How do I check how a handyman company handles jobs outside its skills?
Ask for recent examples of jobs that went beyond the team’s skills and follow each one: was it declined, referred to a trade or subcontracted, and who answered for the result? How the owner decides tells you about risk and customer care.
Ask the owner to describe the rule for what the company will and will not do, and whether it is written down or just a feeling. Then ask for several actual cases, such as a leak behind a wall or an electrical fault found during a repair. What happened next, and did the customer come away satisfied?
If jobs are subcontracted, find out who the subcontractors are, how they were chosen, how they are paid and who deals with complaints. A handyman business that quietly relies on one friend with a licence has a hidden dependency. Ask whether the subcontractors would stay with a new owner and whether the work is covered by their own insurance.
Also look for warning signs: work done badly because nobody wanted to say no, repeated returns for the same fix and reviews that mention unfinished jobs. A good company knows its limits and writes them on its estimates. Ask your lawyer and insurance adviser what coverage and paperwork a buyer would need for out-of-scope work, and ask the accountant how subcontractor costs are recorded. Check, too, that the customer is told clearly who is doing what.
Key takeaways
- Ask for a written rule on what the company declines or refers.
- Follow three or four real out-of-scope jobs from start to finish.
- Identify every subcontractor and confirm who answers for their work.
- Read reviews for unfinished or redone work.
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Sources
This answer is checked against primary sources. Links were last confirmed on the dates shown.
- 01Business Development Bank of CanadaGovernmentHow to conduct due diligence when buying a business
- 02Business Development Bank of CanadaGovernmentWhat are the steps to buying a business?
- 03Business Development Bank of CanadaGovernmentAfter buying a business, what is the next step?
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