Quick answer
A handyman does the small repairs and installations around a home that need no professional licence: minor plumbing (taps, flexi hoses, traps, cisterns), roller shutters and fly screens, furniture assembly, mounting TVs, pictures and lights on existing points, adjusting doors, silicone, small building and painting repairs. A handyman cannot do new electrical installations or certificates (boletines), gas, boilers, air conditioning with refrigerant or works needing a permit.
What you need
- Phone to photograph the problem and send the pictures by WhatsApp
- Tape measure, in case an opening or a piece of furniture needs measuring
- List of everything that needs doing in the house (several jobs in one visit work out cheaper)
- Any parts you have already bought (tap, TV bracket, furniture) or the reference so we can bring them
Step by step
- 1
Ask yourself whether the repair touches an installation
If the answer is yes (new cables, consumer unit, gas pipe, air conditioning circuit, partition walls, structure), it is not a handyman job but one for an authorised installer or a building firm. If it is something that hangs off the installation (a tap, a light, a socket swapped for an identical one) or something that touches no installation at all (furniture, roller shutters, doors, pictures), it is a handyman job.
- 2
Make a list of everything outstanding
A handyman charges by the hour or at a fixed price per job, and the call-out is paid once. Five repairs in one two-hour visit cost 65-80 euros; the same five in five visits, 175-225 euros. Put together the bathroom silicone, the drawer that will not close, the new light and the picture to hang.
- 3
Take photos and measure
A photo of each problem (the dripping tap, the shutter from inside with the box open, the wall where the TV is going) lets us give a fixed price without a prior visit. If materials have to be bought, measure: the tap hole, the width of the shutter, the VESA size of the TV.
- 4
Ask for a fixed price in writing
A serious handyman service tells you by WhatsApp what it will cost before coming, whether the call-out is included, and what happens if the job turns out bigger. Be wary of hourly rates with no minimum and no estimate of hours, and of anyone who will not say what it costs until they arrive.
- 5
Check insurance, invoice and guarantee
Ask whether they have public liability insurance (if they crack a tile or flood the neighbour below, the insurance pays), whether they issue an invoice with IVA (VAT) and whether the guarantee is in writing. Three 20-second questions that separate a professional from a Wallapop advert.
- 6
Have the materials ready or ask for them to be brought
If you have bought the tap or the bracket yourself, have them at the house on the day. If not, ask the handyman to bring them: it costs the same as in the shop and avoids a second visit if the part turns out to be wrong.
- 7
Check the work and pay on completion
Check what has been done with the handyman there: run the tap, raise the shutter, pull on the anchored furniture. Pay on completion (cash, card, Bizum or bank transfer) and keep the invoice with the guarantee.
Which jobs a handyman does and which ones they do not
In Spain the line is drawn by law, not by the handyman. Electrical, gas, heating and refrigeration installations are done by authorised installers who issue certificates (boletines) and answer to the industry authority. Everything else, the maintenance and minor repairs of a home, can be done by any professional registered as self-employed (autónomo) with insurance. This is the list we work to.
| Area | Yes, a handyman does it | No, it needs an authorised professional |
|---|---|---|
| Plumbing | Changing taps, flexi hoses, traps, cistern mechanisms, unblocking drains, resealing with silicone, connecting a dishwasher or washing machine to existing points | New water installations, gas boilers and water heaters, electric water heaters (electrical side) |
| Electrics | Replacing a light, a socket or a switch with an identical one at the same point, changing bulbs and fluorescent tubes | New lighting points, consumer units, wiring, certificates, anything that changes the installation |
| Heating and cooling | Cleaning filters, checking remotes, changing batteries and brackets | Installing, regassing or repairing air conditioning (RITE licence), boilers |
| Roller shutters and fly screens | Replacing straps, cords, slats, tubes, recoilers; fitting and repairing fly screens | Shutter motorisation wired into the installation (electrician) |
| Carpentry | Adjusting doors, replacing hinges and handles, planing, sliding wardrobe doors, skirting boards, floating floors | Timber structures, building work |
| Assembly and hanging | IKEA and flat-pack furniture, TVs, pictures, mirrors, shelves, curtain poles, bathroom accessories | Nothing; this is handyman work |
| Locks | Changing cylinders and locks, opening slammed doors, removing broken keys | Certified safes, vehicle locks |
| Building and painting | Filling holes, regrouting, replacing loose tiles, painting rooms, removing gotelé texture | Partition walls, full bathroom and kitchen refits, works needing a permit |
What we take on and what we refer
At Manitas Costa we are a team of self-employed tradesmen coordinated by one company, with public liability insurance, invoices with IVA (VAT) and 6 months written guarantee on labour. We work in Spanish, English and Russian. What we do not do, we say before coming: new electrical installations and certificates, gas and boilers, air conditioning with refrigerant, full refurbishments and works needing a permit. For all of that we have trusted electricians, installers and building firms we pass you on to.
