A modern home contains many more components than those of the past, and many of these complex systems need ongoing maintenance to function safely and reliably.

• Plumbing systems are more complex than they used to be with plastic piping and compression joints
• Condensing boilers contain pumps and electronics within their casings which can fail and need replacing
• Heating controls and radiator valves are used to improve energy efficiency
• Electrical circuits now need to be installed and fixed by trained electricians

When problems happen there are three choices available to you

• Fall back on your DIY skills and fix the problem yourself
• Find and call out a local tradesman to effect a repair
• Contact the company with whom you have taken out a maintenance contract.

Some of us are proficient at DIY some are not, notwithstanding your skill levels there will be times when you will need assistance with home maintenance tasks. When these times arrive you will need reliable plumbers and electricians to call upon, if you have a home emergency you need expert assistance rather than an unskilled rouge who makes matters worse. This is particularly important in an emergency, tradesmen can come in all flavours, skilled, actively learning and incompetent.

This site aims to help you understand some of the choices you have and understand some options available to you, where you can plan in advance and identify reputable tradesmen or take out home maintenance plans before an emergency arrives.

Local Tradesmen

You can try to assess local tradesmen before you need to call upon their services. Ask around your friends and neighbors. Has anyone had a project completed recently, have any of them had a home maintenance emergency and needed to call out a tradesman in a hurry. What was the quality of the work, how timely was the call out, what service standards were exhibited, would they recommend the tradesman to you.

If you can identify a golden nugget take a note of their details and speak to them if you see them attend another project in your area. Building a relationship before you need help with a problem is a good investment.

National Branded Services

Some large companies offer emergency call out services by contracting with local tradesmen. The service is the same as the above but you get the comfort of a professional contact center / helpline and subsequent billing from this company. Other national companies provided their own employed skilled tradesmen (e.g. British Gas) or provide services through their franchisees (e.g. Dyno Rod).

Maintenance Plans

You can plan in advance and get priority in an emergency by taking out a home maintenance plan. Low monthly payments mean that you have a 24 hour, 365 day helpline to contact and priority service in an emergency. This can help to reduce the stress of a home emergency although the disruption can not be removed entirely.

Whatever your preference the overriding requirement is that you plan in advance and understand what you will do if you need assistance on a project or need immediate help with a problem. Being prepared will reduce any impact on your family and could reduce the eventual costs.

Read on, this site contains information on the various home maintenance services available so you can make the best choice for you.

British Gas Service you can depend upon
You are a busy person and need reliable plumbers and electricians to call upon when you have problems. British Gas have services which aim to take away the stress, hassle and expense of looking after your home - delivered through 5,500 trained service and maintenance engineers.

British Gas HomeCare means that if there is a crisis, you have the reassurance that you can call on expert, trained engineers to take care of it.

Quality of service and value for money are very important and the the services typically include: -

• 24 hour 365 day manned customer helplines
• Regular Safety and Maintenance inspections at your property
• Unlimited call outs
• Free parts and labour
• Boiler and Gas Appliance Care
• Central Heating Care
• Plumbing and Drains
• Home Electrical Care
• Kitchen Appliance cover

Dyno Rod - Local nationally

Dyno is the UK’s premier repair service, offering rapid professional solutions to home maintenance problems.

Their comprehensive plumbing, drains and security services are available across the United Kingdom and Ireland, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, provided by local teams of fully trained and equipped engineers.

You will have seen the fleet of orange Dyno Rod vans in your neighborhood responding to home emergencies and bringing fast solutions.

The emergency response and service levels Dyno Rod can provide have been refined over many years of serving the public and include: -

• 24 hour 365 day rapid response service
• Fixed price quotes
• N call out charge
• All work guaranteed
• Drains services
• Emergency plumbing response
• Plumbing installation services
• Home Burglar Installation
• Emergency Locksmith and Security services