To think this man doesn't charge enough?

A village local to me has a handyman. Would fix anything and not charge much. One day though a young woman caught him on camera jerking odd to a pair of her pants on her bed!!

Police we’re involved but it’s apparently not illegal. Word got around and a few other stories came out of some strange things where he was probably doing the same!!

So I’d worry now that he’s cheap as he’s getting kicks some other way 🤣

He sounds great, but it's probably tax free (black economy) so he's not doing bad. Give him a bit extra if you want.

I think people have just got used to paying extortionate rates for trades tbh. If he’s not highly skilled then £19 an hour is pretty good going, it’s well above NMW. I am in a professional role that requires several years of postgraduate training and I earn about £25 an hour. We’ve just all got used to paying £60+ an hour for electricians etc so this feels cheap.

Maybe he generous, maybe he is worried about paying tax.

Maybe he thinks it's enough. Just pay him more if you want, don't expect a bunch of strangers to know.

Why do you care is my question. Are you considering a financial intervention? Don’t worry about it.

I’d pay him more

I used to live in Essex. £30-£35 an hour was pretty standard for tradesmen. What makes you think that’s cheap? What are other people paying?

You can always tip him!! If he's worth more give him more

DP would do this if he was retired and could afford to he’s always doing jobs for friends and neighbours n just says to buy him a coffee!
As he is also an electrician once a month he does a day over the weekend at a local charity shop PAT testing any donations that require it

Think I need this guy. I'm in cm11 so don't know if he local

I have a neighbour who is like this, he's retired but helps out with odd handyman jobs around the neighbourhood, mostly for older people with worse health who can't do smaller jobs easily themselves. He doesn't charge much, just enough for people to feel that they aren't taking advantage of him for free but really he loves it because it makes him feel useful, happy to help others and keeps him active and with things to do. I suppose for him it's a bit like volunteering but he charges a little for his time.

I now a chap who is happy if he earn x amount per day. He charges a reasonable amount but not extortionate. He's busy but doesn't slog his guts out. Maybe yer man is like this, he earns enough, likes what he does and has a work/life balance?

@Hairush I wish he lived near me.

£20 an hour, for something he enjoys doing, Local & feels good about doing seems ok. He'd put his charges up if he wanted/needed to. I'd have 'The Good Biscuits' in & a nice Christmas card with some money in.

I have a local electrician who helps me with my Mum's stuff . He is too cheap so I pay him more every time .

He is young and just starting his business so I know he is trying to gain clients but still .

He does a fantastic job , is always on time and cleans up so I pay him £30 extra for a takeaway .

he doesn't claim to be a skilled or qualified builder. this is why then. He won't have the insurance overheads etc. Just tip him extra

Don't suppose it's in the very north of Essex? He sounds incredibly useful!

He’s probably not declaring it so can charge less

YANBU to want to pay him more, but YWBBU to expect him to raise his prices on your say so. He probably has loads of customers who simply couldn’t afford his services if he did so. And he sounds like a lovely person, doing a great job,never short of work.
Add a tip, give him a Christmas bonus or pass on the gesture and do something for someone else that they couldn’t afford to pay someone for.

I think he’s able to choose to run his business as he sees fit.

if you felt it was very reasonable and you were happy with the service, I would have given him two £20 notes and said no, thank you very much keep the difference.

I’m desperate for someone like this- everyone Iv found online charges extortionate prices! What area are you in? I know it’s a long shot but decent affordable handymen seem elusive to me!

Our handyman is so lovely and obliging and always undercharges so we usually add €20 + to whatever he says.

He sounds so lovely. We once needed to call an electrician out on Christmas eve as the plug socket for the cooker melted - not just the fuse blown but the whole thing, and was fusing the house. He came out, bought a new part fixed it and tried to charge £25 in total as it was 'an easy job'. I insisted on giving him £50 and he looked so surprised. Never met an electrician like him.

My dad used to do similar as a volunteer for Age Concern. It started off with fitting smoke alarms but he was soon putting up shelves and all sorts. The service was free. My dad did it for about a year when he retired and he loved it. He didn't want any money. I think if he was given any he gave it to Age Concern. He just liked helping people. And I think he thrived off people being pleased to see him, happy with his work 'Oh you are a good one!' Etc

Sadly he then developed cancer and had to stop but he was so happy for that year.

Presumably your odd job man also enjoys helping people more than the money aspect.

I have a friend who is a skilled handyperson. She barely leaves the town we live in, seems to do everything from moving furniture out and back for a deep clean, to putting together Ikea furniture, painting a room, leaky taps, adjusting patio doors, gutter cleans etc. She even helps with basic technology like plugging in a new router and making sure a phone or ipad is on it. She has a small van with a battery drill, some decorating stuff and handtools only, plus a couple of ladders.
We live in a relatively wealthy area.
She is a) very busy and b) seemingly earning good money.
She does say some of her customers are very vulnerable and she has to be very careful over excessive tips and charging 'fair' amounts (both ways...)
I have to say, I keep looking and going 'if my job ends tomorrow, I could do that....'

Next time just give him a bit extra. People like him are worth their weight in gold.