Roof Moss Removal Cost
Last updated 31st March, 2025
Are you in need of roof moss removal?
This article covers the main aspects of roof cleaning and typical roof moss removal costs. We examine roof tile cleaning, roof cleaning services and treatment options for removing moss from roof tiles.
On average, your roof cleaning cost can be between £300 and £500, depending on the type and shape of the roof.
Take a look below...
How Much to Clean a Roof?
On average, assuming easy access and no tiles need replacing, the roof on a typical UK 3-bedroom semi-detached house can be cleaned manually for around £300 to £500.
This is usually cheaper than the cost of pressure washing your roof, which can be up to £750 for a typical house.
Manually removing moss from a large home with attached garage and conservatory or porch would typically cost around £700 to £1,000, depending on the location and the size of the roofing company.
Overall, the cost of cleaning and treating your roof will be substantially cheaper than the typical new roof cost of around £4,500.
How much will the labour cost?
Roof cleaners tend to charge around £200 per day and depending on how badly the moss has built up it can take anywhere from 2 to 8 hours to remove the moss and treat the roof with chemicals to prevent further build-up. If further equipment is needed to safely complete the task, like scaffolding, further costs will be added to the overall price.
Roof Treatment Cost
Many roof cleaners will offer roof treatment as part of the job. This can prevent moss build-up in the future and also improve the aesthetic appeal of your roof.
Adding a roof treatment coating to the job will increase the price but may save you money in the long run.
On average, the cost of a full roof cleaning and treatment is between £600 and £1,500.
Table of Contents
Roof Cleaning Prices
| House Type | Roof Type | Avg. Cost | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Terraced | N/A | £400 | 4 - 6 Hours |
| Semi-detached | Gable Roof | £400 | 4 - 6 Hours |
| Detached | Gable Roof | £500 | 5 - 7 Hours |
| Semi-Detached | Hip Roof | £550 | 5 - 7 Hours |
| Detached | Hip Roof | £800 | 7 - 9 Hours |
Additional Roof Cleaning Costs
There may be a few different additional costs for manual moss removal, depending on the circumstances of your home.
In addition, there may be extra jobs you decide to have done at the same time to save on labour costs or scaffolding fees.
When the survey is initially done on your moss removal job, the contractor will give you an accurate quote, but often any hidden problems can’t be located until the moss starts to be removed, revealing underlying issues with the roof tiles beneath.
Of course, you can have the moss removal work completed first, and later consider your options for any other problem that has been revealed, unless this a matter of emergency, or prevents the contractors from completing the moss removal.
Scaffolding
The most common additional cost is the need for scaffolding, especially if you have a tall or uniquely shaped home. Scaffolding allows contractors the ability to work more efficiently and safely at height.
As the cost of scaffolding will vary depending on the style and height of your home, you may be looking at anything from £250 for a basic scaffold tower up to £900 if full scaffolding needs to be erected.
Damaged Roof Tiles
Another additional cost can occur when roof tiles are discovered to be broken underneath the moss that had covered it.
Broken or loose tiles can cause much bigger problems further down the line if they’re ignored after being discovered. This can be in the form of leaks or even falling tiles.
With the cost to replace roof tiles starting from around £75 and the cost to replace roof ridge tiles higher than this, it's worth addressing any problems before they get worse.
Roof Valley Issues
The valleys in your roof are the points where two sloped roofs meet and create a channel for water to run down into your guttering.
If roof valleys are damaged and need repairing or replacing, it's important to get this work carried out before the roof starts to leak. Because of the amount of water that will track into it, a roof valley is a vulnerable spot for any roof.
The typical roof valley replacement cost can range from £75 to £550, depending on the amount of work needed and what type of materials are used.
Roof Eaves Felt
Eaves felt is a crucial line of defence against water entering your home. It overhangs the bottom row of tiles on your rooftop and ensures any water coming down goes into the guttering rather than working its way into the house.
If your felt (or, more likely these days, the plastic eaves tray) fails or is damaged, there's a chance water could work its way up underneath your roof.
The cost of replacing roof eaves felt is typically between £300 and £500.
Other Costs
There are a couple of other tasks you may get your roofer to check while they're cleaning the roof.
Fascias and soffits play an important role in stopping excess moisture from entering your home. Keeping them in good condition is another way of protecting your home from the elements.
Similarly, guttering allows water to flow effectively away from your roof, so keeping these clear from debris is an important job.
The table below demonstrates the typical prices for these extra tasks:
| TASK | AVG. COST | DURATION |
|---|---|---|
| Painting Soffits and Fascias | £700 - £1,000 | 3 - 4 days |
| Replacing Soffits and Fascias | £1,000 - £1,500 | 1 - 2 days |
| Repairing Gutters | £120 - £180 | 2 - 4 hours |
| Replacing Gutters | £450 - £700 | 1 day |
Roof Moss Removal Cost Breakdown Calculator
Individual costs for hiring a tradesman to remove the moss from a gable roof of a 2-storey semi-detached house with easy access - Total Cost: £400
Materials
£100
Tradesmen
£200
Access Tower
£100
Labour Costs and Time Frames
Roofer prices account for around 50% of the overall cost, which is a fairly standard mark-up across the trade industry, with equipment and materials accounting for the rest of the cost.
The initial survey shouldn’t take too long, but it just gives the tradesmen an opportunity to review your home and decide what they will need for the job, therefore giving the customer a more accurate price for the job.
The entire job should take no longer than around 6 hours, start to finish, for a semi-detached house with a gabled roof. Of course, this time can be extended if any additional issues are discovered, or if the contractors need to erect scaffolding to work efficiently and safely.
