Totally free handy-people for all your odd job needs

IT'S not every day you get something for nothing, but in Liverpool you can now have your odd jobs around the house done -  for free.

You don't have to be on benefits. You don't even have to be a social housing tenant. In fact, the only catch is you have to be Over A Certain Age.

The city council has announced that its popular odd-job service will now be free – and it is being extended to those aged 50 and over. So there is now every reason to jump up and down in delight when your half-century strikes. Stick the kettle on and make a cup of tea with ten sugars. 

The handyperson service helps residents with everything from assembling an IKEA Billy bookcase to electrical and gardening jobs. Liverpool's "handyperson operatives" as they are known, will even change a light bulb, although it's not clear how many it will take. 

The scheme started in July 2013 when the council  teamed up with Riverside Housing and Housing Maintenance Solutions (HMS) -a wholly owned subsidiary of Liverpool Mutual Homes- to provide a citywide Handyperson Service. It was originally available for people aged 65 and above or people with a disability.  

Up to now the service has been for those aged 65 and for people with a disability.  It cost £15 per hour for labour plus the cost of materials used but from now on householders will only have to pay for the cost of any materials used with the labour being free of charge. 

“We’ve listened to our residents and found that while they appreciate the service sometimes the cost can put them off using it,”  said Councillor Ann O’Byrne, cabinet member for housing. 

The sort of jobs you can get help with include:

• ·         Fitting locks, spyholes and door chains
• ·         Replacing light bulbs, electric fuses and plugs
• ·         Installing grab rails
• ·         Fitting doorbells and smoke alarms
• ·         Assembling flat pack furniture
• ·         Unblocking sinks
• ·         One-off garden clean-ups

"All the handyperson operatives are Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checked," says the council, "and additional security measures can be agreed such as the use of passwords to enable the customer to know that the operative calling at their house is an official employee of the Handyperson Service."

Call 0151 295 6102 to chat about your needs, they say, and to book an appointment. Citizens will normally receive a visit from a handyperson within 7-10 working days so it should be noted that the service is neither designed nor suitable  for emergency work with a typical job being expected to take up to an hour or so. 

The scheme is not means tested and is offered to all residents aged 50 and over and /or disabled in the city regardless of tenure (owner occupiers, social housing tenants or private sector tenants).