Build an approved contractor network (and stop scrambling)

The worst time to find a plumber is at 2am when a tenant's pipe has burst. The cheapest time is now, when you can compare quotes calmly.

The shortlist you want

For each property:

• Plumber + heating engineer (Gas Safe registered).
• Electrician (NICEIC or NAPIT).
• General handyman.
• Locksmith (24h).
• Drain clearance.

Two of each, ideally. One main, one backup.

How to find them

• Personal recommendation from another landlord.
• Local Facebook landlord groups.
• Checkatrade / Trustatrader (filter for 4.5+ stars and a meaningful review count).
• Trade body directories (Gas Safe, NICEIC).

What to ask

• Average response time?
• Call-out fee outside hours?
• Standard hourly rate?
• Ballpark for common jobs (boiler service, replace valve, fix loose socket)?

Set it up in havelo

The Contractors module (/dashboard/contractors) lets you:

• Add the contractor with their trade.
• Limit them to specific properties.
• Set spend caps per trade (jobs at or below the cap auto-approve).

When a tenant reports a maintenance issue and the trade matches, havelo can auto-dispatch the right contractor, including the brief and the photos the tenant uploaded. You're informed but not in the loop on every £80 valve replacement.