HOW TO HIRE · CLEANING

How to hire a roof cleaner in the UK
The checks, the questions and the paperwork.

No register applies to roof cleaners, but work at height rules apply, old cement roofs may be asbestos, and nests are protected.

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THE 60-SECOND VERSION

Hiring a roof cleaner in five steps

  1. Ask about accessScaffold or platform priced.
  2. Not a pressure washerOn tiles, a soft wash.
  3. BiocideTo slow the moss returning.
  4. Say the roof typeConcrete, clay or slate.
  5. Gutters afterCleared at the end.

BEFORE YOU BOOK

Check before you book

No register applies

No licence is required to clean roofs anywhere in the four nations; the law regulates the work at height. Nothing obliges a cleaner to be insured, but public liability cover is the difference between a claim paid and a dispute if roof cleaning goes wrong. Reasonable care and skill is the legal standard for roof cleaning under the Consumer Rights Act 2015.

Ask how the roof cleaning will be reached safely and see it priced. Ask the roof cleaner who the insurer is before the roof cleaning. hse.gov.uk →

Work at height

The Work at Height Regulations 2005 (and Northern Ireland's own of 2005) require work at height to be planned, supervised and done with suitable equipment; HSE says a ladder suits only low-risk work of up to 30 minutes at a time. That shapes how roof cleaning above the ground floor is done.

Ask how the roof cleaning will reach high areas — pole from the ground, tower or scaffold. hse.gov.uk →

Asbestos in older buildings

Under the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012 (Northern Ireland has its own 2012 Regulations) some asbestos work may only be done by an HSE-licensed contractor, and HSE classes broken-up asbestos cement sheeting as notifiable work. Old garage and shed roofs are where it turns up in a roof cleaning.

Before the roof cleaning breaks up any old cement sheet or board, ask how it will be checked for asbestos. hse.gov.uk →

Nesting birds (England)

gov.uk's guidance for England says all wild birds, their eggs and nests are protected, and it is an offence to intentionally take, damage or destroy a nest while it is in use or being built. A Natural England licence is available only for limited purposes. Gutters, roofs and the gap under panels are where roof cleaning meets them.

If birds are nesting, ask whether the roof cleaning can wait until the nest is no longer in use. gov.uk →

VAT

Roof cleaning is standard-rated at 20%. A roof cleaning business turning over more than £90,000 a year must register, charge the 20% on the access, moss removal and biocide, and set it out separately.

Ask the roof cleaner for the VAT number and check the 20% is a separate line below the access and cleaning. gov.uk →

“How will you get onto the roof safely?”

A good answer: Scaffold, platform or roof ladders with edge protection, planned.

“Will the roof cleaning use a pressure washer or a soft wash?”

A good answer: A soft wash at low pressure on tiles.

“Is a biocide included?”

A good answer: Yes, to slow regrowth.

“Is my roof asbestos cement?”

A good answer: They check, or advise testing, before cleaning.

“Will you clear the gutters after?”

A good answer: Yes.

“Are you insured for roof work?”

A good answer: Public liability, insurer named.

Getting the quote right

  • Access equipment
  • Moss removal and soft wash
  • Biocide treatment
  • Gutter clearing
  • Who actually attends on the roof, and whether they are employed or subcontracted
  • The VAT number, with VAT at 20% shown apart from the access, cleaning and biocide

Walk away if

  • Pressure-washes tiles
  • No access plan
  • Ignores a cement roof
  • No insurance
LOW
£250
TYPICAL
£450
HIGH
£1,200

What a roof cleaner costs: £250–£1,200 per job

Roof cleaning is priced per job by roof size, covering and the access needed. Roof Cleaning price guide →

Guide prices compiled by the Locufy team from published Irish and UK provider price lists and 2026/27 cost guides. Updated 2026.

KNOW WHAT TO LOOK FOR? NOW FIND ONE

Roof cleaners near you, with the badges that matter shown

ID checked, trader status and one score from every review — on the card, before you message anyone. Nearest first. No account needed to look.

Or post the job free and let them come to you.

  1. AccessScaffold or platform set up.
  2. Remove mossBy hand or low-pressure tools.
  3. Soft washCleaning solution applied.
  4. BiocideInhibitor applied.
  5. GuttersCleared at the end.

Soft wash
Low-pressure cleaning with a solution.
Biocide
A treatment that kills moss and algae.
Roof ladder
A ladder that hooks over the ridge.
Edge protection
Barriers that stop falls from a roof edge.
Asbestos cement
Old cement roofing that can contain asbestos.
Ridge
The top line of a roof.

AFTER

When the job is done

Check the guttersClear of fallen moss.
Look for broken tilesFrom the ground.
Keep the invoiceBiocide named.
Rate the jobTell the next person how the roof cleaning went — time kept, mess left, price held. Under four stars, the roof cleaner is offered the chance to fix it first through make-it-right.

STEP 1Tell the roof cleaner, in writingRaise it with the roof cleaner in writing while it is fresh. The roof cleaning came with a legal promise of reasonable care and skill under the 2015 Act; ask for the shortfall to be fixed at no cost, and if it cannot be, for an appropriate refund.
STEP 2Use the make-it-right stepA score under four stars opens the make-it-right step: you choose whether the roof cleaner gets the chance to put the roof cleaning right first, and we chase it to an end before you publish.
STEP 3Trading Standards, through the helplinesFor advice about the roof cleaning, or to have the complaint passed to Trading Standards, call the Citizens Advice consumer helpline on 0808 223 1133 (England and Wales), Advice Direct Scotland on 0808 800 9060, or Consumerline on 0300 123 6262 in Northern Ireland.
STEP 4Small claims, if money is owedIf money is still in dispute over the roof cleaning, the small claims routes need no solicitor: up to £10,000 in England and Wales on the small claims track, £5,000 in Scotland under simple procedure, and £5,000 in Northern Ireland's small claims court.

Hiring a roof cleaner: questions people ask

No. No licence or register applies.

The Work at Height Regulations 2005, which require planning and suitable equipment.

Ask about public liability insurance.

£250–£1,200 per job, about £450 for a semi. The detail sits in the roof cleaning price guide, and the search above lists cleaners working near your town.

It can strip coatings and force water under tiles; a soft wash is better.

A day for most semis.

MORE GUIDES

More hiring guides in cleaning

How to hire: Gutter CleaningHow to hire: Solar Panel CleaningHow to hire: Chimney SweepHow to hire: Pressure WashingHow to hire: Conservatory CleaningHow to hire: Window CleaningHow to hire: Driveway CleaningHow to hire: Patio CleaningAll 701 hiring guides →

Roof cleaners near you

Roof cleaners in LondonRoof cleaners in ManchesterRoof cleaners in BirminghamRoof cleaners in GlasgowRoof cleaners in BelfastAll roof cleaners on Locufy →

Sources — checked October 2026

  1. HSE — work at height: the law
  2. HSE — work at height myths (ladders and the 30-minute guide)
  3. HSE — types of ladder and using them safely
  4. Work at Height Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2005
  5. HSE — deciding if asbestos work must be done by a licensed contractor
  6. gov.uk — wild birds: protection and licences (England)
  7. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 49 — reasonable care and skill
  8. Citizens Advice — more help with a consumer issue (England)
  9. VAT rates — VAT rates for goods and services: standard rate 20% on most goods and services
  10. GOV.UK — Register for VAT: when to register