About gutter cleaning
Gutter cleaning is the simplest maintenance job on a house and the one most often left until water is running down the wall. The tradie scoops out leaves, seed pods, mud and moss, flushes the gutters toward the outlets, clears the downpipes so water actually leaves the roof, and checks valleys, box gutters and any gutter guard. It is worth doing before the storm season, after the big autumn drop from deciduous trees, before fire season in bushland suburbs, and any time you see plants growing out of the gutter or staining under the eaves.
Trees drive the job here. Wahroonga, Turramurra, Pymble, St Ives and Killara sit under tall gums that shed bark and leaves all year, and Terrey Hills, Duffys Forest, Avalon Beach and Palm Beach back onto bushland. Northern Beaches Council and the NSW Rural Fire Service both list clearing gutters among the basic steps for homes in bushfire-prone areas, because embers settle in dry leaf litter. Closer to the harbour and coast, Mosman, Vaucluse and Bronte deal with fig leaves, salt and rust. Federation homes often have deep ogee gutters and tight valleys that hold debris, and Paddington terraces have box gutters that only drain if they are clean.
No licence is needed to clean a gutter, so the risk sits in two other places: a fall, and a tradie who is not insured when it happens. SafeWork NSW says ladders are behind hundreds of serious incidents a year, and it expects extension ladders to be secured and to extend well past the gutter, with roof work protected by anchors or edge rails. We confirm each gutter tradie's identity against an active ABN, hold their insurance certificate, and look at recent local work and references. If the job turns into replacing gutters or downpipes, that is roof plumbing, a licensed trade in NSW for any job valued over 5,000 dollars including GST.
What the job usually includes
How it works
- Tell us about the house and the treesSay how many storeys, what sort of roof, whether there is gutter guard, and what kind of trees overhang it. Photos from the ground of the overflow stains or the plants growing in the gutter are enough. Mention rainwater tanks, solar panels, steep driveways or anything that makes ladder access tricky.
- We match vetted local tradiesWe send the job to vetted, independent tradies who clean gutters in your suburb and are equipped for the height of your house. Each one has shown us ID matched to an active ABN, a current public liability certificate and recent work in the area. The match is free and you choose whether to go ahead.
- They quote you directly, in writingThe tradie quotes under their own business name. For a straightforward house they may quote from photos; for a large or two-storey home they will usually come and look. The quote should say what is included, how downpipes are checked, where debris goes, and how they will work safely on your roof line.
- The cleanA careful tradie secures the ladder, uses a harness and anchors or a platform on two-storey homes, and works along the gutter clearing debris into a bucket or vacuum rather than onto the garden. They flush toward the outlets, test every downpipe with a hose, clear valleys and sumps, lift any gutter guard, and keep muck out of the stormwater pit. Tanks are bypassed during the flush.
- After the jobAsk for the photos. Run a hose or wait for the next shower and watch the downpipes discharge. Check the fascia line for sag or rust the tradie mentioned. If the gutters fill fast, ask about trimming overhanging branches, which may need council permission, or fitting metal guard. Your feedback to us is what keeps good tradies in the network.
A clean gutter is one that drains
Scooping leaves is the easy half. The job is done when water reaches the downpipe and leaves it, so a good tradie flushes each run, watches the fall, and tests downpipes with a hose. Blockages hide in the elbow at the top of the pipe, at the junction with the stormwater line, and in sumps and box gutters that are out of sight. They lift gutter guard rather than cleaning around it, because fine litter and moss collect underneath. They also look at what the gutters are telling them: sag between brackets, rust pitting along the back edge, tiles that have slipped, and corners that have pulled away from the fascia. Those notes are worth more than the bag of leaves.
The other half is doing it safely and cleanly. SafeWork NSW's advice on ladders is plain: secure the top and the base, extend the ladder above the landing, and keep three points of contact. On two-storey homes a professional uses roof anchors and a harness, temporary rails, or a platform, and does not lean a ladder over a glass roof or a skylight. Debris goes into a bucket or a vacuum, not over the side onto garden beds or down the downpipe into the stormwater system. Tanks are isolated during flushing. Bagged leaves go to the green bin or away with the tradie, and the site is left as it was found.
Questions worth asking the tradie
Frequently asked questions
Under gums or figs, at least twice a year, and more if the gutters are shallow or the roof is shaded. On an open block once a year is usually enough. In bushfire-prone parts of the Northern Beaches and the Upper North Shore, a clean before the fire season is part of basic preparation, as the Rural Fire Service advises.
No. Mesh keeps out the big leaves, but fine litter, bark strands, seed and moss still build up on top of it and beneath it. Guard reduces how often you need a clean and makes each clean easier, but it needs lifting and cleaning under from time to time. Poorly fitted guard can also hold water against the roof edge.
They will tell you about it and may be able to rehang a bracket or clear a joint. Replacing gutters, downpipes or flashings is roof plumbing in NSW, which requires a contractor licence for any job over 5,000 dollars including GST. Many gutter cleaners also do small repairs; ask for them as a separate line on the quote.
Sometimes. Vacuum systems on poles reach single-storey gutters and are useful where a ladder cannot stand, though they struggle with compacted mud and cannot check the downpipes or the roof. For two-storey homes a tradie set up for heights, with a harness and anchors or a platform, is the safer option.
No. There is no licence for cleaning gutters, which is why our checks centre on photo ID against an ABN, a public liability certificate, referees we can call, and pictures of recent gutter jobs. Ask to see the insurance certificate, because a fall from a roof is the main risk on this job and you do not want it to become your problem.
Leaves that get past the gutter settle in the downpipe elbow and the pit at ground level. A good tradie flushes the pipe and clears the pit if it has a lid. If the underground line is blocked further along, that is a job for a drainer with a jetter, and they will say so rather than keep pushing water into it.
