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What a handyman really costs in 2026: the guide prices, where they come from, and what I charge

What a handyman really costs in 2026: the guide prices, where they come from, and what I charge

I’m Richard, a handyman in Aylesbury. If you’ve tried to find out what a handyman costs, you’ll have found numbers that don’t agree. One page says £30 an hour. Another says £80.

So here they are side by side, every source linked and dated, with the reasons they disagree. Then what I charge, and why.

Guide · The Honest Fix · Prices checked 14 November 2026

The short answer: most national guides put a handyman at around £30 an hour, more in London and the South East. Most charge a minimum for short visits, often £40–£60. Ask what the minimum covers and whether the price includes VAT.

My rate in Aylesbury

£40 an hour. A £20 call-out applies only to jobs of an hour or less (so £60 minimum). Over an hour, it’s just £40 an hour, no call-out.

Half day (up to 4 hours): £160. Full day (up to 8 hours): £280.

tradespro.co.uk

The published hourly rates, side by side

SourceWhat it saysDate on the page
Checkatrade cost guide[1]UK average £30 an hour; London and big cities £50. Call-out usually £40–£50. A small job averages about £80 a visit. Job prices shown +VAT.Updated 01/26; price table May 2026
Checkatrade UK search page[2]Most handypeople charge around £30 an hour.No date
Checkatrade Aylesbury search page[3]Call-out £40–£50, “the average hourly rate is around £80”. Jobs average £108 (£78–£154).No date
MyBuilder hourly rate guide[4]National average £30; South East £35; London from about £50. Self-employed £15–£60. Minimum charge often £40–£60.No date shown
MyBuilder Aylesbury page[5]Typical independent handyman £20–£30 an hour.No date
Fantastic Services[6]£30 outside London; £45–£65 in London and the South East. Minimum call-out £40–£60 (£60–£90 London and SE). Includes VAT.30 September 2026
HaMuch, Aylesbury[7]Average £43 an hour, £297 a day, excluding VAT and call-out. Only four local listings shown, including flooring and plumbing firms.No date
Bark[8]£30–£60 an hour.Guide dated March 2021
Which? Trusted Traders[9]Around £20–£30 an hour. Prices exclude VAT.Last updated January 2021; costs checked 2018

That’s a spread from £15 to £65 an hour, and “around £80” on one local page. Most national guides land on about £30.

Why the numbers disagree

  • An hourly rate isn’t a visit price. Checkatrade’s own guide says £30 an hour and about £80 for a small job visit.[1] Its Aylesbury page calls “around £80” an hourly rate, right after mentioning a £40–£50 call-out.[3] It looks like a visit price with the call-out folded in.
  • Minimum charges. Many handymen charge a minimum, often covering the first hour: £40–£50 (Checkatrade), £40–£60 (MyBuilder, Fantastic Services).[1][4][6] On a 30-minute job, that minimum is most of the bill.
  • Region. London and the South East cost more. MyBuilder puts the South East at £35 an hour against £30 nationally. Fantastic Services groups London and the South East together at £45–£65.[4][6]
  • VAT. Some figures include VAT, some exclude it, and many pages don’t say. That’s a 20% difference.
  • Old data. The Which? figures were checked in 2018.[9] Bark’s guide is dated 2021.[8]
  • Who’s counted. Local averages can rest on a handful of listings. HaMuch’s Aylesbury figure shows four, including a flooring firm and a plumbing and electrical firm.[7]
  • Skill and company size. Plumbing repairs run higher than furniture assembly.[4] Checkatrade says larger companies that subcontract often charge £60 an hour or more.[1]

Day and half-day rates

SourceHalf dayFull day
Fantastic Services[6]£90–£150 (London and SE £150–£220)£188–£260 (London and SE £300–£450)
Checkatrade cost guide[1]–London average £350
MyBuilder[4]–About £175–£200 (at about £25 an hour)
HaMuch, Aylesbury[7]–£297, excluding VAT and call-out
Me (TradesPro)£160 (up to 4 hours)£280 (up to 8 hours)

Common jobs: what the guides say

“Rough middle” is the average of each source’s midpoint, rounded. It mixes prices with and without VAT, so treat it as a ballpark.

I charge by the hour, not per job, so my column shows typical time. My price is the time × £40, with a £60 minimum for jobs of an hour or less.

