Frequently asked questions

0800handyman was established in 2001, and since when we have performed over 50,000 jobs for around 20,000 customers. And well over 90% of those that return our feedback cards tell us that our workmanship, value for money, and customer service are “excellent” or “good”.

We don’t advertise much - a big proportion of our business comes through referrals from satisfied customers, and we like it that way. It means we can spend more time focusing on delivering great service, and less time on deciding where we should advertise. Please bear this in mind when you use us - the success of our business relies on word-of-mouth, so do pass on the word if you are happy with our service.

Our name spells out our phone number. Dial 0800, then begin spelling out “handyman” using the letters on your telephone keypad and you will get through to us (0800 H-A-N-D-Y-M ... 0800 4-2-6-3-9-6).

£20+VAT per half-hour, plus £20+VAT callout. Evening and weekend work is charged at a 50% premium.

No - materials are extra. Most customers use us purely as a labour service, but we are happy to fetch particular parts for you if needed. We add a mark-up to parts we supply to reflect the fact that we are using our expertise to select and find the right materials.

Yes! All our handymen carry a full range of tools to tackle a huge number of different jobs. They also carry a wide selection of small parts (screws, nails, wall plugs, plumbing connections and so forth). In London, though, all our handymen travel by motorbike, so we don’t carry a ladder (but still carry a full range of other tools)

We use motorbikes and scooters in London. Our 125cc scooters have a specially-designed box on the back which accommodates all our tools. And our larger, 650cc Honda Deauville motorbikes have large integrated panniers.

Generally, we can give you a good idea over the telephone of how long a job is likely to take. You can then book someone in, and when they arrive they will confirm or revise the estimate based on what they find at the job. If it is clearly going to take a lot longer than expected, and you decide not to go ahead, we won’t charge you anything. If you are happy to go ahead then our handyman will do the job there and then. For larger jobs, like fitting a new bathroom, we would usually make a separate visit first to give you an estimate.

Yes, we carry £2m of public liability insurance.

We are not really an emergency service - most of the work we do is booked in a couple of days in advance. We can often squeeze jobs in on the same day as they are booked, though, so it is worth calling to check availability.

Yes, we work Saturdays for which we charge a 50% premium over our usual rates.

No - usual hours are 9am to 6pm Monday to Friday. We can do jobs in the evening or on Saturdays for a 50% premium. Our office is open from 8.00am to 6.00pm Monday to Friday.

No. We employ general handymen, who can all do a wide range of jobs, but we are not CORGI registered, so we don’t do any work with gas.

No. We employ general handymen, who can all do a wide range of jobs, but we limit our electrical work to replacement work, not new wiring. For new wiring (e.g. adding an entirely new lighting point) you should contact a specialist electrician. For replacing lights, switches and so on, we are guys to call.

No. There are some so-called trade associations or guilds that will sell anyone a membership logo for an annual fee, providing a thin veneer of respectability for their members. Given that the average consumer will not know which guilds or associations are reputable and which are not, we have chosen not to align ourselves with any association or guild.

Unlike many firms in the building and maintenance industry, all our handymen work for us full-time. Of the numerous job applications that we receive, we only interview about a third of applicants, and offer jobs to about a third of people we interview. In other words we reject over 90% of applicants, and only take those who are: skilled in the sort of work we take on; who are polite and well presented; who are friendly and understand the importance of customer service. Click here for more detailed discussion of this topic. Bear in mind, though, that all our handymen are just that: handymen. There may be some jobs that we can’t tackle, in which case we will always tell you and try and recommend a suitable specialist to use instead.

Good question. There are hundreds of handymen who have applied for a job with us, but who have not met our demanding standards. They might be out there somewhere, beware!

No - we give specific one hour slots in which we aim to arrive. We are nearly always bang on time, but sometimes (particularly towards the end of the day) we might be a little late. But we will always call you well in advance to let you know our revised estimated arrival time.

The jobs we do generally range from 30 minutes to a day. We do sometimes do much larger jobs lasting several days, (e.g. taking care of a long 'snagging' list for a customer has just had builders in) For anything lasting longer than about 5 days, you are better off using a specialist tradesman, whether this be a decorator or a builder or whatever

We currently operate across the Greater London area and also in Hampshire and West Berkshire. Depending on our workload we may be able to service locations in some surrounding areas. We are expanding, with franchise opportunities now available, offering the exciting chance of business ownership for those with the ambition and aptitude.

We accept cash, cheque, credit card or debit card.

Yes, certainly. Many companies use us to take care of their everyday maintenance requirements. There is no formal account-opening procedure, just call us on 0800 HANDYMAN (0800 426396), we will send someone round and then bill you afterwards. All we ask is that invoices are paid within 30 days. If you require a regular visit (e.g. once a week) then we can set that up too, and we would be able to offer you a big discount off our usual rates. Please call 0800 HANDYMAN (0800 426396) to discuss your requirements with one of our staff.

Our regular landline number is 0207 978 6674