Does a gutter keep the fascia in place?

[Jeff R.]

I am dealing with an issue in which a storm came in and possibly pulled the gutter from the fascia. Would a gutter that was pulled away be a cause or allow for the fascia to “rip open” away from the house?

I was under the impression that the fascia boards are attached to the rafters by many nails. 

[Erik B.]

@Jeff R.

A facia board is generally nailed into the rafters in a way that it should not come off even in wind storms. The gutter is either nailed or screwed to the fascia and is not designed to keep the fascia on.

With that said, if there is some sort of force whether from ice, snow or clogged gutters that pulls on the gutter it can pull on the fascia causing it to come loose from the rafters. Any kind of rot/decay or inferior building practices can increase the chances of this happening.