OC · StrataCommon property cleaning for Melbourne owners corporations and body corporates
OC · StrataCommon property cleaning for Melbourne owners corporations and body corporates
S08Roofline
Strata gutter cleaning done the way owners corporations need it: every lot in the scheme cleared on one instruction, box gutters and sumps on apartment blocks included, and a photo report for each lot that the committee can table at the AGM. One booking, one safe work plan, one invoice.
THTownhouse rowsBGApartment box guttersMXMixed roof schemes
Read this if you sit on a committee, manage schemes or look after a building and need gutters and roofs cleared across a whole scheme rather than one house at a time. It covers how schemes buy the work differently from individual homeowners, how we handle townhouse rows and apartment box gutters, what we do about valleys and moss, the height safety that sits behind every job, and the paperwork a committee needs to approve and record it.
Gutters are the scope most likely to cause real damage when neglected. A blocked box gutter on a flat-roofed block can push water back inside, down a wall cavity and through a ceiling on the top floor. An overflowing eaves gutter on a townhouse row soaks the path below and grows algae all winter. Clearing them twice a year costs far less than one insurance claim. Of all the jobs listed across our strata cleaning services, this is the one committees most often regret putting off.
01The strata way
Strata gutter cleaning is bought once for the whole scheme, not house by house. The owners corporation instructs one contractor, every lot on the common roof is cleared on the same day or run of days, and the committee receives a report per lot showing what was removed and anything found.
When individual owners arrange their own gutters, the result is patchy. One end of a townhouse row gets done in April, the middle in August, and the far end never, so water from a blocked section overflows onto neighbours who paid for theirs. On a shared roof, gutters work as one system, and they need to be cleaned as one.
| Question | Each owner books their own | Owners corporation books once |
|---|---|---|
| Coverage | Patchy; some lots skipped for years | Every lot on the same day |
| Shared downpipes and box gutters | Nobody's job, so often missed | Included in the scope |
| Height safety paperwork | Rarely asked for | One safe work method statement for the site |
| Record for the maintenance plan | None | Per-lot photos and a written report |
| Cost | A call-out charge per house | One set-up, priced per scheme |
There is an insurance angle as well. When water damage reaches a top-floor apartment, one of the first questions an insurer or loss assessor asks is when the gutters were last cleaned. A dated, per-lot photo report answers that in seconds, and can make the difference between a straightforward claim and a long dispute.
Whether gutters are the owners corporation's responsibility depends on the plan of subdivision and the scheme's rules. On many townhouse plans the roof is common property; on some, each lot owns its own roof space. We ask the manager to confirm before quoting, and where lots own their gutters, owners can still opt into a scheme-wide booking and share the set-up cost.
02Townhouse rows
Yes. A row of up to about fourteen double-storey townhouses can usually be cleared in a single day, working from one end to the other with the same crew, the same safety set-up and one waste disposal. Larger schemes are split over two or three consecutive days.
Example: 14-lot row, one visitPer-lot status in the report
Townhouse rows in the south-east and outer east of Melbourne often sit under established gums and liquidambars, and those trees fill gutters fast. Leaves are removed by hand or with a gutter vacuum, bagged on the roof and carried down, rather than blown into the courtyards and driveways below. Downpipes are then flushed to check they run freely.
What comes out of a townhouse gutter says a lot about the row. Mostly leaves means the trees are the issue. Mostly grit and granules from the roof means ageing tiles or shingles shedding their surface. Tennis balls, pegs and toys mean the back courtyards drain up there. Each gets a line in the report, because each points to a different fix.
Owners do not need to be home. Most townhouse gutters can be reached from the common driveway or from the roof without entering a lot. Where access through a private courtyard is the only safe way up, the manager lets the owner know in advance and we arrange a time.
After a row is done, the driveway and paths below are often dusty and stained where leaf litter used to drip. Many schemes book a clean of those surfaces through our strata pressure cleaning service for the following week, when the gutters are clear and runoff will not bring more debris down.
03Apartment blocks
Box gutters sit inside the roofline, so a blockage sends water into the building rather than over the edge. We clear the gutter bed, the sumps and rainwater heads, lift and clean any leaf guards, and test each outlet with water so the committee knows it drains before we leave.
Flat and low-pitch roofs on 1960s and 70s walk-ups, and on many newer mid-rise buildings, rely on box gutters and internal downpipes. They collect not only leaves but grit, tennis balls, pigeon nests and the odd lost toy. Because they are hidden from the ground, a problem often shows up first as a water stain on a top-floor ceiling.
Access to these roofs is usually through a hatch in a stairwell ceiling or a plant room door. We ask the manager for keys in advance and check whether the hatch ladder and roof walkways are in usable condition, because an unsafe hatch is the manager's problem to fix before anyone goes up.
Sumps and outlets are where most blockages start. A sump with a rusted grate or a missing leaf guard gets photographed and reported. Overflow outlets, the small spouts that let water escape if the main outlet blocks, are checked for nests and debris too, because they are the building's safety valve.
Leaf guards are a common question. They reduce how often gutters need clearing but do not remove the need, because fine debris and seed pods still collect on top and underneath. On box gutters, a guard that is clogged on its surface can actually make overflow more likely. We clean and reseat guards each visit and tell the committee honestly whether they are helping.
Roof membranes and flashings are inspected by eye as we work. Splits, lifted flashings and ponding water are recorded with photos, but repairs go to a roofing or plumbing contractor.
