Roofing
Guttering: repair, replacement and clearing
One local tradesperson gets your request – no ring-round.
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Gutters and downpipes are cheap compared with the damage they cause when they fail. An overflowing gutter soaks the wall below, and on a solid-walled house that water ends up as damp patches and mould inside. Tell us about your roofline once; the request is offered to roofing and guttering firms nearby, and exactly one of them can buy it.
- Exactly one business. Your request is handed out once. After that, no other business sees it.
- You know who will be in touch. Before the business receives your contact details, we send you its name, address and phone number.
- Withdraw at any time. You can withdraw your consent at any time – using the link in our email.
Reading the signs
Green streaks or dark staining on brickwork, water pouring over the front edge in heavy rain, drips from joints, a run that sags between brackets, and damp patches on an inside wall at first-floor level all point to guttering. So does water splashing at the foot of a downpipe that is no longer connected to its drain.
Often the gutter itself is fine and simply blocked with leaves, moss washed off the roof or a tennis ball. Clearing and checking the falls is then the whole job. When joints leak repeatedly, brackets have rusted or the gutter is cracked, replacement is the better value, and it usually makes sense to do a whole elevation so that everything matches and falls correctly to the outlets.
Materials and older houses
uPVC is the most common guttering in the UK: light, inexpensive and available in half-round, square and ogee profiles. Aluminium can be formed in long continuous lengths on site, which means fewer joints. Steel systems with a coated finish are another option. Cast iron is the traditional material on Victorian and Edwardian houses; it lasts a long time when painted but is heavy, and cracked sections are replaced piece by piece.
On a listed building, changing cast iron for plastic is an alteration that can need listed building consent. In a conservation area, the council may expect traditional materials on the front of the house. Ask the council before choosing the cheaper option.
Make a requestRules that apply, and one that catches people out
Gutters and downpipes are listed on GOV.UK among projects that do not need Building Regulations approval, and replacing fascias and soffits does not normally need approval either. The condition is that ventilation to the roof space at the eaves must not be reduced, otherwise condensation can rot the roof timbers.
Asbestos is the trap. The HSE lists asbestos cement gutters and downpipes, asbestos cement undercloaks at the roof edge and asbestos insulating board soffits among the places it is found. Any house built or refurbished before 2000 may contain it. If your roofline has grey cement-like gutters or old flat soffit boards, have them identified before anyone cuts, drills or snaps them; some of this work needs a licensed contractor.
Source: hse.gov.uk
Where the water goes
A gutter only moves the problem if the downpipe discharges into a broken gully, a blocked soakaway or straight onto the ground by the wall. When guttering is replaced, ask the installer to check that each downpipe runs into a working drain. Drains can be shared with neighbours or belong to the water company, so the Planning Portal advises clarifying ownership before altering them.
Adding an extension, a dormer or a new roof covering can change how much water reaches a gutter. If a run overflows only since other work was done, the size of the gutter or the number of outlets may be the issue rather than a blockage.
Access and the price
Most of the cost of gutter work is access. Clearing and small repairs on a two-storey house can often be done with a ladder or from the ground with vacuum and camera equipment. Full replacement usually calls for a scaffold tower or scaffolding, particularly when fascias are renewed at the same time. Terraced houses with no side access and three-storey houses cost more to reach.
The HSE points out that falls from height kill people every year, and a ladder on a patio against a wobbly gutter is a textbook example. Leave work on the roofline to someone with the right equipment.
- clearing only, repair, or replacement of named runs and downpipes
- material, profile and colour, and the bracket spacing
- fascia and soffit work, including how eaves ventilation is kept
- how downpipes connect to drains, and any drain clearance
- access method and removal of the old guttering
- asbestos identification, if the existing parts might contain it
Requesting a guttering quote
The request is free for you and reaches local firms without your name, phone number or email. Only one firm can buy it. As soon as it does, we email you its name, address and phone number, and only then does it receive your details. The request is then removed, so no one else sees it.
Guttering jobs are sometimes small, and there is no promise that a firm will take yours; if nobody does within 21 days, it is withdrawn. You are free to decline the quote. Offrano verifies that the buyer is a registered business, not how it works, so ask what access equipment it will use.
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Frequently asked questions
How often should gutters be cleared?
It depends on nearby trees and moss on the roof. Houses near trees may need clearing every autumn; others can go longer. Watching the gutters during heavy rain shows quickly whether water is running freely to the downpipes.
Do I need permission to replace my gutters?
Gutters and downpipes do not need Building Regulations approval. Planning permission is not normally needed either, but a listed building needs consent for changes that affect its character, such as swapping cast iron for plastic, and conservation areas may have local expectations.
Could my old gutters contain asbestos?
Possibly, if they are grey cement-like material on a house built or refurbished before 2000. Asbestos cement gutters, downpipes and undercloaks exist in homes. Have a sample tested before they are removed, and do not break or drill them yourself.
Source: hse.gov.uk
Is repair or replacement better for leaking joints?
A single leaking joint on otherwise sound guttering can be resealed or the union replaced. When several joints leak, brackets have failed or the gutter has lost its fall, replacing the run costs less over time than repeated visits.
Who gets my details when I send the request?
Only the one firm that buys it, and only after we have emailed you its name, address and phone number. You can withdraw consent at any time with the link in our emails.
Ready to make your request?
Describe your project – your request goes to exactly one business.
Make a request