Good help for homes
in London.
Victorian and Edwardian terraces, purpose-built flats and conversions, with parking and access that shape every job. Local reading for households across Greater London.
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Everything below is written for London. Pick another area if you are somewhere else.
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Start with the job, in London.
Each desk explains the common problems, what you can safely check first and when a professional should take over.
Reading for London households.
Appliance repair · London
Washing machine repair in London: why machines stop draining
The drum is full, the door is locked and the display shows a drain error. An explainer on what has gone wrong, what the…
Electrical · Richmond
RCD tripping and electrical testing in Richmond: why it happens
An RCD that trips for no obvious reason is the most common electrical complaint. What the device is measuring, the usual causes in Richmond's…
Gardening · Croydon
Garden clearance in Croydon: how an overgrown garden is tackled
Why a garden left for two summers becomes impassable, what a clearance crew actually does, and the choice to make once the ground is…
Locksmith · Bromley
Why your uPVC door will not lock: a locksmith explainer for Bromley
Stiff handle, key that only turns if you lift the door, handle gone floppy: each symptom points to a different part of a multipoint…
Appliance repair · Croydon
Washing machine repair in Croydon: a booking day checklist
Model number, error code, fees, parking and a cleared floor. Everything to sort out before an engineer arrives so the visit is spent fixing…
Gardening · Bromley
Hedge trimming in Bromley: a booking day checklist for householders
From checking the nesting season to agreeing the finished height on the first section, the steps that make a Bromley hedge cut quicker, cheaper…
Locksmith · Richmond
Local locksmith booking checklist for Richmond homes
A planned lock change is only as good as the preparation. From the photographs you send with the enquiry to the key count before…
Roofing & gutters · London
Roof repair in London: a booking-day checklist
Roof work in London comes with paperwork that other places do not need. The checklist to work through before the roofer arrives, from scaffold…
Appliance repair · Bromley
Does a landlord pay for appliance repair in Bromley? Who fixes what
The washing machine in a rented house stops. Who pays depends on who supplied it, what the tenancy says and how it failed. The…
Gardening · Richmond
Gardening services in Richmond: landlord and tenant responsibilities
What the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 and the Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act 2018 do and do not cover in a garden,…
Plumbing & heating · London
London plumbing and heating in rentals: landlord or tenant?
Section 11 of the Landlord and Tenant Act, the Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act and what they mean for boilers, leaks and blocked…
Roofing & gutters · Croydon
Roof repairs in Croydon: landlord or tenant responsibility?
A leaking roof in a rented home is almost always the landlord's problem, but tenants have duties too. What the law says, how to…
Appliance repair · Richmond
Appliance repair in Richmond: period homes and riverside flats
Richmond's period houses, listed buildings, leasehold conversions and riverside streets each change how appliances are installed, fail and get repaired. What to tell an…
Painting & decorating · London
Interior painting in London: terraces, flats and conversions
A Victorian terrace, a 1960s block and a converted flat each present different decorating problems. This guide explains what to expect from interior painting…
Plumbing & heating · Croydon
Plumber in Croydon: 1930s semis, Victorian terraces and flats
Croydon's housing falls into three main types and each brings its own plumbing problems. What to expect in a Victorian terrace, a 1930s semi…
Roofing & gutters · Bromley
Roof repairs in Bromley: what suburban semis and 1930s roofs need
Bromley's housing is mostly interwar and post-war suburbia, and its roofs fail in predictable ways. What each house type needs and what to watch…
Painting & decorating · Croydon
Painter and decorator in Croydon: your questions answered
Short, practical answers to the questions Croydon householders ask most about hiring a decorator, from what the job should cost to how long a…
Handyman · London
Handyman London questions answered: rates, jobs, finding one
Eight questions Londoners ask before booking a handyman, answered plainly: rates, the jobs a handyman can and cannot do, leasehold and parking constraints, and…
Plumbing & heating · Bromley
Finding a plumber in Bromley: your questions answered
Eight short answers for Bromley householders: who fixes boilers, what a fair rate looks like, what F1 means, how long a boiler lasts and…
Roofing & gutters · Richmond
Roof leak repair in Richmond: your questions answered
Eight questions readers in Richmond ask about leaking roofs, from why slate roofs fail to what a conservation area means for the repair, answered…
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Find basic first steps, then describe what has happened to our household desk. For immediate danger, contact the appropriate emergency service.
Describe an urgent job ↗Reading from other areas.
Most household problems are the same wherever you live. Browse a nearby area, or switch your edition from the header.
Explore locations ↗The questions people ask us most.
Short answers with the indicative figures, then the full guide if you want the detail.
Can I fit or replace a boiler myself?
No. Work on a gas boiler, its pipework and its flue must be done by a Gas Safe registered engineer, and doing it yourself is an offence under the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998. A boiler replacement is also notifiable under Building Regulations, and a registered installer can certify the work for you. You can safely prepare the area, clear access and decorate once the installation is signed off.
How much does end of tenancy cleaning cost in the UK?
Expect roughly £150 to £220 for a one bed flat, £200 to £320 for two beds and £300 to £450 for a three or four bed house. London quotes sit at the top of those ranges or above. Carpets, ovens and outside windows are often charged separately, so ask for one fixed price covering everything the inventory lists. These are indicative typical ranges rather than quotes.
Do you need an electrician to change a light fitting?
No, swapping a light fitting like for like on an existing circuit is not notifiable work in England and Wales. You still have to isolate the circuit at the consumer unit, prove it is dead and leave the result compliant with BS 7671. Many older ceiling roses have no earth wire, which rules out most modern metal fittings, so get an electrician to check first. Adding a new light or switch in a bathroom or shower room is notifiable either way.
How much does it cost to fix a leaking roof in the UK?
Cost depends far more on access than on the leak itself. A single slipped tile refitted from a safely footed ladder might be £150 to £350, while anything needing scaffolding adds roughly £600 to £1,500. A roof survey to trace the source costs about £150 to £400 and is worth paying for when the cause is not obvious from the ground.
How much is an emergency locksmith at night or on a Sunday?
Out of hours work carries a premium, either a surcharge of about £40 to £90 or a rate near 1.5 times the daytime figure. A night or bank holiday lockout therefore tends to sit between £130 and £260 before any new hardware. Ask for the total on the phone, including the call out and any minimum charge. If the property is secure and you have somewhere to stay, waiting until morning costs noticeably less.
How much does a gardener cost per hour in the UK?
Expect roughly £25 to £40 an hour in 2026, rising to £35 to £55 in London and the South East. Day rates run from about £170 to £300 for one gardener. A regular round usually costs less per visit, because each visit is lighter work. These are indicative ranges rather than quotes, so compare two or three prices.
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