Autumn gutter check: the 20-minute job that prevents £2k of damage.

Blocked gutters cause more damp problems in Beckenham housing stock than any other single issue. This is a 20-minute job that, done once a year, will stop the vast majority of internal damp problems before they start.

Why autumn specifically

London plane trees and beech trees finish dropping leaves between late October and mid-December. If you clear gutters in September, you do it again in January. If you clear in late November / early December, one pass usually does it. Time it for after the bulk leaf-fall.

What you actually need to do

1. Walk every gutter run with a stepladder. Look in, not just at the front.
2. Scoop out leaves, twigs, moss and any standing water.
3. Run a hose from the high end and watch the water flow to the downpipe. Any pooling = a bracket problem (or a gutter run slope that needs adjustment).
4. Check downpipes for blockage by running the hose into them. If water backs up, snake them with a drain rod or call us.
5. Check the brackets visually — any rust, looseness, or sagging is a winter-failure risk.

What you need

• A stepladder rated for the height you need (Class 3 / EN131 minimum for a 2-storey terrace)
• Heavy-duty gloves
• A bucket on a hook
• A hose with a spray attachment

Safety — don't skip this section

Falls from ladders kill 20–30 people a year in the UK. Don't be one of them.

• Always have someone else at the base of the ladder.
• Never overreach — move the ladder rather than stretching.
• Don't stand on the top three rungs.
• Don't do this in wind over 25 mph, or on a wet roof.
• If you can't reach the gutter from a stepladder, you need a roof ladder or scaffold tower — at which point, call a professional.

When to call us instead

It's a £130 job for us on a standard terrace, including downpipe checks. If any of the following apply, just book us:

• 3+ storey property
• No clear ladder pitch (the back of the property is paved up to the wall, etc.)
• Gutter higher than 6m
• You don't have somebody to foot the ladder
• You see visible damage and want a proper diagnosis

What it prevents

Overflowing gutters saturate the brickwork behind. Saturated brickwork in winter freezes; ice expands; pointing cracks; water penetrates internally. By the time you see damp on the inside of a wall, you're already looking at a £1,500–£2,500 remediation job — replastering, anti-damp paint, and the underlying gutter still needs to be fixed.

20 minutes a year prevents the entire cascade. It's the single highest-return preventative job a landlord can do.