Small works · Edinburgh
Handyman and small works in Edinburgh
Edinburgh is a city of shared buildings. A large share of its homes are flats in tenements, colonies, conversions and 1930s four-in-a-blocks, where the roof, the stair, the gutters and often the drains belong to several owners at once. That single fact changes almost every maintenance decision made here: who authorises the work, who pays, who lets the contractor in, and how long any of it takes.
The short answer
Small works in Edinburgh are the half-day and one-day jobs a property accumulates: leaking taps, blocked sinks, radiators that will not heat, sticking doors, silicone, shelves, flat-pack, TV brackets and door locks. We cover EH1, EH2, EH3, EH4, EH5, EH6, EH7, EH8, EH9, EH10, EH11, EH12, EH13, EH14, EH15, EH16, EH17 and introduce you to independent local tradespeople. Gas, notifiable electrical work and anything structural must go to a qualified, registered specialist instead.
Postcodes we cover
- EH1
- EH2
- EH3
- EH4
- EH5
- EH6
- EH7
- EH8
- EH9
- EH10
- EH11
- EH12
- EH13
- EH14
- EH15
- EH16
- EH17
EH28 (Ratho and Newbridge), EH29 (Kirkliston) and EH30 (South Queensferry) sit inside the city boundary too, and we cover them on the same basis.
Areas covered include New Town, Stockbridge, Leith, Morningside, Marchmont, Bruntsfield, Newington, Corstorphine, Portobello, Trinity, Murrayfield, Gorgie and Dalry, Sighthill, Liberton.
What is different about Edinburgh
- Most of central Edinburgh is controlled parking, and much of it is now zoned all week. A tradesperson needs either a dispensation or somewhere legitimate to leave a van, and the cost of that lands in the quote. Scaffolding, cherry pickers and skips on a public road need a permit from the council, cobbled setts and narrow drying greens rule out some access equipment, and a rear elevation in a closed courtyard often has to be reached through a neighbour's flat.
- Batch the jobs. Most of the cost of a small job is the visit, so five jobs in one visit is far cheaper than five visits.
- Gas work must be done by a Gas Safe registered engineer, and electrical work should go to a SELECT or NICEIC registered electrician. A general handyperson should decline both.
- In a flat, anything touching the common stair, the roof space or a shared supply stops being a small job and becomes a common repair.
Local rules and responsibilities
- The World Heritage Site and roughly fifty conservation areas cover a very large part of central Edinburgh. Like-for-like repair to a listed or conservation-area building is usually fine, but changing materials — slate to concrete tile, timber sash to uPVC, lime to cement — normally is not, and can require consent.
- Under the Tenements (Scotland) Act 2004, where the title deeds are silent a simple majority of flat owners can instruct necessary common repairs and each owner pays an equal share. Owners can also require a share to be deposited before work starts.
- The council's Shared Repairs Service can help owners organise common repairs and, where a building is dangerous or defective, the council can serve a statutory notice and arrange work itself.
- Building warrants are needed for structural alterations, most window replacements in listed buildings and many drainage changes; a completion certificate matters later, because a buyer's solicitor will ask for it.
How to go about it
- 1List every small job in the property in one go, room by room.
- 2Mark which ones need a specialist — anything gas, notifiable electrical, structural or on shared parts.
- 3Send the whole list when you ask for a price, with photographs of anything unusual.
- 4Agree whether materials are supplied by you or the tradesperson before the visit.
- 5Book a single half-day or day rather than a series of callouts.
Small works jobs in Edinburgh
- Leaking taps and running toilets
- Blocked sinks and slow drains
- A radiator that will not heat
- Light fittings and switches
- Extra sockets and USB points
- Doors that stick or will not close
- Sash window easing and cord repairs
- Silicone and sealant renewal
- Tile and grout repairs
- Shelving, storage and flat-pack assembly
- Curtain poles and blinds
- Wall patching and making good
- Repainting a single room
- Skirting and facings repairs
- Creaking and loose floorboards
- Bathroom and kitchen extractor fans
- Replacing a basin, toilet or tap
- Kitchen door and drawer repairs
- Fence, gate and boundary repairs
- Grab rails, handrails and access
About Lothian Property
An independent starting point, not an estate agency
Lothian Property is an independent property information and introduction service. We are not an estate agency. We help homeowners understand their property, their options and their local market, and — where appropriate and only with your permission — introduce them to independent estate agents and other property professionals who can assist.
How Lothian Property worksCommon questions
- What is a typical handyman rate in Edinburgh?
- Most tradespeople price by half day or day rather than by job, plus materials. Because the visit is the main cost, one visit covering several jobs is almost always better value than separate callouts.
- What can a handyperson not do?
- Gas work needs a Gas Safe registered engineer. Notifiable electrical work needs a registered electrician. Anything structural, or work to a listed building's exterior, needs the appropriate specialist and often a warrant or consent.
- Can you do the work today?
- We do not carry out work at all — we are an information and introduction service. If a job is an emergency, contact an emergency trade, your factor or, for gas, the national gas emergency line on 0800 111 999.
Other help in Edinburgh
- Property maintenance in Edinburgh
- Landlord property maintenance in Edinburgh
- Void property clearance in Edinburgh
- Pre-sale property preparation in Edinburgh