If you manage a strata scheme, a commercial site or a rental portfolio, bushfire season gutter maintenance is one job spread across many roofs. Gutters full of dry leaves are fuel for embers on
every building you look after, and larger roofs collect more of it.
This guide covers what to schedule before summer, what to check mid-season, and what a contractor’s report should give your owners and committee. It is practical guidance from our crews. It
does not cover your legal or insurance obligations, which your strata manager or insurer can confirm.
Why larger roofs collect more debris
Apartment blocks, townhouse rows, schools and warehouses have long gutter runs, wide roof areas and more valleys feeding them. Many also have box gutters, which sit inside the roofline and are
hidden from the ground. Litter in a box gutter can build up for a long time before anyone sees it.
Shared trees add to the load. Gums along a boundary or in common gardens drop bark and leaves onto several roofs at once.
The NSW Rural Fire Service and the ACT Emergency Services Agency both include clearing gutters in their advice for preparing a property. Our bushfire season gutter guide explains how embers ignite leaf litter at the roof edge.
What to schedule, and when
Most buildings benefit from gutter cleaning at least twice a year. For bushfire season, the pre-summer clean is the one to lock in first.
BEFORE SUMMER
Full clean of every building
Gutters, box gutters, roof valleys and
downpipes cleared on each building.
Overhanging branches trimmed back from the roofs.
Photo report sent to the committee or owner.
One booking can cover several buildings, and a set schedule keeps each clean on the maintenance calendar. Our property manager’s guide explains how a scheduled maintenance plan works.
What a report to owners should include
A committee cannot see a roof from the car park. A good report shows them the work without
anyone climbing up to check
Before and after photos
Photos of the gutters on each building, taken before and after the clean
Roof issues noted
Anything the crew sees while they are up there, such as cracked tiles, loose flashing, sagging gutters or a blocked downpipe.
Date and areas covered
The date of the clean and which gutters, box gutters, valleys and downpipes were done.
Next visit
A recommended date for the next clean, so it can go on the maintenance calendar.
Every Urban Gutters job comes with before and after photos, and our crews note any roof issues they see.
Access and safety on multi-storey sites
Height is the main risk on strata and commercial jobs. Our industrial gutter vacuum runs on a carbon-fibre pole, which keeps the crew on the ground where access allows. Where roof access is needed, our team works in pairs with harnesses and helmets, to Australian WHS standards. Urban Gutters is fully insured.
Ask any contractor for their insurance details and safety documents before work starts. Our article on commercial and industrial gutter cleaning covers large roofs and box gutters in more detail.
A notice you can send to owners and tenants
Get a free, accurate quote
Gutter cleaning for [BUILDING NAME] is booked for [DATE], between [START TIME] and [END TIME]. The crew will clear leaves and debris from the gutters and downpipes ahead of the bushfire season. Please keep balconies and courtyards under the roofline clear, and move cars from [AREA] where possible. The crew will be in uniform. If they need access through your lot, we will contact you beforehand.
Please send any questions to [CONTACT NAME] on [PHONE OR EMAIL].
Frequently Asked Questions
Book your buildings in before summer
One crew for gutters, box gutters and downpipes, with photos for your committee. Free inspection and a fixed quote.
Alex
“A South Londoner who now calls Australia home, Alex brings over 20 years of trade experience to Urban Gutters. Before relocating to Australia, he spent more than a decade running his own gas installation and repair company in London, working across residential and commercial properties. Gutter and roof maintenance was a natural extension of that plumbing background, since water systems, drainage, and building envelope integrity all sit in the same trade family.
Alex co-founded Urban Gutters in Sydney in 2022 alongside his wife Kayla, after years of working for trade companies that consistently fell short on customer service. The brief was simple: build a gutter cleaning business where client satisfaction was the priority, not an afterthought. Urban Gutters now services both Sydney and Canberra, holding a 5-star Google rating and growing rapidly.
When he’s not on the tools, Alex is usually talking football or charming customers with the dry South London humour that earned him the nickname “Guvna” within the team.”
