Fascia and Soffit Cleaning Costs and What the Job Involves

Adding a fascia and soffit wash to a gutter clearance usually costs between £40 and £120 on a typical house, or £2 to £6 per metre. Booking it as a separate job costs more. Fascias are the boards your guttering is fixed to and soffits are the boards underneath them. The outside face of the gutter is usually washed at the same time, which tradespeople often call gutter whitening.

What fascia and soffit cleaning covers

You might notice green algae, black streaks or dirt building up on white uPVC boards under your roofline. Fascia and soffit cleaning removes this surface grime to improve the appearance of the property. The service focuses entirely on the exterior plastic or wood and does not fix leaks or clear blockages inside the gutters.

Some tradespeople include a quick wipe down of the outside plastics in their standard gutter cleaning quote. Others treat a fuller fascia and soffit clean as a distinct add-on service. You should always ask exactly what is included in the price before the work begins to avoid misunderstandings.

If the plastic has become yellowed, chalky or severely faded over time, washing it will not restore the original colour. Cleaning also does not make the boards last longer. When the exterior is completely beyond cleaning, painting fascias and soffits usually costs around £300. Replacing guttering is normally treated as maintenance, but listed buildings and conservation areas may need consent, so you should check with the council.

If the dirt is caused by a broken or sagging gutter spilling dirty water down the front of the house, you need a repair rather than just a clean. In England, section 11 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 makes the landlord of a short tenancy responsible for keeping the structure and exterior in repair, and it names gutters and external pipes.

What it costs added to a gutter clean

Having your fascias and soffits washed at the same time as the gutters are cleared costs far less than booking it separately. The operative is already working at roof height and has their equipment set up, which creates an economy of scale. Combined gutter and fascia cleaning packages were typically priced at £150 to £300 in 2025.

If you already have a quote for clearing the inside of the gutters, adding a fascia and soffit clean typically costs around £40 to £80 on top, depending on the size of the property. When priced by length, the add-on costs £2 to £5 per metre outside London, and £3 to £6 per metre in London.

Prices vary depending on where you live and how difficult the job is. London and the South East run roughly 20 to 30 per cent higher than the rest of the UK. The per metre figures are typical published prices for 2026 and include VAT where applicable.

What a separate clean costs by property size

The table below shows typical 2025 prices for a separate professional exterior clean by property size.

These are typical published prices for 2025 and local quotes will differ. Adding the service to a gutter clearance is usually cheaper because the cleaner is already set up at your property. If your home has awkward access and requires scaffolding or a cherry picker, this adds £100 to £150 to the final bill.

How the cleaning is done

A common method uses a water-fed pole with a soft brush head, operated from the ground. Published 2025 prices put this at £80 to £180. It removes the need for ladders, which makes it safer for the cleaner and reduces the risk of damage to your property. The steady stream of water washes away the dirt as the brush scrubs the surface, though this method may not remove heavy staining.

Manual cleaning from a ladder was priced at £50 to £120 in 2025. Doing the job by hand allows the cleaner to scrub stubborn marks closely, but it is time consuming and carries a significant ladder safety risk. You should never attempt to clean upstairs fascias from a ladder yourself.

The Health and Safety Executive guidance on ladders states they suit only low risk, short duration work. Its guidance for people using ladders at work includes keeping three points of contact when climbing and wherever possible at the work position. It says to set the ladder at about 75 degrees, which is one unit out for every four units up, not to rest it against weak upper surfaces such as plastic gutters, and not to work within 6 metres horizontally of an overhead power line unless it has been made dead or protected with insulation.

Why pressure washing needs care

Some tradespeople use a pressure washer to clean the roofline, which was typically priced at £100 to £250 in 2025. This method is very quick and can blast away heavy grime in a fraction of the time it takes to brush it by hand.

Pressure washing carries a risk of water getting in or of damage to the property if it is misused.

If a cleaner intends to use a pressure washer, you should ask how they plan to protect the property from damage. Ask whether a pole and soft brush would do the job instead.

Green algae, black streaks and faded plastic

Standard washing with water and a brush will remove loose dirt, but stubborn marks often require extra help. Heavy algae, black mould or thick nicotine staining can need a specific chemical treatment to break down the grime. This chemical application usually costs £30 to £50 more than a standard wash.

Once the boards are clean, some tradespeople offer to apply a protective coating to repel dirt and slow down the return of algae. This optional extra adds around £20 to £40 to the bill. You should ask exactly what products are being used and how long the protection is expected to last.

Chemicals and brushing will only remove matter sitting on the surface. If the uPVC itself has degraded in the sun and become chalky, the cleaning process will not bring back a glossy white finish.

Bats, nests and asbestos checks

Before any work begins, the roofline should be checked for wildlife. The RSPB points out that bats roost in roof spaces, under roof tiles or lead flashings, in gaps in mortar and behind fascias and soffits. Bats and their roosts are fully protected by law even when the bats are not present. If you have bats, you must not shut them out by any means.