On every block roof
04Roof surfaces
Valleys and roof surfaces are cleared of leaves and branches on every gutter clean, because that debris ends up in the gutter by the next rain. Moss and lichen are treated with a method that suits the roof material, and never with high pressure on old tiles or asbestos cement.
| Roof | Our approach | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Metal sheet (Colorbond style) | Hand clearing, low-pressure rinse | Protects the coating and avoids dents from walking on unsupported sheets |
| Concrete tiles | Hand clearing, soft wash for moss | Older tiles are porous and can crack or lose their surface under pressure |
| Terracotta tiles | Hand clearing, soft wash | Brittle when walked on; weight spread on battens |
| Flat membrane roofs | Sweep, clear outlets, gentle rinse | Membranes puncture easily; ponding checked and reported |
| Asbestos cement sheeting | Not pressure cleaned; gutters cleared by hand only | High-pressure water on asbestos is restricted under Victorian OHS rules |
Buildings from before about 1990 can have asbestos cement roof sheets, eaves or gutters. WorkSafe Victoria's guidance on OHS Regulation 216 is that high-pressure water jets must not be used on asbestos-containing material unless the use is controlled. If a roof looks like fibre cement and the scheme has no asbestos register saying otherwise, we treat it as if it contains asbestos, clear gutters by hand and recommend testing before any surface cleaning.
Solar panels are increasingly common on townhouse and apartment roofs. We clear the gutters and valleys around them but do not walk on, lean on or clean the panels themselves unless the committee asks separately, because panel warranties and electrical safety bring their own rules.
Moss is also a sign of shade and moisture rather than just dirt. Branches overhanging a roof keep it damp, and pruning them back does more for the roof than any wash. The report says so when we see it.
Source: WorkSafe Victoria, use of power tools on asbestos. Checked September 2026.
05Height safety
Each roof and gutter job starts from a site-specific safe work method statement, anchor points are checked before use, and the method of reaching the gutter is chosen for the building: ladder with a second person, fall-arrest gear clipped to inspected roof anchors, or a boom lift operated by a licensed operator. Weather can stop the job on the day.
Written for the site, covering access, edges, fragile surfaces, power lines and weather.
Roof anchors used only if their inspection is current; if not, another method is chosen.
Skylights, polycarbonate sheeting and suspect fibre cement identified and avoided.
Ladders secured and footed, fall-arrest lines on inspected anchors, or a boom lift with a licensed operator.
Wind, rain or extreme heat postpone the job rather than rush it.
The statement, photos and any incidents filed with the job report for the manager.
Under WorkSafe Victoria's rules, high risk construction work needs a written SWMS before it starts, and a possible fall of over two metres puts a job in that category. Gutter cleaning on a double-storey townhouse is well above that height. Whether or not a particular clean counts as construction work, the risk is identical, so we treat every roof job the same way and send the statement with the quote.
06For the committee
Six documents: a single-page quote ready for a committee vote, a current certificate of currency, the safe work method statement, a per-lot photo report after the job, a short note for the maintenance plan listing defects found, and an invoice laid out the way the budget needs it.
Scope, lots included, access method and price, on one page.
Public liability cover current on the day the committee approves.
The height safety plan written for your site.
Before and after photos for each lot, with notes.
Defects found, urgency and the trade that should look at each.
One line for the scheme, or a share for each lot where owners hold their own roofs.
The maintenance note is often the most valuable part. It turns a routine clean into a small roof inspection: a cracked tile over lot 9, a downpipe coming away from the wall at lot 4, a rusted sump grate on the east side. Tier 1 and 2 schemes, which have to keep a maintenance plan, file it with the plan.
The quote and the safety statement arrive together, so the committee can approve the job at one meeting. The certificate of currency is dated, and we send an updated one automatically if the policy renews before the work is done.
Managers who look after several schemes can receive the same pack format for each, which makes comparing buildings much easier. How that works across a whole book of buildings is covered in our notes for strata and owners corporation managers.
07Pricing
Whole-scheme gutter cleaning is priced by the total length of gutter, the number of storeys, the access method, the amount of debris expected and whether roof surfaces are included. One set-up covers the whole scheme, so the price per lot is lower than each owner booking separately.
Two cleans a year, in autumn after leaf fall and again in spring, suit most Melbourne schemes. Buildings under large gums or plane trees may need a third. In outer suburbs close to bushland, many committees time one clean before summer as part of their fire preparation.
Storms change the calendar too. After a big wind event, when branches and leaves land on the roofs in one night, some schemes ask for a quick check of the box gutters and sumps on the flat roofs, even if a clean is not due. We price that as a short call-out and report what we find.
Committees can have the cost appear as a single line on the owners corporation budget, or, where lots own their own roofs, split per lot on the invoice so each owner's share is clear. Both are shown on the quote.
Gutters sit naturally inside a yearly calendar, placed before the pressure cleaning and glass. If you would rather not plan it yourself, the gutter dates can be built into strata cleaning and maintenance programs alongside everything else. For how it all adds up, see strata cleaning cost.
What changes the price
08Quote
Tell us how many lots and storeys the scheme has, whether roofs are pitched or flat, and the suburb. Aerial photos or a plan help a lot. We check the roofs, confirm access, then send a committee-ready quote with the safety documents attached.
If you do not know the gutter length or the roof type, that is fine. A street address is enough for us to look at the roofs from above and give a first estimate before the site visit confirms it.
Autumn books out quickly, because every scheme wants its gutters clear before the winter rain. Asking in February or March gives the committee time to approve the quote before the leaves drop. If you have drone photos or roof plans, attach them when you get a quote online. For our other services, including the routine clean that can run alongside, see strata cleaning Melbourne.
09Roof questions
Three questions that decide most gutter bookings.
