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I was reading an article from The Accidental Landlord on the same day that I got a text, e-mail, and phone call from a tenant about a problem (admittedly a very serious one – a leak). In our case we had fixed the problem by 11:00 on the morning that it was reported, and I just wondered whether our tenant appreciated how lucky they are? Because we are a professional landlord maintaining flats day in and day out we have a permanent relationship with tradesmen who know what they are doing, and who will come to fix the inevitable problems that all flats face.
If you are a tenant of Pimlico Flats, you speak to George in reception on your way to work, and when you come home the problem has disappeared. The Accidental Landlord says:
- £24.95 per hours, no call-out fee. Chap was on time (always a bonus) and he gave a quote to replace a bedroom door. He returned the following week with the door and carried out the work for an agreed fee of £144, which included the cost of the door plus labour. I think it took him more than 5 hours, but he only charged me the 4 hours agreed at the outset. 10/10
- £20 per half hour (+VAT) + £20 call-out fee. More at evenings and weekends. A little yellow man turned up on a little yellow scooter, on time, and he worked swiftly through a list of tasks but he didn’t have the expertise to carry out all of the repairs, which was disappointing as I’d been told on the phone that he would. Jobs left undone were a slow-running tap and a faulty Yale lock. 7/10
- £40 for the first hour then £15 per half hour (+VAT). No call-out fee. Man arrived an hour late (grrr), didn’t call to let me know (grrr again). Once he was there it took him only a few minutes to erect at shower riser rail, for which I would have had to pay £47, but he agreed to carry out some other little DIY jobs such as glueing down some loose laminate etc. 6/10
- £20 per hour half plus £20 call-out (+VAT) Mr Grumpy was on time but that’s where the good news ends. He put up 3 roller blinds. The first one was wonky and I think he hoped I wouldn’t notice there was a gap of a few inches on one side. He managed to get grubby finger prints over it too. Oh, and he broke a lamp. He did deduct £10 from his fee for the lamp, but still…..5/10
Rent London Flats from Pimlico Flats and Appreciate the Service
It’s nice to know that you can leave your property in the hands of someone who cares about the repair and management. And as a tenant it’s reassuring to know that the fix to your problems is only a phone call away.
I’ve had some dodgy landlords in my time so it’s nice to hear of someone doing it properly and caring about both sides of the equation!
I think handymanning, if thats a word, is one of the great untapped sources of work out there – if you know what you are doing. I dont think you can go wrong because as you illustrate, most handymen dont have the right approach to small jobs and dont realise how annoyed folks get when an expert cant do what boils down to snagging. And its not like people won;t pay for a service.
A builder i` knew in San Francisco stopped his construction firm and did odd jobs on his own, earnt over £100,000. And he was absolutely snowed under.
Now and again I am asked to paint the odd door or really small touch up jobs. I enjoy doing them, and secretly wish I could be a handyman because financially I would clear up!
Nick – as a professional landlord you understand that your tenant’s are your customers and that they are paying for a service which you provide them with. many landlords forget that!
We need a handyman in almost every day in our day to day life.The information tells everything about you, it’s a nice information.