The most common jobs for a handyman by the hour in Valencia and Alicante: swapping sockets and switches for identical ones, bathroom and kitchen silicone, adjusting doors and drawers, hanging things and assembling small furniture, changing taps and flexi hoses, fixing roller shutters and fly screens, fitting bathroom accessories, getting a property ready to let or sell, and monthly maintenance of second homes for owners living abroad.
For the bigger jobs in each trade we have dedicated pages: locksmith, plumber, roller shutter repair, painters and furniture assembly.
Mistakes when hiring a handyman
- Hiring someone with no insurance and no invoice. If they break something or fall off the ladder in your home, the problem is yours. Ask first.
- Letting a handyman do electrical or gas installation work. It is illegal, it voids your home insurance in the event of a claim and, with gas, it is dangerous. An honest handyman says no.
- Accepting an hourly rate with no estimate. Two hours that turn into five. Ask for a fixed price or an estimate of hours in writing.
- Calling out for a single 10-minute job. You pay the one-hour minimum and the call-out. Group the jobs together.
- Buying materials without measuring. The tap does not fit, the bracket is wrong for the TV, and the visit has to be repeated.
- Paying up front. A serious handyman is paid on completion, once you have checked the work.
How much a handyman costs
At Manitas Costa we charge 35-45 euros for the first hour and 28-35 euros for each hour after; half a day (4 hours) 120-150 euros and a full day (8 hours) 220-280 euros. For many jobs we give a fixed price per job rather than by the hour (changing a tap, mounting a TV, replacing a shutter strap). Monthly maintenance of a second home costs 45-80 euros a month with one inspection visit. There is no call-out fee if you accept the quote; otherwise 25 euros in Valencia and Alicante city and 35 euros elsewhere.
We arrive in 20-45 minutes in Valencia, Alicante, Torrevieja and Benidorm; in 30-60 minutes in Dénia, Jávea, Calpe and Altea; in 40-70 minutes in Alcoy. We work Monday to Sunday from 8:00 to 21:00; locksmith and drain emergencies outside those hours carry a surcharge. Detailed prices in how much a handyman costs.
If you want to see whether you can do a repair yourself before calling, we have guides for the most common ones: how to mount a TV on the wall, how to change a lock cylinder or door rubbing on the floor or frame.
The handyman on the coast: second homes, salt air and owners abroad
On the Costa Blanca a large share of our customers live in another country and have a flat here they use two months a year. The handyman acts as their hands and eyes: a monthly visit to check roller shutters, taps, damp and fly screens, open and close the stopcocks, take delivery of furniture and appliances, get the property ready before they arrive and close it up afterwards. We send photos and a short report by WhatsApp or email, in English or Russian if needed.
The climate shapes the work too. Salt air seizes lock cylinders and hinges, rusts screws and corrodes aluminium shutters; winter damp in a closed-up house swells doors and loosens rawlplugs; the summer sun destroys awning fabric and adhesives. A handyman who works on the coast knows to lubricate with graphite, fit stainless steel fixings and check everything in spring.
What we ask in return is simple: a photo by WhatsApp, the address and when we can come. The rest, a fixed price, an invoice and a guarantee, we provide. We work in Valencia, Alicante, Torrevieja, Benidorm and the rest of the coast.
Frequently asked questions
Which jobs can a handyman do without a licence in Spain?
All the maintenance and minor repairs of a home: plumbing without new installation (taps, cisterns, drain unblocking), replacing lights and fittings with identical ones at existing points, roller shutters, fly screens, furniture assembly, hanging things, adjusting doors, silicone, small building and painting work, changing cylinders and locks. A handyman cannot do electrical installations, gas, boilers, air conditioning with refrigerant or works needing a permit.
Can a handyman change a socket or a light?
Yes, if they replace a socket, a switch or a light with another one at the same point, without altering the installation, and with the power off at the consumer unit. Adding a new socket, moving a lighting point or touching the consumer unit is electrical installation work and is done by an authorised installer who issues a certificate.
How much does a handyman charge per hour?
At Manitas Costa, 35-45 euros for the first hour and 28-35 euros for each hour after, including IVA (VAT). Half a day 120-150 euros and a full day 220-280 euros. Many jobs have a fixed price (mounting a TV 50-70 euros, replacing a shutter strap 30-60 euros). No call-out fee if you accept the quote.
What is the difference between a handyman and a plumber or electrician?
Plumbers and electricians are trades with formal training and, for electrics and gas, a compulsory licence; they do installations and answer to the industry authority. A handyman does maintenance and small repairs across all the trades without touching installations. For a dripping tap, a handyman; for a consumer unit, an authorised electrician.
Do you provide an invoice and a guarantee?
Yes. An invoice with IVA (VAT) on every job, 6 months written guarantee on labour and the manufacturer's warranty on parts, and public liability insurance. Payment on completion in cash, by card, Bizum or bank transfer. For owners abroad, we email the invoice and a report with photos.