TL;DR
- A handyman, or handyperson, carries out the general day-to-day maintenance and minor repairs that keep a property in a good state of repair, using basic skills from several trades: carpentry, plumbing, plastering, tiling, painting and decorating, and grounds. Skills England describes the employed version of the role as a property maintenance operative; O*NET describes general maintenance and repair workers as performing work involving the skills of two or more maintenance or craft occupations.
- The duties fall into six groups: planned checks and routine maintenance, responsive repairs across the trades, safety and access, materials and tools, records and communication, and knowing the limits of the role. Gas work and most electrical work need a qualified and, in many places, registered tradesperson; the handyperson's most important duty is recognising that and reporting it.
- Write the job description around the property or portfolio, the trades the role covers and the ones it does not, the lone-working and safety arrangements, the response-time expectations and the driving or travel required. Entry is by experience, a Level 2 property maintenance apprenticeship or a trade background; progression runs to multi-skilled technician, facilities supervisor or a trade qualification.
A door that will not close, a dripping tap, a cracked tile, a fence panel down, a wall that needs painting before the tenant moves in. None of these is a job for a specialist, and all of them need doing today. The job duties of a handyman are that list, across every trade, with one duty more important than the rest: knowing which jobs must go to a qualified tradesperson.
This article sets out the duties trade by trade using two primary sources, the Skills England occupational standard for a property maintenance operative, which is the UK's description of the employed handyperson, and the US O*NET entry for general maintenance and repair workers. It then covers the limits of the role, the skills, hours and routes in, and gives a job description template. The safety and licensing rules differ by country; this is general information, not legal advice.
Handypeople work alone across many sites, and their work is invisible when it goes well. See how New Dynamics feedback lets a supervisor capture a short note after a job while it is still specific, so the annual review reflects the year and not the last complaint.
What is a handyman?
Handyman, handyperson, maintenance operative, general maintenance worker and caretaker overlap, and employers use them loosely. The common core is a person who does the routine maintenance and minor repairs of a building or portfolio using basic skills from several trades, rather than one trade in depth.
Skills England describes the property maintenance operative, the Level 2 apprenticeship occupation, as conducting the “general day-to-day maintenance required to keep a range of properties in a good state of repair”, performing routine tasks and minor repairs using carpentry, plumbing, plastering, tiling, painting and other trades, while complying with health and safety and building regulations. O*NET defines general maintenance and repair workers as people who “perform work involving the skills of two or more maintenance or craft occupations to keep machines, mechanical equipment, or the structure of a building in repair.”
The self-employed handyman who works for householders does the same work under their own name; this article is written for employers describing a staff role.
Job duties of a handyman: six groups
Grouped from the Skills England duties and the O*NET tasks, the work has six parts.
- Planned checks and routine maintenance. Skills England's first duty is to support the planning and delivery of maintenance tasks in line with building safety regulations. O*NET lists routine maintenance such as inspecting drives, motors and belts, checking fluid levels and replacing filters. Weekly walk-rounds, seasonal checks and the small jobs that stop big ones.
- Responsive repairs across the trades. Skills England lists plumbing and drainage fault-finding and repair; carpentry and joinery repairs to doors, windows and fixtures; minor plastering; painting and decorating; tiling and flooring repairs; and repairs to buildings and surroundings for safety and security. O*NET adds diagnosing problems and repairing with hand and power tools, and dismantling equipment to reach defective parts.
- Safety and access. Skills England: create a safe working environment by identifying hazards and mitigating risk; safely isolate electrical and emergency systems where the role is permitted to; maintain water, environmental and energy management systems. Ladders, working at height, asbestos awareness and lone working sit here.
- Materials and tools. Skills England: select, use and maintain tools, equipment, materials and components safely. O*NET: order parts and supplies, and estimate the cost of repairs.
- Records and communication. Skills England: access and use work plans, specifications and technical information, and communicate effectively using digital technologies and industry terminology. O*NET: record the type and cost of maintenance and repair work. The job sheet, the photo before and after, and the note to the tenant or the manager.
- Knowing the limits. Skills England's final duty is to maintain competence and recognise personal limitations. In practice, this is the duty that keeps people safe: stopping when a job needs a qualified trade and reporting it rather than attempting it.
Duties trade by trade
The table lists typical handyperson tasks by trade. Adjust it to your property and to the rules where you are.
| Trade | Typical handyperson duties |
|---|---|
| Carpentry and joinery | Adjust and rehang doors; replace locks, handles and hinges; repair skirting, shelving, fences and gates; assemble furniture |
| Plumbing and drainage | Replace tap washers and cartridges; clear blocked sinks and traps; fix running toilets; reseal baths and showers; bleed radiators |
| Decorating and plastering | Fill and sand; minor plaster patches; paint walls, ceilings and woodwork; make good after other trades |
| Tiling and flooring | Replace cracked tiles; regrout; repair loose flooring and thresholds; fit door bars |
| Grounds and exterior | Clear gutters where safe; repair fence panels; minor paving; litter and leaf clearance; grit and salt in winter |
| General | Change light bulbs and fittings within the permitted scope; fit blinds, shelves, signs and notice boards; move furniture; meter readings |
What must go to a qualified tradesperson
The handyperson's judgement is the safety system. In most countries, and certainly in the UK, some work is reserved to qualified and often registered tradespeople, and an employer who lets an unqualified person do it takes on the risk.
