Where the rules sit, and who they cover
Regulation 6(3) of the Work at Height Regulations 2005 is addressed to employers, who must put sensible precautions in place against a harmful fall. So it governs a roofing firm sending a crew up to your gutters. It does not turn a homeowner into an employer, and nobody will stop you cleaning your own gutters.
It is still useful as a yardstick. A trained crew prevents falls by choosing the right access for the height and the ground, not by being brave. That is the measure to apply to yourself.
If the answer to "could I fall far enough to be hurt?" is yes, the job calls for proper access: a tower, a stable platform or a roofer's equipment. Those are things a household ladder is not.
The lowest eaves on a single-storey extension or garage are a sensible place to start. A second-storey run above a paved patio is not, because a fall onto stone is a very different thing from a slip onto a lawn at ground level.
If you do it from a ladder
These points cover the ordinary case of a low run and a ladder you own. They are general sense, not a method statement.
- Stand the ladder on firm, level ground, not on soft earth, wet leaves or loose slabs.
- Have someone foot it, and tell them to stay put until you are down.
- Keep your body inside the stiles. If you need to lean out to reach, climb down and move the ladder.
- Carry nothing heavy up. Use a small scoop and a bag on a hook rather than a full bucket.
- Wear gloves, because old leaf matter holds sharp debris and bird droppings.
- Leave it if it is windy, wet or icy.
Work from the ladder to the gutter and no further. The ladder is not a ramp onto the roof, and the edge of a tiled or slated roof is no place to rest a hand, a foot or a bucket. Never step onto the roof to reach a stubborn blockage, whatever the roof looks like from below.
Gutters can also be fragile, particularly old plastic or cast iron on weak brackets, so do not pull on one to steady yourself.
When to leave it to a roofer
A handful of situations are best left to someone with the equipment and the training:
- The gutter is above the ground floor, or the ladder would need to be an extension type.
- The ground is sloping, soft or crowded with plants and pots.
- The run crosses a conservatory, porch or lean-to roof.
- Plants, moss or sagging have taken hold of the channel.
- You are not comfortable with heights, or you have a health issue that makes a fall more likely.
The roof itself is another warning. HSE counts every asbestos cement roof as fragile, so an old garage or outbuilding roof is no place to put a foot. If you are unsure what a roof is made of, do not lean on it or climb near it.
A roofer can clear the gutters, check the joints and brackets, and report on the fascia behind at the same visit. That is also useful when a run is full of growth, because the cause is often a leak or a poor fall that cleaning alone will not cure.
What clearing costs and how often it comes round
A Which? Trusted Traders survey from November 2025 put a full clear of the front and rear gutters at £75 to £350. The range is a national one and leaves out VAT, and Which? expects the South East, where Kent sits, to come out higher. Our own written total follows a look at your access, which is what sets the price: eaves height, length of run and the equipment needed to reach them safely.
Whether you do it or someone else does, the timing question comes next. Our guide on how often to clean gutters covers the rhythm, and gutter cleaning cost goes further on price.
If you decide to do it yourself, a check from the ground after heavy rain tells you plenty. Water pouring over the front of the channel, or a stain down the wall under it, means something is blocked and needs attention. For a blocked outlet or downpipe, our guide to a blocked downpipe is the next stop, and guttering, soffits and fascias brings the whole subject together.
