Ladders, towers, platforms and scaffold
Replacing a gutter means working along the eaves with both hands busy, lifting long lengths and fixing brackets. That is a different job from looking at a gutter or pulling a handful of leaves from an outlet, and it asks for different equipment.
The ways of reaching the eaves, in general terms:
- A ladder, which suits short, light work such as a quick look or a small fix.
- A mobile tower, a wheeled frame with a working platform, which can be moved along the front of a low building.
- A platform or podium for low eaves, such as a single-storey extension or a garage.
- Scaffold, a fixed frame built along the elevation, with a platform and edge protection at the level of the eaves.
Scaffold earns its place on the bigger jobs. For a long run, a two-storey house or a job where the fascia and soffit are being replaced as well, it gives a stable platform for the whole length. It also leaves room to lift and fit full lengths of gutter without leaning out, and the work goes faster because the roofer is not climbing down to move a ladder.
What decides which one is used
No fixed rule says a gutter on a house of a given height must have scaffold. The law sets a duty instead. Regulation 6(3) of the Work at Height Regulations 2005 is aimed at employers: the measures chosen against a fall that could hurt a person must be suitable and sufficient, so far as that is reasonably practicable. The roofer picks the equipment that meets that duty for your house.
Several things push the choice towards scaffold. They include the height of the eaves, how long the run is, how much is being replaced, the ground under the equipment and any bay windows, porches or extensions in the way. A fascia and soffit replacement needs more time at the eaves than a gutter swap alone, which is another reason scaffold gets used.
Ask the roofer how the work will be reached and why. A clear answer from someone who has looked at the house is a good sign. The cost of scaffold is set after a survey, so check that the quote includes it, and VAT, as part of the one total.
The Kent County Council licence, only on the highway
A scaffold on your own drive, garden or private land does not need a highway licence. One that stands on the pavement, or reaches over it or the road, does. Section 169 of the Highways Act 1980 requires a licence for scaffolding or any other structure that obstructs the highway.
The licence itself comes from Kent County Council, and its guidance names the scaffolding company as the one to apply on your behalf. None of the district councils grants scaffold licences. For 2026 to 2027 the fee is £52 per week, and applications go in 5 working days before the planned start.
The Act says any structure that obstructs the highway, so a tower left standing on the footway is worth checking with Kent County Council's highways team on 03000 41 81 81 before the day. Whether a tower wheeled in each morning and taken away each night needs a licence like one left overnight is a question for the council. Our page on the Kent scaffold licence goes through the application step by step.
Planning the access before the quote
Access is best settled well before a start date is fixed. A front elevation that opens straight onto the pavement needs the licence and its notice period. A back run that can only be reached through a neighbour's garden needs their agreement. A narrow side passage may suit a tower but not a full scaffold.
Before work is booked, three questions help:
- Where will the equipment stand, and does any of it overhang the footway or carriageway?
- If it does, who applies for the licence, and when does it start?
- Does the access cross someone else's land?
The answers affect the timing, since a licence needs 5 working days, and they affect the written price. The eaves and the street are looked at before pricing, and you are shown photos of your own roofline, so you see what the roofer saw. Kent County Council's terms apply to renewals as well, so if the job may overrun the licence, ask the scaffolder to renew it in good time. For the whole range of work, start at guttering, soffits and fascias, or see what a replacement involves in gutter replacement cost.
