Handyman in Colindale

Handyman Services in Colindale: what is different here

The new-build list

Flats built in the last few years produce their own kind of list. Doors that were hung before the building dried out start to catch or stop latching. Plasterboard shrinks a little, leaving hairline cracks at corners and above door frames. Silicone around baths and kitchen worktops pulls away once the building settles.

Cupboard hinges drop, skirting and architrave joints open up, and bathroom accessories work loose from the wall. None of it is serious, but it builds up. We clear the whole list in one visit and photograph each item.

Builder warranty or handyman?

Where a home is covered by NHBC's Buildmark, the first two years from legal completion are the builder warranty period, when the developer must put right defects you report. Years three to ten are an insurance period with different rules, and wear and tear and lack of maintenance are excluded.

Other warranty providers work in a similar way. So in the first two years, report genuine defects to the developer in writing and keep the reference. Use us for things outside their responsibility: assembly, fittings you want added, adjustments after normal settling, and anything after the builder period ends.

Fixing to plasterboard and concrete

Colindale's newer blocks mostly have plasterboard partitions on metal studs, with concrete frames and party walls behind. Shelves, mirrors, curtain poles and TV brackets need fixings matched to what is actually there, and heavy items on plasterboard may need a pattress or a fixing into the stud.

Concrete takes a proper drill and anchors. Cables and pipes often run in places that look clear, especially around kitchens and bathrooms, so we scan before drilling. We also check if your lease restricts drilling into structural or party walls.

Working inside a managed building

A visit to a Colindale block is shaped by the building. Most have a concierge or fob entry, some want contractors registered in advance, and many limit noisy work, such as drilling, to set hours on weekdays. Large items may need a booked lift or the goods entrance, and rubbish has to leave with us rather than go in the bin store.

Tell us the building name and the managing agent when you book, and we sort out what they require before the day so the time is spent on your list.

Between tenancies in Colindale

With 43.5% of households in Colindale South renting privately, many of our visits come between tenancies. Send us the inventory clerk's check-out report and the date the next tenant moves in. Each item on that list gets a price, most are cleared in a single trip, and the photographs we take of every one are useful evidence if the outgoing tenant disputes a deduction from the deposit.

Typical items are scuffed walls touched up, a cracked tile, mouldy sealant, a broken blind, a sticking balcony door and a lock or fob arrangement to change. Certificates can be arranged in the same window.

Items that need a different trade

Some jobs on a Colindale list are not handyman work. Moving a socket, changing a light fitting in a bathroom, or anything inside the consumer unit needs our electrician. Mains-wired smoke alarms in a new flat are usually part of the building's fire strategy, so they are electrical work and may need the managing agent's agreement.

Anything to do with a flat entrance fire door, such as replacing the closer, letterbox or lock, should be checked with the managing agent first, because those doors are part of the building's fire safety. We flag these items before we start.

Official sources

• NHBC Buildmark cover
• Census 2021 accommodation type, Colindale wards (Nomis)
• Census 2021 tenure, Colindale wards (Nomis)
• Beaufort Park on Buildington
• Construction Enquirer, May 2021: Colindale Gardens phase

Last reviewed October 2026 by EliteShires Property Services.