- Gas. Any work on gas appliances, pipework or flues. In Great Britain this must be done by an engineer on the Gas Safe Register. A handyperson may check that a gas safety certificate is in date; they may not touch the boiler.
- Electrical work beyond the basic. New circuits, consumer units and most work in kitchens and bathrooms are notifiable in England and Wales and need a competent, usually registered, electrician. Like-for-like replacement of a socket or a light fitting may be permitted; set the line in the job description and check the rules where you are.
- Asbestos. Anything that disturbs asbestos-containing material.
- Structural work, roofing at height and anything requiring a licence or a permit.
State in the job description which of these the role must report rather than do, and to whom.
Skills, hours and routes in
Skills. Skills England's behaviours for the occupation are to prioritise and promote health and safety and sustainable working, take responsibility for completing work, support team goals, contribute to an inclusive culture and pursue learning. O*NET's essential skills are critical thinking, active learning, monitoring, active listening and reading comprehension. For an advert, add practical competence across the trades listed, safe use of hand and power tools, a calm manner with tenants, residents and staff, and honesty about the limits of one's competence.
Hours and environment. Usually full-time on a fixed pattern, with call-out or on-call arrangements in housing, care and hospitality. The work is physical, indoors and out, often alone and often driving between sites. State the lone-working arrangements, the vehicle and the licence required, and whether a background check is needed for work in schools, care homes or people's homes.
Routes in. The UK Level 2 property maintenance operative apprenticeship; a trade background; or experience in a caretaking, facilities or maintenance assistant role. O*NET places general maintenance and repair workers in Job Zone Three, where vocational training or one to two years of related experience is typical. Progression runs to multi-skilled maintenance technician, facilities supervisor or a full trade qualification; the maintenance technician job description covers the next rung.
Handyman job description template
Job title: Handyperson (or Maintenance Operative, General Maintenance Worker)
Reports to: Facilities Manager, Property Manager or Site Manager
Scope: State the property or portfolio, the number of sites, the residents or staff served and the trades covered.
Purpose: Keep the properties in a good, safe state of repair through routine maintenance and minor repairs across the trades, and report work that needs a qualified tradesperson.
Responsibilities:
- Carry out planned checks and routine maintenance to the schedule.
- Complete minor repairs in carpentry and joinery, plumbing and drainage, decorating and plastering, tiling and flooring, and grounds.
- Work safely: risk assessments, safe use of tools and equipment, working at height within limits, lone-working procedures.
- Isolate systems where permitted; report and make safe anything beyond the role's scope, including all gas work and notifiable electrical work.
- Select and look after tools and materials; order parts within an agreed limit.
- Record all work on job sheets or the maintenance system, with photographs; communicate with residents, tenants and managers.
- Support contractors on site and check their work is complete.
- Keep skills current; attend training provided.
Skills and experience:
- Practical experience across the trades listed, or a Level 2 property maintenance qualification or apprenticeship.
- Safe use of hand and power tools; working-at-height and asbestos awareness training, or willingness to complete it.
- Reliability, honesty about limits and a calm manner with people.
- Full driving licence where the role covers several sites; background check where required.
Working pattern: State the hours, any on-call rota and the travel.
Targets: Planned checks completed, response and completion times for repairs, safety incidents and resident feedback, agreed and reviewed.
Frequently asked questions
What are the job duties of a handyman?
Routine maintenance and minor repairs across several trades: carpentry and joinery, plumbing and drainage, decorating and plastering, tiling and flooring, and grounds, together with safety, records and communication. Skills England describes the property maintenance operative as keeping a range of properties in a good state of repair; the US occupational database describes general maintenance workers as using the skills of two or more craft occupations.
What can a handyman not do?
Work reserved to qualified or registered tradespeople. In Great Britain that includes any gas work, which must be done by a Gas Safe registered engineer, and electrical work beyond basic like-for-like replacement, which is notifiable and needs a competent electrician. Asbestos, structural and licensed work are also out of scope. Rules differ by country; state the limits in the job description.
What is the difference between a handyman and a maintenance technician?
A handyperson does general minor repairs across the trades at a basic level. A maintenance technician usually has deeper skills in building services or engineering, works on plant and equipment, and may hold trade qualifications. Many organisations employ both; the handyperson is often the first rung.
What qualifications does a handyman need?
None is legally required for general work, but employers look for practical experience, safe-working training and, in the UK, the Level 2 property maintenance operative apprenticeship or a trade background. A driving licence is usually needed for multi-site roles, and a background check for work in schools, care and people's homes.
What should a handyman job description include?
The property or portfolio, the trades covered and the work that must be reported rather than done, the safety and lone-working arrangements, the hours, on-call and travel, the tools and vehicle provided, and the response-time targets the role is judged on.
Your next step: draw the line before you advertise
- List the trades the role covers and the jobs it must report, by name.
- State the sites, the travel and the lone-working arrangements.
- Set response and completion targets for repairs and a schedule for planned checks.
- Decide how work will be recorded, so the review reflects the year.
For a way to write those targets so they can be measured, read and download our SMART goals guide. The guide is free to read, and the PDF uses our short download form.
Want a lone worker's jobs, feedback and targets kept in one place for a fair review? Book a New Dynamics demo and bring your current job description. You can also email contact@new-dynamics.com.
