Handyman jobs

Small electrical jobs: lights, sockets and ceiling fans

Household electrical jobs tend to arrive in a list: a light that flickers, a fan you bought that's still in its box, a socket that went dead, a switch that sparks. None of them is big, but none is a job to guess at.

Tell us what you need, and we'll pass it to a partner who quotes and does the work.

Ask for a quote What’s covered

A ceiling fan and a pendant light, a wall switch with its cover off, and a stepladder

What electrical repairs covers

The usual jobs under this heading. Tick it in the enquiry and describe yours; if it isn’t here, describe it anyway.

Lights

Ceiling lights, downlights, pendant lights and LED panels replaced or installed in place of an existing fitting, and flickering lights looked at.

Ceiling fans

Ceiling fans you've bought installed at an existing ceiling point, and old fans taken down and replaced.

Switches and sockets

Cracked, loose or dead switches and power sockets replaced, and single sockets swapped for doubles.

Tripping power

Circuits that keep tripping traced to the appliance or fitting that's causing it.

Small fittings

Doorbells, bathroom exhaust fans and kitchen hood power points replaced like for like.

If a socket or switch is scorched, smells of burning or is hot to the touch, switch it off at the distribution board and don't use it until it's been looked at.

Electrical repairs: a small fix or a bigger job?

What this site arranges

A handyman job

Replacing a light or a ceiling fan
Swapping a switch or a socket
Finding what keeps tripping the power
Replacing a bathroom exhaust fan

A wall with its plaster hacked off to the bricks, a bin of debris and new tiles: a renovation — A bigger job

A renovation

Rewiring a flat
Adding new power points and circuits
Replacing the distribution board

New circuits and rewiring are a bigger job than a repair. Junk to Clear, a renovation and disposal company we refer jobs to, takes renovation enquiries.

What affects the price

We don’t publish prices. The partner handyman quotes once it knows the job. These are the things it will ask about.

What's being installed or fixed, and how many. Several lights in one visit usually works out better than one at a time.
The fitting: a heavy fan or a chandelier takes longer than a downlight.
Ceiling height, and whether a tall ladder or scaffold is needed.
Whether there's an existing point to connect to.
Whether finding a fault takes testing across several circuits.

Photos that help the quote

The existing light, fan, switch or socket.
The new fitting, or its box, if you've bought one.
For a fan, the ceiling where it will go, and the height of the room if it's high.

Keep them on your phone: the handyman may ask for them when it contacts you.

How to prepare, and what happens on the day

Before the visit

Know where the distribution board is and that it can be reached.
Have the new fittings unboxed with their instructions.
Clear the area under any ceiling work, and cover furniture you can't move.
Note which circuits trip and what was switched on when they did.

On the day

1 The power to the circuit is switched off at the distribution board before any work starts.
2 The old fitting is removed and the new one connected and fixed.
3 Power is restored and the fitting tested: lights on, fan at each speed, sockets live.
4 For tripping, circuits are tested one at a time until the fault is found.

Afterwards

Test the residual current device at the distribution board every few months using its test button; it should trip at once. If the same circuit keeps tripping, unplug things one at a time to find the cause, and say what you found when you enquire again.

Electrical repairs in homes and offices

The same job differs between a flat, a landed house and an office. Here’s what changes.

HDB flats

HDB flats come with a distribution board near the main door and ceiling points in each room, so most lights and fans go up at an existing point.

Condos

Condo units often have false ceilings with downlights and concealed wiring. The management office may need to know before work that affects shared areas.

Landed homes

Bigger houses mean more lights, high ceilings in living rooms and outdoor fittings in the garden and porch, which need fittings rated for the weather.

Offices

Lighting panels, pantry sockets and meeting room fittings. Work affecting the whole office's power can be done after hours, and the landlord may need to approve it.

Questions about electrical repairs

Can you install a ceiling fan I bought online?

Usually, yes, at an existing ceiling point. Send the model in the enquiry so it can be checked for weight and mounting.

My power keeps tripping. What causes that?

Often a faulty appliance, such as a kettle, water heater or washing machine, or water getting into an outdoor socket. Testing finds which one.

Can you add a new power point?

Say what you need in the enquiry. Adding new points and circuits is a bigger job than replacing a fitting, and we'll check with the partner.

Do I need to be home?

Yes, or someone needs to let the partner in and show where the distribution board is.

Ask for a electrical repairs quote

Tell us what needs fixing, the property and roughly where it is. It takes a minute, and there's no obligation to book.