A handyman in London typically costs £75–£95 for the first hour, including the call-out, and £45–£65 for each hour after that, putting a genuine multi-job visit at roughly £220–£280 for a half day or £340–£420 for a full day. Before any of that pricing matters, there's a boundary worth understanding: gas work needs a Gas Safe registered engineer and notifiable electrical work needs a qualified electrician, neither of which falls within general handyman scope regardless of how minor the job looks. This guide covers realistic 2026 cost bands for single jobs and bundled lists, that regulatory boundary in plain terms, and what to expect from a typical visit.
Handyman cost in London: hourly, half-day and day rates
Handyman work is priced by time rather than by square metre or fixed job spec, which makes the structure worth understanding before you book. The first hour, which usually includes the call-out itself, typically runs £75–£95 in London, and each additional hour typically runs £45–£65. For a single small job, a shelf fitted, a tap washer replaced, a door eased, expect to pay close to the first-hour rate on its own, since most individual tasks fit within that hour once travel and setup are accounted for.
For a genuine list of several jobs, flat-pack assembly, a TV mount, gutter clearing and some minor carpentry in one visit, a half-day rate of roughly £220–£280 or a full-day rate of £340–£420 is usually the better way to price it, since it avoids paying the first-hour premium repeatedly for each separate item. Materials, fixings, sealant, a replacement part, are generally charged at cost on top of the labour rate.
Handyman cost guide (London, 2026)
Item
Typical range
Notes
First hour (includes call-out)
£75–£95
Each additional hour
£45–£65
Half-day rate (up to ~4 hours, bundled jobs)
£220–£280
Full-day rate (~7–8 hours, bundled jobs)
£340–£420
TV mounting (bracket, cabling, ~1–1.5 hours)
£90–£150
Longer and more on solid masonry or plasterboard needing specialist anchors
Weekend, evening or short-notice surcharge
+25–50%
Applied on top of standard hourly or day rates
Typical London market range for guidance only, not a fixed Lian Construction quote. Materials are generally charged at cost on top of labour, and figures assume standard access without scaffold or specialist equipment.
The boundary a handyman can't legally cross
The single most important thing to understand about handyman pricing is what it deliberately doesn't include. Any work on a gas appliance, pipe or fitting must be carried out by an engineer on the Gas Safe Register, a legal requirement under the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998, and this applies even to something that looks trivial, such as reconnecting a gas cooker after it's been moved. Notifiable electrical work, a new circuit, a consumer unit replacement, or certain kitchen and bathroom electrical work, needs a qualified electrician working within Part P of the Building Regulations, either through a registered competent-person scheme or a Building Control notification.
This isn't a technicality worth glossing over when comparing quotes. A handyman, or any general tradesperson, offering to 'just sort' a gas or electrical issue as part of a broader jobs list is stepping outside what's legally permitted, and it's worth asking directly whether any item on your list needs a Gas Safe engineer or a qualified electrician instead, before you book a general handyman visit that can't actually complete it.
Single job, half-day or full-day: which pricing fits your list
One-off job at the first-hour rate
A single, contained task, replacing a tap washer, fitting one shelf, adjusting a sticking door, is usually priced as the first-hour rate on its own, since the job itself typically fits inside that hour once travel and setup are included. This suits a homeowner with one specific problem to solve rather than a wider list.
Half-day rate for three to four jobs
Once a list reaches three or four separate items, flat-pack assembly, a TV mount, some minor carpentry, a half-day rate of roughly £220–£280 is usually more cost-effective than booking each as its own call-out, since you're only paying the first-hour premium once across the whole visit rather than once per job.
Full-day rate for a landlord's backlog or a longer list
A full-day rate of £340–£420 suits a genuinely longer list, common for landlords clearing a backlog of minor items between tenancies, or a homeowner working through several months' worth of small snags in one go. This is usually the most cost-effective route per job once the list runs to five or more items, since it spreads the fixed travel and setup cost across the most work.
What to expect on the day
For a bundled visit, expect to walk the list with the handyman at the start so the running order can be agreed, filling and small repairs generally before any painting, plumbing snagging before resealing, and weather-dependent outdoor jobs like fencing tackled early. Standard fixings, sealant and small hardware are usually carried as standard, while anything bespoke, a specific paint colour match or a particular replacement part, is confirmed with you before it's sourced separately.
Sealant and some filling work need a curing period before they're fully finished, typically 24 hours for sealant, so a resealed bath or shower shouldn't be used again immediately even though the visible job is complete. It's reasonable to ask for photographs of completed work before the visit ends, particularly useful if you're a landlord documenting condition between tenancies.
When it's not a handyman job anymore
Some items that look like a quick fix turn out to be something else once properly looked at: a door that keeps sticking regardless of adjustment can point to movement in the property rather than seasonal swelling, and a gutter that refills within weeks of clearing often means a roofline defect rather than simple debris. Our property repairs London team picks up exactly this kind of item once a handyman visit has flagged it, diagnosing the actual cause rather than repeating the same patch. Where a property needs several things addressed together, several rooms, a layout change, more than one trade in sequence, our property refurbishment London team is the better fit than trying to stretch a handyman list to cover it.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
How much does a handyman cost per hour in London?
The first hour, including the call-out, typically costs £75–£95, and each additional hour typically costs £45–£65. A bundled list of several jobs is usually cheaper priced as a half-day (£220–£280) or full-day (£340–£420) rate rather than paying the first-hour rate for each item separately.
Is there a minimum charge for a handyman visit?
Yes, most handymen, including us, charge a first-hour minimum of around £75–£95, which covers travel and setup as well as the task itself. This applies even to a genuinely quick job, since the time to reach the property is largely fixed.
Can a handyman do gas or electrical work?
No. Gas work legally requires a Gas Safe registered engineer under the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998, and notifiable electrical work requires a qualified electrician working within Part P of the Building Regulations. A handyman should coordinate these separately, not attempt them directly.
How much does it cost to mount a TV in London?
Typically £90–£150 for a straightforward stud-wall mount taking around 1-1.5 hours, including bracket fitting and basic cable management. Solid masonry or dot-and-dab plasterboard, common in Victorian terraces and ex-council flats, needs different fixings and can take longer.
Is it cheaper to bundle several small jobs into one visit?
Usually, yes. Booking a half-day or full-day rate for several jobs means paying the first-hour premium once rather than once per job, which is typically cheaper overall than several separate call-outs for the same total list of tasks.
Do handyman rates go up for evenings or weekends?
Yes, typically a surcharge of 25-50% on top of standard rates for evening, weekend or short-notice bookings, consistent with the wider London trades market. Booking during normal hours with a few days' notice is usually better value.
What should I do if a handyman finds a bigger problem during the visit?
A reliable handyman should stop, explain what's been found, and let you decide how to proceed rather than continuing to patch the same symptom repeatedly. Items like a persistently sticking door or a gutter that refills quickly are often better referred to a property repairs specialist for proper diagnosis.
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