Falling leaves are not optional, and neither is the water that is supposed to leave the roof through the eavestrough. When the trough fills with leaves, seeds, and grit, water spills over the edge. It runs down the wall, pools at the foundation, and in a freeze it sits where ice can build. That is the practical reason to clear the trough, not the appearance of the fascia from the sidewalk.
There is nothing to be done about the trees. They will drop debris every year. What can be done is keeping the eavestrough and the downspouts open so a normal rain has a path to the ground away from the house. A trough that looks tidy from below can still be packed at the corners and at the outlet. The only reliable check is to have the debris removed, not to guess from the lawn.
This is also work that is easy to underestimate. Reaching the roofline, lifting wet leaves, and moving along a trough is not always a safe job. Ladders on soft ground, or set against a gutter that is already full, are how people get hurt and how spouts get bent. Eavestrough and gutter cleaning is done with the proper equipment and with safety training for that height. It is not the same task as rinsing a window.
Windows at the top of the wall are a separate visit, and they are done from the ground. If you have been putting off both because you do not want ladders against the house, split the work in your mind. Glass is reached with a pole. The trough is cleared as its own job. Reading about how crews work from the ground with the right equipment will keep those two jobs from getting mixed together when you book.
What a clearing includes
The visit is about debris. Leaves, sludge, and the grit that settles in the bottom of the trough are removed so water can move. Downspouts are part of that path. A clear trough that empties into a blocked spout still overflows, just at the outlet instead of along the edge. After a clearing, run a hose or wait for the next rain and watch the outlets. Water should leave through the spout and discharge away from the foundation, not sheet over the front lip.
Clearing is not a repair. A trough that sags, a spike that has pulled out, a seam that leaks, or a spout that is crushed will still be there when the leaves are gone. You will see those problems more easily once the trough is empty, which is useful. They are not fixed by removing debris. If you know a section already leaks in a heavy rain, mention it when you book so the crew is not the one who discovers it with a face full of water.
Leaves in the yard are a different pile
The trough fills because the trees drop. The lawn and the beds fill for the same reason. Scooping the yard does not empty the trough, and emptying the trough does not rake the grass. If the property needs the leaves dealt with on the ground as well, leaf management is a separate service from the eavestrough visit. Booking both in the same season is reasonable. Treating them as one task is how one of them gets skipped.
If you are listing the house, a spilling trough is one of the things a buyer can see without going inside. Overflow stains on the siding and a wet line at the foundation read as neglect even when the rooms are tidy. That is covered from the seller’s side in what to clean before you list the house. For a house you are staying in, the timing is simpler: clear the trough after the main leaf drop, and again if a particular tree dumps seeds in the spring. Do not wait for water in the basement to be the reminder.