In case you own or manage one or several rental properties, chances are that maintenance issues are one of the biggest drains of both your time and money. As a landlord, you are directly responsible for property maintenance, which includes emergencies that threaten both the well-being of the tenants and the property like a leak of the heating system in the middle of the night, or a wreck in the A/C system in the middle of July. Well, these things happen all the time, and in order to keep the property under control and well-maintained, every landlord needs a proper handyman on the payroll. Still, you should consider a couple of things before you go out and employ the first handyman that crosses your path because if you don’t do your due diligence, you might end up hiring someone that will make your property problems even worse. In the following paragraphs, we will discuss the necessary steps you need to take and insider tips you need to know to employ the perfect handyman for your property. 

In general, handymen are property workers who can take care of small repairs, upkeep tasks, and are in charge of general maintenance. In case there are significant electrical, plumbing, or other specialty jobs that need to be done at the property, it’s probably in your best interest to call a licensed and insured contractor to address that kind of issue. Still, for the day-to-day tasks that address small to medium property jobs, a skilled handyman can keep the expensive contractors away for low to medium maintenance tasks. The perfect handyman for your property should know a thing or two about how to immediately deal with: 

As different properties encounter different maintenance issues, this list is not exclusive of every issue that a handyman should know. Still, the list demonstrates a good overview of the day-to-day tasks that your handyman will encounter in working hours. 

First of all, the perfect handyman should have extensive knowledge of the maintenance issues listed above and be a highly-dependable person that will get the tasks done in a timely and professional manner. Nevertheless, finding such a person can be a genuine challenge, just like hiring any other position in any other field. Your property investments are a real business, so treat the process as you would any other job opening with potential employees. Before placing an ad in the local classifieds or on the craigslist, write out your expectations for the opened position, investigate the going rate for handymen across the UK, and outline the abilities and experience you are interested in when reviewing applicants. Ensure that the ad is written carefully and includes all the vital information that the potential applicants should know upfront. Also, don’t forget to visit sites like MyJobQuote, where you can compare dozens of local and reliable handymen in seconds and get initial quotes to find the best possible match suited to your needs.

Once you receive a couple of applications that seem like exciting options, the next step is to reach out to them and engage. Please pay close attention to how they act on the initial phone conversation, as it’s a great indicator or whether or not the potential candidate would be right to work with. If they are polite when answering your questions, and provide their answers patiently, the candidates are suitable for an in-person interview on your property where you will undoubtedly find out more about their professional skills and personality. While meeting with the candidate for the in-person interview, take the potential handyman on tour around the property so the candidate can get a sense of what you need as a landlord and see if they will fit in your system. Afterward, sit down for a cup of tea and ask everything that you are interested in about the person that sits your opposite. Here is a short list with the most critical questions that a landlord should ask during the first interview: 

A first-tier handyman will have no problem answering your numerous questions. This way, they will realize that you are highly-concerned about your property and know that you are a serious employer with future projects in mind on how to develop your property. 

Before you officially hire someone for your handyman position, make sure that they have the needed experience with the type of project you are hiring them for. You want to avoid hiring someone who has no idea what they are doing. Make no mistake, amateur handymen will take longer and will do a lower quality job than someone with experience in the field of work. Of course, that amateur handymen come with lower rates, but we highly recommend investing in a proven professional for your property to get the maintenance that it deserves. 

We acknowledge that the know-how of hiring a handyman for your property is something that you won’t use too often. Once you find a great one, you should tend to keep them on your property as long as it’s possible, allowing you to focus your time on other more important things. Yet, while you are on the hunt for the first one, keep our tips in mind, and you will be entirely happy with the result.