Legalities of a handyman?

Rubens

Hi,

I am planning to become a full-time handyman next year. I will register for tax etc..

The big question I have is the LEGAL side of things i.e Can i legally work on peoiples homes - painting, decorating, laminate floors, tiling etc. without any formal qualifications in these "trades"...

Any other handymen - maintenance people out there??? Any comments most appreciated!

PS - I am a very skilled and experienced handyman
- not a cowboy!

RJ

James_M

The question is can you get insured. Why not call a couple of insurance companies and see if they will give you a quote? (assuming you haven't done this already)

I don't think there is any requirement for you to have an actual trade though

Rubens

Is there a legal requirement for insurance then?

seamus

Legally, no you're certainly not required to be certified. However, it may make it next to impossible to get your hands on professional indemnity insurance. You also want to watch out about advertising, etc. Make sure you don't even make it seem like you're a "certified" handyman.

Rubens

Thanks Seamus - is there a legal requirement for me to have insurance then?

MorningStar

Rubens wrote:

Is there a legal requirement for insurance then?

I wouldn't let any person do work on my property if they didn't have insurance. While if you had an accident my insurance in theory covers you it could be yanked on the grounds you are neither certified or insured to work as a handyman. If you fall of a ladder and break your back who do you think is going to pay for your care?
I am sure you plan on paying all your tax too :rolleyes:
You would be what is commonly known as a cowboy if you are not certified and work without insurance. The insurance is to cover you for injury and liability for your work. If you put up a shelf and it falls and kills somebody you are responsible, you can be sued for everything you own. Sounds like you need to do a lot more research.

Rubens

Eh.. Thanks I think Morning Star but I dont think there was any need for the accusatory and patronizing tone of your reply.

Have a nice day.

rooferPete

Hi Rubens,

We are not in America, so there is no formal certification or licencing system required, there are such things as Safe Pass certificates / cards and Construction skills Certification, but very few if any people in the private sector even know that they exist.

Regarding insurance it is not against law to trade without insurance either public or employers liability.

As to tax's you register a self employed and depending on turnover you may need to register for and charge vat, if you intend employing staff you also register as an employer.

I do get annoyed with all the money I have spent on Skills Certification and nobody even knows they exist, BTW they are no bigger than credit cards so there is no ecscuse for a tradesman not to carry the cards.

Regarding the insurance if you decide to trade without it you are essentially self insuring, not a good idea because everything you own is at risk in the event of a claim, also you could cause an injury to someone else and leave them without an income.

You can do what a lot of tradesmen are doing, buy a pay as you go cell phone, take out a few ads and when the warranty calls exceed new business throw away the phone and get a new one.

I am not trying to be smart but I think if you could find class or night course related to running a small business it would time and money well spent.

The difference between employee and Self Employed are worlds apart, no sick pay, look after your own pension, the customer is King, every enquiry is a new job interview, employment rights ? forget about them unless you are the employer.

Managed properly from the start you can make a good living and have an interesting life, start wrong and you can be living a nightmare.

One item to consider, it is very hard to get a full time job if you have "Self Employed" on your CV.

Best of luck

Rubens

Many thanks Roofer for your detailed,polite and helpful response.

I have the business knowledge in terms of advertising,taxation etc. but it was the legal and insurance aspect that I was vague about.

It looks like I'm kinda stuck. I have the skills through experience for the work I was planning to do (i.e non-structural) but I dont think I would get insurance because of my lack of formal training/certification. Have you ever heard of anybody in my position getting insurance?

But on the other hand its too big a risk to work without insurance!!!

Any suggestions welcome

RJ

seamus

Rubens wrote:

It looks like I'm kinda stuck. I have the skills through experience for the work I was planning to do (i.e non-structural) but I dont think I would get insurance because of my lack of formal training/certification. Have you ever heard of anybody in my position getting insurance?

Ring up an insurance company I guess is all you can do.

Many people are wary of getting non-insured guys in nowadays. If you're doing some work on somebody's antique plumbing system and manage to break their cistern, there'll be hell to pay. If you're insured, people are more confident.

rooferPete

Hi Rubens,

A slight change in job description could help with the insurance, in all fairness "Handyman" doesn't project a professional image to insurance companies.

You may need Heath and Safety Statement regardless of your job description, I think Quinn Direct might look favourably on a "General Contractor", to comply and keep everything above board you could register as Rubens, General Contractor, Handyman extraordinaire.

A lot depends on the market you intend to target, for example a decorator should get a better rate than a general builder / contractor.

Don't make the mistake of using the cheapest title to get a better rate or your insurance will not be worth the paper it's written on, insurance companies take your proposal as being the truth and that is what they base their rates on.

If it's any encouragement you are seeking cover at a good time, three years ago you would have been working just to pay the premium.

Lex Luthor

My brother works as a painter in Cork on building sites....although he has set up his own company and is fully insured (I Hope), he has no qualifications, if there are any, to be a painter. OK, he works under one for a few years but he just got on with it and he has a young guy working for him that isn't qualified either.

I think maybe with electrics though do you not have to be RECI certified to sign off on any work done?