban hailstorm since 1999, they sit through about 95 frosts a year, and on the bush edge they've burned before. The ACT also does things its own way: a whole new roof needs building approval, and homeowners can't remove any asbestos themselves. Tell us the job and your suburb. If we have a local roofer who specialises in that work, we'll match you with them, and if we don't, you'll hear it from us straight away.

Find a specialist roofer in Canberra

  1. Your postcode and three quick questions
  2. We match you with a Find My Roofer certified roofer who specialises in your job
  3. They call you to arrange a quote. No obligation to go ahead.
  • Find My Roofer certified: insurance, specialty and any licence the job needs, checked
  • Your contact details go to one roofer, never sold

What's different about roofs in Canberra

Hail is the big risk

On 20 January 2020, hailstones four to six centimetres across fell from southern Belconnen through Acton to the inner south, punching through roofs and breaking skylights. The Insurance Council of Australia counted 74,660 ACT claims from that one storm. Golf-ball hail hit West Belconnen and Tuggeranong again in January 2022.

A dry city that gets its rain in bursts

Canberra Airport averaged 579.5 mm of rain a year over 1991 to 2010, with November and January the wettest months. Thunderstorms come mostly from October to April, so a roof can sit dry for weeks, then get tested hard in one afternoon.

Frost and big temperature swings

The Bureau of Meteorology's yearly average at Canberra Airport is about 95 frosts. The airport's record high is 44.0 °C (4 January 2020) and its record low is -10.0 °C (July 1971). Winter is when warm, moist air from the house meets the cold underside of the roof, which CSR Bradford says is when condensation risk rises.

Fire on the bush edge

The firestorm of 18 January 2003 reached Duffy at about 3 pm, then Rivett, Chapman, Kambah, Higgins, Hawker and Cook. The Australian Institute for Disaster Resilience puts the toll at about 488 houses destroyed and four lives lost. In January 2020, the Orroral Valley fire in Namadgi brought an emergency warning for Tharwa and the southern suburbs.

No salt air

BlueScope doesn't treat the ACT as a salt marine environment, because Lake Burley Griffin isn't salt marine in nature. The coastal distance rules that narrow down roofing steel in Sydney or Newcastle don't apply here.

Suburbs built in waves

Canberra Central grew from the 1920s to the 1960s, followed by Woden Valley (1964), Belconnen (1966), Weston Creek (1969), Tuggeranong (1974) and Gungahlin from the 1990s. Nine early garden city precincts, including Braddon, Reid and Forrest, are heritage listed, and in Braddon the original roof form and tile colour must be kept.

The roofing jobs Canberra homeowners ask for most

Hail and storm repairs. Cracked tiles, dented sheets and smashed skylights are the usual damage. Two years after the 2020 storm, one 1930s Griffith home still had a holed, leaking roof, so don't let temporary fixes drift. See roof repairs in Canberra.

Leaks in thunderstorm season. A fault can hide all winter and show itself in the first big November storm. See roof leak repair in Canberra.

Restoring tiled roofs in the older suburbs. Many homes in Woden, Belconnen and Weston Creek date from those suburbs' early years. Where the tiles are sound, a restoration is usually the better buy than a new roof.

New roofs, with paperwork. A full replacement needs building approval and a licensed builder. See roof replacement in Canberra or Colorbond in Canberra.

Gutters before storms and fire season. See gutter cleaning in Canberra and gutter guards in Canberra.

Before anyone opens up an older Canberra roof space

Loose-fill asbestos insulation, known as Mr Fluffy, was blown into the roof spaces of more than 1,000 Canberra homes between 1968 and 1978-79. Most were demolished under the government buyback, but in February 2021 there were still 35 Mr Fluffy houses standing. Affected homes carry a safety tag at the meter box. If yours does, WorkSafe ACT must get at least five business days' notice of work that might disturb the roof space. Any home built before 1990 may also have asbestos roofing, so don't drill, cut, water-blast or walk on a roof you're unsure about.

