How much does a roof clean cost?

How much does a roof clean cost by type of house?

A typical UK roof clean costs between £600 and £1,300, a large detached house can cost up to £4,000, and the type of house is the best single guide to where yours will land. The table shows average prices for a clean that includes moss removal and a biocide treatment. To compare a roof clean with driveway, patio, gutter and solar panel cleaning, see how much exterior house cleaning costs.

Typical prices, checked October 2026.

These are averages, not quotes. Two houses of the same type can sit at opposite ends of a range because of the things in the next section. At Washmates, a roof clean starts from £800.

A real example: in October 2026, a three-bedroom semi-detached house in Reading, with no extensions, was quoted between £800 and £1,400 for a roof clean by different local companies. That is above the national average for a semi, which is typical for the South East, and it shows how far quotes for the same roof can differ.

At the top end, a large detached house in Hampshire, with a roof of more than 300 square metres, was quoted £4,000 plus VAT. A roof that size can take four days to clean. For comparison, a three-bedroom semi usually takes a team of two a full day.

What affects the price of a roof clean?

Size is the biggest factor, followed by how hard the roof is to reach and how much growth there is to remove. Each of these adds time, equipment or materials:

• Where you live. Prices tend to sit towards the top of these ranges in London and the South East, and towards the bottom in the North, the Midlands, Wales and Scotland, because labour and running costs differ.
• Roof size and shape. More square metres take longer. Hips, valleys, dormers and extensions add edges to work around.
• Pitch and height. A steep roof or a three-storey house is slower and needs more access equipment than a low bungalow.
• Tile type. Clay and slate can be fragile. A cleaner shouldn’t walk on them, so the work is done from roof ladders, scaffold towers or a cherry picker.
• How much moss there is. Patchy moss clears quickly. Thick moss takes longer to remove, and there is more to clear from the gutters afterwards.
• Access. Most roofs can be reached with roof ladders, scaffold towers or a cherry picker. Where scaffolding is needed, it can add several hundred pounds, and on a bigger house more than £1,000.
• Extras on the roof. Solar panels, skylights and chimneys need working around.

These are the same things our quote form asks about: the tiles, the moss, the height of the property and whether there are solar panels on the roof. Tell us about your roof and we’ll send you a fixed price, usually without a site visit.

What’s included in a Washmates roof clean?

A Washmates roof clean covers the whole roofline, not just the tiles. Every roof clean includes:

• The tiles, cleaned with a soft wash at low pressure, then treated with a biocide to slow moss regrowth. We never jet-wash the tiles.
• The gutters, cleared, because moss washed off a roof often ends up in them.
• The fascias and soffits, the boards along the edge of the roof.
• Any solar panels on the roof, cleaned at the same time.
• A post-service clean-up, so the property is left tidy.
• Digital before and after photos of the work.

We don’t walk on fragile tiles; we use roof ladders, scaffold towers or a cherry picker instead. All our prices include VAT, and we’re insured for £2m public liability. A £100 deposit books your job, and you pay the balance when the job’s finished. You can read more about how we work and how we price. To compare this with booking each job separately, see what it costs to clean a roof, gutters and solar panels together. For the whole job, from what’s involved to how long it takes, see our guide to roof cleaning.

Why are some roof cleaning quotes so much cheaper?

A much cheaper quote usually means less work or a different method, so it’s worth asking what’s included. The common differences are:

• A jet wash instead of a soft wash. High pressure is quick, but it can crack or dislodge tiles, wear away their surface and push water underneath them. A worn surface also gives moss more to grip, so it can come back faster. See whether pressure washing damages a roof.
• No biocide. Removing moss without treating the roof leaves the spores behind. The roof looks clean on the day, but growth returns sooner.
• Gutters left full. If the gutters aren’t cleared afterwards, the moss that came off the roof can block them.
• Extras charged separately. Gutters, fascias, soffits or roof panels may be priced on top.

When comparing quotes, ask how the roof will be cleaned, whether a biocide is applied, what happens to the gutters and whether insurance is in place.

How long does a roof clean last?

A roof that has been cleaned and treated with a biocide usually stays clear for two to four years before moss starts to come back. Roofs that are shaded, north-facing or under trees stay damp for longer, so growth returns sooner. Roofs in open, sunny spots last longer.

The biocide is what makes the difference. It keeps working on the tiles after the clean, killing spores before they take hold. Without it, a roof can look green again within a year or two. Most homes need a full clean every few years, and a quick look at the roof each autumn tells you how it’s doing.

Is a roof clean worth the money?

For most homes with moss on the roof, yes. A clean costs a small fraction of a new roof and deals with the moss before it causes bigger problems. Re-roofing a house usually costs several thousand pounds.

Moss holds water against the tiles. Over time that can speed up wear, especially when the water freezes. Moss also washes into the gutters, where it can cause blockages and overflowing water.

A clean won’t fix a roof that’s already failing. If tiles are cracked, slipping or missing, get the roof checked by a roofer first; cleaning a damaged roof only makes it look better. Some companies also offer a roof coating after cleaning. It costs considerably more than a clean, so treat it as a separate decision.

If your roof is sound and the moss is building up, a soft wash and a biocide is the most cost-effective way to keep it in good shape. Our guide to whether roof cleaning is worth it compares a clean with typical repair and re-roofing costs.