Gutter maintenance for
landlords — documented properly.

Gutter maintenance is a legal obligation — and documentation is everything.

Under Section 11 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, landlords of residential properties have a statutory obligation to keep the structure and exterior of the dwelling in repair throughout the tenancy. Drains, gutters and external pipes are explicitly included in the Act.

In practice this means two things: the gutters must be maintained in working order, and if challenged — by a tenant, in a deposit dispute, or during an HHSRS inspection — you need evidence. Photographic documentation, dated maintenance records, and contractor insurance certificates are the evidence that matters.

What the landlord service includes

Scheduled maintenance

We hold your properties on an annual or bi-annual schedule. When a visit is due, we contact you or your managing agent to confirm a date. No need to remember or re-book year to year.

Photo documentation per visit

Documentation of gutter condition before and after each clean, dated per property. Sent to you on the day of the visit. Constitutes evidence of maintenance relevant to any dispute about the property's state of repair.

Insurance certificates on request

Our £5 million public liability insurance certificates are available the same day on request. A significant proportion of our landlord customers require these routinely — for their own files, their managing agent, or their mortgage lender.

Repair identification and quotation

Any defect found during a clean is photographed, noted in the completion report, and quoted separately before any repair work begins. You have a documentary record of defects identified, when they were found, and what action was taken.

Portfolio invoicing

For landlords managing multiple properties, we offer consolidated scheduling and monthly or quarterly invoicing across your portfolio.

The legal background

Section 11 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 imposes an implied covenant requiring the landlord to keep in repair the structure and exterior of the dwelling — explicitly including drains, gutters and external pipes. The obligation is to keep the property in repair proactively, not merely to remedy defects when notified.

HHSRS assessments under the Housing Act 2004 include dampness hazards. Water ingress from blocked or failed guttering is a common source. Local authorities can issue improvement notices and — for serious cases — civil penalties.