The labour costs are decided depending on how many contractors are needed to work on the job, which can differ depending on the shape, size and type of roof. They may also need extra hands if the location is tricky to work with, like with terraced houses, or blocks of flats. In this case, scaffolding will almost definitely need to be used to ensure the job can be carried out.
What Factors Impact Moss Removal From Roof Costs?
A few circumstances can affect the cost of removing moss on a roof manually.
Size of Roof
If you have a large roof, contractors may charge you slightly more as it can take more time to remove moss from your roof.
Location of Property
If your property is located in London, it’s more likely that you'll end up paying more to remove moss from your roof than if you’ve lived in the North of the country.
Extent of Moss
If you have your roof regularly cleaner, there won’t be as much moss to remove and it won’t add anything to the overall cost. However, if you've never had your roof cleaned, and you have a large moss build-up, you may have additional charges added.
Scaffolding Hire
If you live in a two or three-storey house, scaffolding hire may be required to complete the job safely, and this will affect the overall cost.
What Does Removing Roof Moss Manually Entail?
If you are thinking about having your roof tiles jet washed to remove moss, then it may be worth considering manually removing the moss as some pressure washers have been shown to damage some tiles roofs and there is also the potential risk of flooding to the loft space.
In many cases, any excess moss can be removed by manual scraping and then applying the correct chemicals to the tiles to prevent future growth. This approach doesn’t involve gallons of water, so it is less messy, and it won’t cause a lot of damage to the roof tiles.
If any individual tiles are damaged during this process, they can usually be replaced cheaply if all the scaffolding, roof ladders and other equipment are already in place.
When removing moss or lichen from roof tiles and all the equipment needed to safely access the roof is already in place, it makes sense to take care of any other roofing maintenance at the same time.
So if any other roof-related items need repairing or replacing, such as roof or ridge tiles, fascia or soffit boards, guttering or lead flashing - get it all done at the same time.
No approvals from the local authority are required to manually clean the moss from roof tile, so this can be done as a DIY project, but you do need to ensure all the necessary safety equipment is in place to prevent injury. For the DIY guy, this would normally involve the hiring of safety roof ladders and/or scaffolding, which means there will often be little if any, savings compared to hiring a professional roofing contractor.
So even though this can be done on a DIY basis, this and other jobs involving working at height are best left to the professionals, as even the hiring of all the necessary safety equipment, is no real substitute for the good judgement and common sense that comes from years of experience working on roofs.
With any jobs that involve disturbing roof tiles, expect that you will break some of them, no matter how careful you are, these things happen! If you do not have spare matching tiles to hand, this will involve rushing around DIY stores and builders merchants at the last minute, avoid the hassle by having some spare tiles ready (including ridge tiles) before you begin.
You should also note that the new building regulations require all tiles to be nailed or otherwise mechanically fixed to the roof, but this only changed in 2015, roofs prior to that would typically only have every third row mechanically fixed. The cost of replacement tiles depends on the type/specification, but standard roof tiles are pretty cheap, so buying a few extra is no big deal and can save you time.
DIY Manual Roof Moss Removal
The amount of resources, tutorials and advice available online has contributed to the number of people who now attempt to complete jobs around their homes without paying for contractors. However, some jobs are simply too unsafe for those to attempt without proper training and equipment.
Any job that requires working at height is one that the layman shouldn’t attempt unless they have prior experience in that line of work. However, if you were to ignore this advice, you would need to ensure that you could work on your roof safely, ideally with erected scaffolding to provide a solid footing to work.
You’ll also need specialist moss scrapers, that are shaped especially for roof tiles and a pressure washer to clean the remaining debris left by the moss.
You should be able to purchase or rent all the tools required from your local hardware store, and you’ll need to double-check with your local housing authority to ensure that you don’t need any licenses or permits to work at height on your home.
FAQs
Ideally, you would work down the roof, with a specialist scraper and modified jet washer to ensure no tiles are damaged while removing the moss.
This application of chemicals to the roof is much cheaper than the initial cleaning as no elbow grease is required, and the chemicals themselves are cheap! Plus, there is no need to physically get on the roof again; the chemicals can be applied from gutter height with a sprayer.
Finally, all the dead moss would eventually wash down into the gutters causing blockages, and this would be ongoing for months so your gutters would need frequent cleaning to avoid becoming blocked.
In fact, a number of tile manufacturers specifically state that pressure washers should not be used with their products to avoid damage and manual cleaning is often their preferred option.
On certain very shallow-pitch roofs, moss can potentially reduce the flow of water, and in very damp conditions, the roof tiles can be damaged over time. But in most cases, the removal of moss from roofs will be for mainly cosmetic reasons.
The NFRC (National Federation of Roofing Contractors) roofing trade association have never recognised moss removal as a true roofing discipline as they believe that in most instances, moss on roof tiles is rarely a problem unless it is blocking gutters or other drainage points on the roof.
In fact, they say that unnecessary foot traffic due to the many roof treatments offered to remove moss often leads to roof damage in the form of cracked or broken roof tiles.
How to Find and Hire a Roof Moss Remover
It's often preferable to hire a contractor to complete manual moss removal work for you, due to the safety issues that are apparent for the work.
Roof tiles are also extremely easy to dislodge or damage in the process if you’re not used to working in such environments. To find a contractor to complete this work, search online for experts in your area.
They should be able to demonstrate their experience and knowledge through qualifications, accreditations and reviews from people who have used their services in the past.
You can also ask for quotes from several companies to ensure that you’re paying a fair amount for the work. Another important thing to check is whether the contractor you have chosen is fully insured to work on your home and at height. You can check a contractor out before hiring them on the Homeowners Alliance webpage.