Who can work on your roof in the ACT

The ACT licenses builders, plumbers, drainers and a few other trades, but ACT Planning says not every professional on a home project needs a licence, and it lists roofing contractors among them. Any work that requires building approval needs a licensed builder, and replacing a whole roof does, while replacing a broken tile doesn't. Asbestos is stricter here than anywhere else: no one may remove any amount from a home unless they're a licensed asbestos removalist.

We're a referral service, so we never do the roofing ourselves. Where a job calls for a licence, we look it up on the Access Canberra register before passing your details on, and you can do the same. Our guide to checking a roofer's licence shows where.

If it were our Canberra roof

We'd have gutters and valleys cleared by October, ahead of thunderstorm season, and get the roof checked after any decent hailstorm even if nothing drips yet. For a new roof, we'd sort the building approval and a licensed builder before choosing colours. Near the bush, we'd lean towards non-combustible roofing and metal gutter guards, and keep the gutters clean through summer.

Want a roofer to take a look?

Tell us the job and your postcode. We match it with a Find My Roofer certified roofer who specialises in that kind of work, and they call you to quote. Your number goes to them alone.

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Services

Roofing jobs in Canberra

Roof repairs in CanberraFixing hail-cracked tiles, dented sheets and broken skylights in Canberra, and what to ask a roofer.Roof leak repair in CanberraWhat to do when a Canberra roof leaks, and how to tell a storm leak from winter condensation.Roof restoration in CanberraWhen restoring a Canberra roof makes sense, heritage and asbestos limits, and what the job covers.Roof replacement in CanberraApproval, licensed builders, bushfire and asbestos: what a Canberra re-roof involves.Colorbond roofing in CanberraChoosing a Colorbond roof for Canberra's hail, frost and bushfire edge, and going from tiles to steel.Roof plumbing in CanberraGutters, downpipes and flashings for Canberra's summer storms and hail, with questions to ask.Roof painting in CanberraWhen to paint a Canberra roof, which roofs are worth it, heritage colour rules and asbestos limits.Gutter replacement in CanberraWhen Canberra gutters need replacing, which steel and profile to choose, and how to spot asbestos ones.Gutter guards in CanberraEmber-safe gutter guards for Canberra's bush edge, which mesh to choose, and how to keep them clear.Gutter cleaning in CanberraWhen to clean gutters in Canberra, why asbestos roofs need care, and what a proper clean covers.
Your suburb

Suburbs and areas around Canberra

Questions

Straight answers.

Do I need approval to replace my roof in Canberra?
Yes. ACT Planning says replacing a roof needs building approval, though replacing a roof tile doesn't. Changing the roof material, such as metal to tile, doesn't need development approval, but the building approval rules still apply. Heritage places may need Heritage Act approval too.
Can I take an old asbestos roof off myself in the ACT?
No. The ACT removed the national exception that lets people remove up to 10 square metres of bonded asbestos without a licence. All asbestos removal from homes must be done by a licensed removalist, who has to notify WorkSafe ACT at least five days before starting.

Ready for a roofer to look at it in Canberra?

Your postcode and three quick questions. We match you with a local roofer who specialises in your job, and tell you straight away if we don't have one near you.

Related help

Helpful next

Roofers in the ACTLicensed builders, insurance changes since January 2025, deposits and strict asbestos rules in the ACT.Hail damage roof claimsHail just hit? What to photograph, when to claim, cash or repairs, and the door-knockers to avoid.How to check a roofer's licenceWho licenses roofers in each state, the dollar thresholds, and the register to search.Is my roof asbestos?Build date, Super Six, cement slates and eaves: how to tell if your roof could be asbestos.Restore or replace?Four questions for a lean towards restoring or replacing your roof.How it worksWhat happens after you tell us the job, and what we check first.

Where this information comes from

Every fact and rule on this page comes from the sources above, checked on the dates shown. How we write and check these pages.

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