Gutter cleaning costs £75 to £350, ex VAT, for a full clear-out of the front and rear runs of a house, on the figure Which? gives from traders surveyed in November 2025. The range is wide because gutters differ so much: a bungalow with short runs and clear access is a different job from a tall house with a long, moss-filled run and no easy way up.
Cleaning is routine maintenance, and it is one of the lowest-cost ways to protect a roof edge. A blocked gutter overflows, and overflowing water runs down the wall, soaks the fascia and can reach the rafter ends. A single autumn's leaves can turn a sound gutter into a source of damp. Clearing it before that happens costs far less than repairing what it causes.
This guide gives the published range with its source and basis, then goes through what moves the price: the size of the house, the access, the state of the gutters, the moss that comes from the roof above and the extras that people add. It covers what a good clean includes and what to check on a quote. It also explains where cleaning stops and repair starts.
The published range and what it covers
Which? gives a single figure for the common job. Clearing every gutter on the front and rear of a home sits at £75 to £350 in its table of typical prices. The guide states that the prices come from traders surveyed in November 2025, that they include labour and materials, and that they exclude VAT.
| Job | Typical range | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Clear all gutters, front and back | £75 to £350, ex VAT | Which?, Nov 2025 |
Reading it correctly
Because the figure excludes VAT, the price a VAT-registered firm quotes you may be higher. The standard rate of VAT is 20 per cent, so a figure that is a sixth of the gross price is VAT. If the roofer is not VAT-registered, none applies. Ask the quote to say which.
What it does not show
A range for clearing gutters describes the job in general. It does not tell you what is in your gutters, how high they are or whether a ladder will reach them. Nor does it include repairs to leaking joints, sagging runs, or work on the roof, and it is not a Fortis Roofing Farnborough price.
The typical wide spread is a sign that the figure is an indicator and not a quote. A survey, or at least a good description and photographs, is what produces a price for your house.
For the wider cost of replacing a run, our blog post on the average price for new gutters gives the national figures.
Access: ladders, towers and scaffold
How the roofer reaches the gutter is often the biggest single factor in the price of cleaning, and it varies enormously between houses.
Single-storey and low roofs
A bungalow or an extension, with the gutter at head height or just above, can be cleaned from a ladder, or even from steps. These are the quickest and least expensive jobs, and sit at the lower end of the range.
Two-storey houses
The eaves of a typical two-storey house are beyond a normal ladder's safe working position without footing and securing. A longer, secured ladder or a tower is used. The ladder must stand on firm, level ground, and a gutter above a conservatory, a porch or a flat roof is harder still, because the ladder has nowhere safe to stand.
Three storeys and awkward sites
On a tall house, a roof with a steep pitch or a site hemmed in by walls and drops, a platform or scaffold tower is needed. If scaffold is needed, it adds cost and time. A scaffold over a pavement or road needs a Highways Act 1980 section 169 licence, with notice; one on private land does not. It is rarely worth scaffolding for a clean alone, which is why cleaning is often done together with other work at height.
Alternatives from the ground
Some firms use long poles with a camera and a vacuum, which can reach gutters without climbing. They suit lighter jobs and clear loose debris, but they cannot deal with a fixed blockage or a damaged joint, and they do not let anyone look closely at the gutter.
Ask how the work will be reached, and whether any access cost is in the figure.
Factors that lift or lower the figure
Beyond access, several features of the house and its gutters change the figure. Each can be seen or described, so you can make a fair guess at where your own job sits.
Length of run
A short terrace gutter takes less time than a long run round a detached house. More downpipes and outlets mean more places to clear and check.
Condition
A gutter with a light dusting of leaves is quick. One packed with compacted sludge, roots and moss takes far longer, and may need scraping by hand. If a downpipe is blocked, it has to be cleared too.
Trees and seasons
Overhanging trees fill a gutter faster, which is why cleaning is often an annual job after leaf fall. A roof with a lot of moss will feed it into the gutter as well. After a storm, extra debris and the need for urgent clearing can lift the price.
