Quoting takes longer than the job
Nobody is going to spend forty minutes typing up a quote for £460 of work. So it goes out as a text, and then there is no record of what was and was not included.
For handymen
Turn a customer's list of jobs into a priced estimate
Handyman work arrives as a list. Eleven small jobs on the back of an envelope, half of which take ten minutes and two of which take two hours. Dictate the list as they gave it to you and get back an estimate that prices each item separately.
Why estimating is the worst part of the week
"While you are here" is your entire business model and your biggest leak
Three extra jobs get added while you are on site and two of them never make it onto the invoice, because you cannot remember which were on the original list.
Customers do not know what you are not allowed to do
The list has a new socket and a gas hob on it. Explaining why those need a registered person sounds like an excuse unless it is written down as an exclusion.
A real example
Snag list, eleven items, two-bed flat
On the left is what you would actually write down. On the right is what your customer receives.
Your notes
snag list for the flat. 11 things on her list: two doors sticking upstairs, kitchen cupboard hinge has dropped, silicone round the bath is black, rip it out and redo, two curtain poles into plasterboard so proper toggle fixings not the plugs she bought, new toilet seat shes got it already, bleed 4 rads and top the pressure up, blind in the nursery, banister is wobbly at the bottom, heavy mirror to hang about 15kg thats going into the studs not the board, shelf in the airing cupboard, smoke alarm chirping = battery. one day and a bit of an hour. take the multitool and the stud detector. bits from screwfix on the way in, keep the receipt for her. she also asked about a new socket by the telly - thats a spark, tell her
The estimate
| Item | Qty | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Ease, adjust and rehang two sticking internal doors | 2 each | £56.00 |
| Refit dropped kitchen cupboard hinge and realign door | 1 each | £25.00 |
| Cut out and renew sanitary silicone to bath | 1 job | £55.00 |
| Fit curtain poles with heavy-duty plasterboard fixings | 2 each | £64.00 |
| Replace toilet seat, supplied by client | 1 each | £20.00 |
| Bleed radiators and repressurise system | 4 each | £40.00 |
| Fit roller blind to nursery window | 1 each | £35.00 |
| Refix and tighten loose banister and spindles | 1 job | £45.00 |
| Hang mirror, fixed into studwork | 1 each | £40.00 |
| Fit shelf to airing cupboard | 1 each | £30.00 |
| Replace smoke alarm battery and test unit | 1 each | £12.00 |
| Fixings, sealant and sundries, receipts provided | 1 job | £38.00 |
| Total before VAT | £460.00 | |
An illustration using typical UK rates, not a price list. TradeScribe prices from the rates in your own notes and your saved day rate.
What we know about handyman services estimates
These are the lines that come up again and again on a handyman's estimate. Mention any of them in your notes, however briefly, and they come out properly worded.
- Half day on site, minimum charge
- Full day on site
- Flat-pack furniture assembly, per item
- TV or mirror mounted, including fixings
- Internal door eased, adjusted and rehung
- Silicone renewed to bath or shower
- Shelving or curtain pole fitted
- Blind fitted, per window
- Small plumbing repair, tap or trap
- Materials and fixings, at cost with receipts
Handyman services estimating questions
Should I charge a minimum call-out for small jobs?
Yes, and put it at the top of the estimate rather than in the small print. A half-day minimum is standard and it accounts for travel, parking and the trip to the merchant that a fifteen-minute job still costs you. Customers accept a minimum charge readily; what they object to is discovering one after the work is done.
How do I quote a long list of odd jobs without pricing each one on the phone?
Ask them to send the list, price it item by item in writing, and give a total with a note that the whole list is priced as one visit. Itemising protects you when they drop three jobs and expect the total to stay the same, and it makes it obvious what has been added when they ask for more on the day.
What work can I not legally do as a handyman?
Anything on a gas appliance requires Gas Safe registration, and most electrical work in England and Wales is notifiable under Part P and needs a competent person or Building Control notification. Replacing a like-for-like socket or light fitting is generally fine; new circuits and anything in a bathroom are not. List these as exclusions on the estimate and offer to arrange the right trade, which turns a refusal into a service.
Do I need public liability insurance for handyman work?
Legally it is not compulsory for a sole trader working in private homes, but practically it is essential and most letting agents and property managers will not use you without it. Put the cover level in the estimate footer. It costs a few hundred pounds a year and it is one of the fastest ways to look like a business rather than a bloke with a van.
Do I need to register for VAT as a handyman?
Only once your taxable turnover passes the registration threshold on a rolling twelve-month basis, or if you expect to exceed it in the next thirty days. Most sole trader handymen stay below it, which is a genuine advantage when quoting domestic customers who cannot reclaim VAT. Keep an eye on the rolling total rather than the tax year, because that is where people get caught out.
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