JobWhat the guides sayRough middleMy typical time
Replace a tap (labour)Checkatrade £80–£200 (table May 2024)[10]; MyJobQuote £50–£100 like-for-like, 1–2 hours (30/09/26)[11]About £1101 hour (£60)
Reseal a bath or showerCheckatrade £50–£100, 60–90 minutes (September 2024)[12]About £75 (one source)2 hours (£80)
Put up shelvesCheckatrade 8 basic shelves £200 +VAT, 4–8 hours (May 2026)[1]; Which? £150–£220 (2018)[9]; Fantastic shelf, mirror or picture hanging £40–£80 a job[6]Depends on how many30 minutes per shelf (£60 minimum visit)
Mount a TVCheckatrade £80–£150 (July 2024)[13]; MyJobQuote £50–£150, concealed cables £150–£300+ (06/10/26)[14]; Fantastic £60–£120[6]About £1001.5 hours (£60)
Flat-pack assembly (per item)Checkatrade £90 +VAT, 2–4 hours (May 2026)[1], but £70 on its UK search page[2]; Which? £50–£100 (2018)[9]; Fantastic £40–£120[6]About £803 hours for a wardrobe (£120)
Hang an internal door (labour)Checkatrade £100–£350 (table May 2024)[15]; Housekeep £50–£95 inc VAT outside London (October 2026)[16]; Fantastic £80–£200[6]About £145, widest spread2 hours (£80)
Curtain pole or railCheckatrade £45, 1–2 hours (May 2026)[1]; Which? £30–£55 (2018)[9]; Fantastic curtain and blind fitting £40–£80[6]About £501 hour (£60)
Fit a blind (fitting only)Checkatrade £20–£30 a blind (June 2026)[17]About £25 a blind45 minutes (£60)
Minor plumbingCheckatrade £60 for 1 hour +VAT (May 2026)[1]; MyBuilder plumbing repairs £40–£60 an hour[4]About £551 hour (£60)

What pushes a price up or down

  • The minimum charge. Group small jobs into one visit and the minimum is spread across all of them.[1][6]
  • Access. Height, furniture to move, parking and awkward spaces all add time.
  • Materials. Most guide prices are labour only. Which? notes materials will almost always cost extra.[9]
  • Travel. Some handypeople charge more for travel to rural or remote areas.[2]
  • Extras on the day. Checkatrade says extra tasks are usually charged per half hour.[1]
  • Urgency. Same-day, evening and weekend work can cost up to double, according to Fantastic Services.[6]
  • Region and VAT, as above.

What I charge, and why

I set my rate from the published averages. £40 an hour sits above the national figure of about £30 and in line with the South East. My £20 call-out is well under the £40–£50 that Checkatrade’s Aylesbury page quotes, and it only applies to jobs of an hour or less.

Need it done in Aylesbury?

I cover Aylesbury and the villages around it. tradespro.co.uk or call 07723 966130.

How to use these numbers

Related guides: Find a good tradesperson on Checkatrade · Fix a dripping tap · Reseal a bath or shower

FAQs

Why does Checkatrade say £30 an hour and £80 an hour?

Its cost guide gives £30 an hour and about £80 for a small job visit.[1] Its Aylesbury page gives “around £80” as an hourly rate, alongside a £40–£50 call-out.[3] The £80 looks like a visit price, not a true hourly rate.

Is a day rate cheaper?

Usually, per hour. Fantastic Services puts a full day outside London at £188–£260.[6]

Do handyman prices include materials?

Usually not. Check each quote.

References

All pages checked 14 November 2026.

  1. Checkatrade, Handyperson prices 2026: https://www.checkatrade.com/blog/cost-guides/handyman-prices/
  2. Checkatrade, Handyman in UK: https://www.checkatrade.com/Search/Handyman/in/Uk
  3. Checkatrade, Handyman in Aylesbury: https://www.checkatrade.com/Search/Handyman/in/Aylesbury
  4. MyBuilder, Handyman hourly rate cost guide: https://www.mybuilder.com/handyman/price-guides/handyman-hourly-rate
  5. MyBuilder, Handymen in Aylesbury: https://www.mybuilder.com/handyman/handyman-tradespeople/aylesbury
  6. Fantastic Services, Handyman prices 2026: https://www.fantasticservices.com/cost-guides/handyman/handyman-prices/
  7. HaMuch, Aylesbury handyman rates: https://www.hamuch.com/rates/handyman/hp19
  8. Bark, Handyman: https://www.bark.com/en/gb/handyman/
  9. Which? Trusted Traders, Cost guide: handymen: https://trustedtraders.which.co.uk/articles/cost-guide-handymen
  10. Checkatrade, Tap installation cost: https://www.checkatrade.com/blog/cost-guides/tap-installation-cost/
  11. MyJobQuote, Tap replacement cost: https://www.myjobquote.co.uk/costs/replacing-bath-sink-taps
  12. Checkatrade, Reseal bath cost guide: https://www.checkatrade.com/blog/cost-guides/reseal-bath-cost
  13. Checkatrade, TV setup service at home cost: https://www.checkatrade.com/blog/cost-guides/tv-setup-service-home-cost/
  14. MyJobQuote, TV wall mount installation cost: https://www.myjobquote.co.uk/costs/hanging-a-tv
  15. Checkatrade, Internal door fitting cost: https://www.checkatrade.com/blog/cost-guides/internal-door-cost-guide/
  16. Housekeep, Cost to hang a door: https://housekeep.com/cost-guide/handyman/door-fitting/
  17. Checkatrade, Blind fitting cost: https://www.checkatrade.com/blog/cost-guides/how-much-do-blinds-cost-to-be-fitted/

Richard Anslow runs TradesPro, a handyman business in Aylesbury, and is a Checkatrade member.

Written by Richard Anslow. Richard is a handyman in Aylesbury with around 20 years in the trade. He runs TradesPro and lives on a narrowboat, NB Wagtail.