Type of gutter
Plastic, aluminium and cast iron gutters differ in how they are cleaned and in how much care they need. Cast iron, in particular, needs gentle handling around brittle joints.
Extras
- Checking the joints and brackets for leaks.
- Flushing the downpipes and testing the flow.
- Removing the waste, which goes with the roofer and not into your bin.
- Cleaning the fascia and soffit faces.
A gutter that has been left for years will cost more than one done each year. Our answer on how often gutters should be cleaned covers what suits your house, and a clean at the right time keeps the figure toward the low end.
Moss from the roof and its effect on gutters
Roof moss turns up in the gutter as well as on the tiles. It grows on tiles and in the valleys, then falls or is washed down into the gutter below, where it clogs outlets and holds water.
Why it matters for cleaning
A gutter cleared in spring can be full again in a few months if the roof above is shedding moss. The cost of repeat cleaning adds up, and it points to the roof as the source. Where the moss is heavy, it is sensible to ask whether the roof needs treating as well.
What not to do
Marley advises against high-powered jet washes on tiles and slates, since they can scour the surface and cut the roof's life. A gentler clean is kinder to the covering, and the gutter should be cleared afterwards.
Biocides
Anti-moss treatments are biocides. The HSE's position is that a householder must not use a product made for professionals, and every product has to be used within the terms of its authorisation. Leave professional treatments to the professionals, and do not spray anything from a ladder.
Pricing roof cleaning
The price of cleaning a roof of moss depends on the roof, the access and the method, and it is set after a survey. If you want the roof treated as well, the quote should say so and state the method, because roofs differ in size, pitch, covering and how much growth they carry.
If the gutters are cleaned and the source is left, the cost returns every year. That is the case for dealing with both at once.
What a good gutter clean includes
Cost is only half of value. A bargain clean that scoops the top inch of leaves and leaves a blocked outlet is poor value, and it can miss the problem altogether.
A proper clean
- Remove all debris from the full length of the gutter, including the corners and stop ends.
- Clear every outlet and flush the downpipes with water to confirm they run.
- Check the gutter for leaks at joints and for sagging between brackets.
- Note any rotten fascia, loose brackets or damaged sections.
- Take the waste away.
The evidence you should get
The roofer is up at the eaves and is the best placed person to spot early trouble. We photograph what we find, including the state of the gutter after cleaning and any fault. That turns a routine clean into a small inspection, and it gives you the evidence to act if something needs repair.
Fall and flow
While the gutter is clear, it can be checked for standing water. Brett Martin advises a fall of 1 mm for every 600 mm, and a gutter that holds water after a clean may have dropped. Our guide to how much fall a gutter should have explains how to tell.
Guards
Gutter guards keep leaves out, but they need checking and do not prevent every blockage. They are a separate choice with their own pros and cons.
A clean that finds nothing wrong is still worth having, because it tells you the run is sound.
Reading a gutter cleaning quote
A quote for gutter cleaning should be short and clear, and it should leave no doubt about what you are paying for. Three written quotes are the sensible approach, as Citizens Advice suggests, and for a job this size a short description and a price is enough.
What to look for
- The scope: all gutters, front and back, or only some.
- The method of access, and whether any equipment is charged separately.
- Whether VAT is included.
- Whether downpipes are flushed and joints checked.
- Whether waste is removed.
- What happens if a fault is found, such as a leaking joint or a sagging section.
Warning signs
Be careful of an unsolicited call offering to clean your gutters or roof at a price that seems very low, especially from someone who turns up without being asked. A price given without seeing the house, and a demand for payment before work, are warnings. Ask to see the gutters after cleaning, or for photographs.
Where cleaning ends
A gutter that leaks, sags or is rusted through needs repair, not cleaning. If a clean shows that the run has failed, the next step is a repair or a new gutter, and the price changes. We tell you plainly and show you the photographs.
One written total follows the survey, covering what we recommend. For the wider work we do on the roof edge, see our gutters, soffits and fascias page.