Birds also use these areas. It is illegal to intentionally take, damage or destroy an active wild bird's nest. You must let the chicks leave before anyone removes the nest or blocks the entrance. Pigeons can nest throughout the year, so a nest may be active in any month. You can read more about the rules regarding birds nesting in gutters.

You also need to consider the age of your property. Asbestos can be found in any industrial or residential building built or refurbished before the year 2000. Outside a house, this includes asbestos insulating board or asbestos cement soffits and fascias, and asbestos cement gutters and downpipes. If you suspect these materials are present, nothing should be scrubbed hard, drilled or pressure washed. You can read more about asbestos gutters and downpipes to understand your options.

Where the dirty water goes

Washing decades of dirt off a roofline produces a lot of dirty water, and there are strict rules about where this run-off can go. Official guidance for businesses on pollution prevention in England states that surface water drains discharge directly to the environment. Only clean water, such as rainwater, should go into a surface water drain or soakaway.

Substances not found naturally in the environment, such as detergents and chemical cleaners, can cause pollution. Contaminated water from business activities must go to the foul drain, and only if the water company has given permission. Alternatively, it must be recycled or removed by a registered waste carrier.

If the cleaner removes solid debris from the gutters before washing the fascias, that waste must also be handled legally. A business that transports waste as part of its work must be registered as a waste carrier, and there is a public register you can check. You should always ask what happens to the debris and the dirty water.

What to ask before you agree a price

You should gather enough information to compare tradespeople fairly. Ask whether the price is a fixed quote or an estimate. A quote, sometimes called a quotation or fixed estimate, is a promise to do work at an agreed price. The trader cannot charge more without a good reason, such as extra work they told you about and you agreed to pay for, or an obvious mistake in the quote.

An estimate is simply the trader's best guess and the final bill could be higher. Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, a trader must do the work with reasonable care and skill. If they do not, you can ask for the work to be put right or for your money back. You can learn more about problems with home improvements from Citizens Advice.

A quote should list the following details clearly.

• The exact lengths of fascia, soffit and guttering to be cleaned.
• Whether the inside of the gutters will be cleared first.
• The cleaning method and any specific chemicals being used.
• The total fixed price including VAT where applicable.
• Who is responsible for taking away any waste.

A service arranged online, by phone or by mail order has a 14-day cooling-off period. This also applies to a service arranged with a business that approached you away from its premises, such as on the doorstep, where the service costs £42 or more. If you ask for the work to start during the cooling-off period and then cancel, the business can keep enough money to cover the work already done.

You should also ask to see their insurance. Employers' liability insurance is compulsory for a business with employees. Public liability insurance is not a legal requirement, but it is the cover that pays out if your property is damaged or someone is injured, so you should ask for a current certificate.

Beware of cold callers who say your gutters or roof need urgent work and quote on the spot. A cheap gutter clean is sometimes used to sell roof repairs you do not need. You should also be wary of anyone who asks you to pay in full up front, leaves downpipes blocked, dumps debris in your garden, or cleans only the easy runs while ignoring the awkward sections.

Common questions

How do you clean outside gutters?

The outside face of a gutter is usually washed using a water-fed pole with a soft brush attached. This allows the cleaner to scrub away dirt from the ground using a steady flow of water. Manual cleaning by hand from a ladder or using a pressure washer are also options, though they carry higher safety and property damage risks.

What is gutter whitening?

Gutter whitening is a trade term for cleaning the exterior face of uPVC gutters to remove green algae, dirt and black streaks. It is normally done at the same time as washing the fascias and soffits. The process restores the look of the plastic, but it will not fix material that has become chalky or faded over time.

Can you clean uPVC gutters?

Yes, uPVC gutters can be washed to remove surface dirt, algae and mould. Cleaners normally use soft brushes and water, sometimes adding a chemical treatment for heavy staining. If a pressure washer is used, it needs care, because misuse risks water getting in or damage to the property.

What are typical fascia and soffit cleaning prices?

Typical published prices for a fascia, soffit and gutter exterior wash on a typical house sit between £40 and £120 when it is added to a gutter clean. A separate visit costs more, from £50 to £90 on a small bungalow up to £250 to £350 or more on a large detached home (2025 figures). If you book the service as an extra alongside a regular clearance, learning how much gutter cleaning costs will help you understand the total bill, but the add-on itself is normally much cheaper than a standalone visit.

Next steps

Before you hire someone to clean your roofline, work through this short checklist to protect your property and your money.

• Check whether your gutters need clearing inside before paying for an exterior wash.
• Ask three local tradespeople to visit and provide a fixed quote.
• Request to see their public liability insurance certificate and waste carrier registration.
• Ask for before and after photographs of the work.

Once the work is finished, watch your roofline during the next heavy rain to check the following signs.

• Water flows smoothly into the downpipes without spilling over the edges.
• Joints between gutter lengths do not drip onto the clean fascias below.
• The downpipes carry the water away without backing up.
• No new damp patches appear on the brickwork beneath the roofline.

If you are ready to get quotes for your property, you can find a gutter cleaner near you to inspect the roofline and explain your options.