Good help for homes
in South East England.
Household reading for South East England.
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Each desk explains the common problems, what you can safely check first and when a professional should take over.
Reading for South East England households.
House clearance · Guildford
House clearance in Guildford: landlord and tenant responsibilities
Belongings left behind at the end of a tenancy are the most common cause of deposit disputes. Here is who is responsible for clearing…
Locksmith · Surrey
Who pays the locksmith in Surrey: landlord or tenant responsibility
External doors and locks are part of the structure, so wear and tear repairs fall on the landlord. Lost keys and lockouts do not.…
Pests & damp · Woking
Is a landlord responsible for pest control in Woking?
Who pays for pests and damp in a Woking rental: what the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 and the Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation)…
Removals & man and van · Berkshire
Removals in Berkshire: what landlords and tenants each owe at move-out
Who is responsible for what when a tenancy ends: removals, cleaning, repairs, abandoned belongings and the deposit, with the law that applies in England.
Cleaning · Guildford
Cleaners in Guildford: Victorian villas, 1930s semis and student lets
Victorian villas with original tiles and stone, 1930s semis with parquet and condensation, student HMOs with a June deadline and new town-centre flats: what…
Electrical · Berkshire
Electricians in Reading, Berkshire: wiring in 1960s to 1980s homes
Much of Berkshire's housing was built between 1960 and 1990. What those homes were wired with, what an EICR usually finds and the sensible…
Exterior cleaning · Guildford
Pressure washing in Guildford: villas, semis and student lets
The house decides the job. What pressure washing and exterior cleaning involve on Guildford's rendered Victorian villas, inter-war semis, student terraces and town-centre flats.
Gardening · Surrey
Landscape gardener in Surrey: what large family gardens need
Surrey's family homes sit on large plots with mature trees, long boundaries and sometimes a septic tank. What those gardens need, and when a…
House clearance · Woking
House clearance in Woking by property type: semis, flats and more
A 1930s semi, a post-war council-built house and a new apartment above the town centre clear in very different ways. Here is what to…
Locksmith · Kent
Locksmith advice for Kent homes: period doors to new-build estates
Kent's housing runs from medieval Canterbury to ten-year-old Ebbsfleet, and the right lock, the likely fault and the realistic price change with each. A…
Removals & man and van · Buckinghamshire
House removals in Buckinghamshire: cottages, villages and estates
Moving a Chilterns cottage is nothing like moving a new-build in Aylesbury. How Buckinghamshire's property types change the plan, the vehicle and the price.
Cleaning · Woking
Cleaners in Woking: eight common questions answered
Eight practical questions Woking households put to cleaners, answered plainly: hourly rates, what a visit covers, deep clean pricing, end of tenancy standards, keys,…
Appliance repair · Surrey
Dishwasher repair in Surrey: your questions answered
Is it worth repairing, what will it cost, why are the dishes still dirty and who pays if you rent? The questions Surrey households…
Electrical · Buckinghamshire
EICR certificate cost in Buckinghamshire: your questions answered
Straight answers to the electrical questions Buckinghamshire readers ask most: what an EICR costs, what the check involves, hourly rates, light fittings, EV chargers…
Exterior cleaning · Woking
Gutter cleaning in Woking: your questions answered
The questions Woking readers ask most about gutters, from how often to clear them and what it costs to who is responsible in a…
Gardening · Kent
Gardeners in Maidstone and across Kent: your questions answered
Eight short answers to the questions Kent householders ask before booking a gardener, from hourly rates and nesting season to tree consent and who…
Locksmith · Berkshire
24 hour locksmith questions answered for Berkshire households
Last train home, keys in the office, a uPVC door that failed at eleven o'clock: the questions Berkshire householders ask about calling a locksmith…
Removals & man and van · Guildford
Removals in Guildford: your questions answered
Eight short answers to the questions Guildford householders, students and landlords ask most often about removals, from cost and timing to parking and insurance.
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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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