How much does guttering cost to repair or replace?

Guttering is cheap compared with what it protects. Every drop of rain that lands on your roof has to travel through it, and when it fails the water goes straight into your walls instead. This guide covers what cleaning, repairs and full gutter replacement cost in 2026, and how to tell which one you actually need. For a price tailored to your own home, try our roof cost calculator.

Guttering costs at a glance (2026)

Most of these jobs are done from ladders or a tower in a day or less, which is why guttering stays affordable. If yours is cleaned regularly, a full replacement is usually a once-in-25-years event. A professional gutter clean is the cheapest line on this table for a reason: it prevents most of the others.

uPVC, aluminium or cast iron?

uPVC is the standard choice on most UK homes: the cheapest to buy and fit at £30 to £60 per metre, low-maintenance, and good for 20 to 30 years. Aluminium and cast iron cost two to three times more per metre but suit period homes, hold their looks, and last for decades. Cast iron is the traditional choice on Victorian and Edwardian properties and in conservation areas, though it needs periodic repainting to keep rust at bay. Seamless aluminium, formed on site in continuous runs, has fewer joints to leak, and joints are where most gutters fail first.

Signs your guttering has failed

• Sagging runs: gutters that dip between brackets hold standing water, which strains the joints and eventually pulls the run off the fascia.
• Dripping joints: a steady drip from a union or corner in rain means a perished seal or a cracked fitting. Caught early, it is an £80 to £250 repair.
• Green streaks on walls: algae staining down the brickwork below a gutter line is the classic sign water has been overflowing in the same spot for months.
• Plants growing in the gutter: if there is enough debris to support weeds, the run is blocked and overflowing every time it rains.
• Peeling paint or rot on fascias: water escaping behind the gutter soaks the fascia board it hangs from, so a failed gutter often takes the fascia with it.

Why blocked gutters cause damp

When a gutter blocks, rainwater sheets over the edge and runs down the wall below. Brick and mortar soak it up, and within weeks a damp patch appears on the inside face of the wall or at the top corner of a ceiling. It is one of the most commonly misdiagnosed "roof leaks" in the UK: homeowners call a roofer expecting broken tiles, and the real culprit is a £100 gutter clean. If you have a mystery stain indoors, rule the gutters out first, then read our guide to damp patches on ceilings before paying for roof work you may not need.

Repair, clean or replace?

If the system is sound and just overflowing, a clean is all you need. If one joint drips or one bracket has failed, repair it: matching sections of uPVC are cheap and widely available. Replacement is the right call when the plastic has gone brittle and chalky, multiple joints leak, or the runs have lost their fall so water pools instead of draining. At £600 to £1,200 for a whole semi, replacing a 25-year-old system usually beats paying for the same repairs every winter.