Home Services franchises in the UK

Home service franchises benefit from a decline in DIY skills and substantial demand and repeat business from the private rental sector. 

Offering training, ongoing support, a trusted brand and a proven business model, they are well placed to capitalise.

Sector overview

• Variety of services thrive amid a decline in DIY skills, with plentiful repeat business from buy-to-let landlords and housing associations
• Demand for home services is sure to grow with the government aiming to build 300,000 new homes a year
• Franchises have the marketing budget, online presence and brand recognition to generate significant leads for your exclusive territory

A subset of home improvement franchises, this is a rather eclectic category. Sectors include: 

• Domestic cleaning
• Electrical services
• Fencing
• Flooring
• Handyman or property repair
• Insurance claims project management
• Kitchen and bathroom installation
• Lawncare
• Locksmiths
• Loft conversions
• Oven cleaning
• Pest control
• Plumbing and drainage
• Shutters and blinds
• Weatherproof coatings on property exteriors 

Is a home services franchise for me?

In such a diverse category it might be tricky to summarise the attributes required. Nevertheless, some generalisations are possible.

First, you don’t often need previous experience in home services generally – and certainly not in a particular niche.

If the service is relatively simple – such as oven cleaning – you may be a one-person operation doing maintenance/repair jobs yourself. Even then, however, previous experience won’t be needed since full training is provided.

You’ll usually need employees so that you can occupy a managerial, sales-orientated role for more complex services like flooring or bathroom installations.

In either case, you can often work from home since the brand’s reputation and online presence generates leads, not a physical high street presence.

The structure of home service franchises

Whatever the service provided, business is typically generated through a combination of online bookings, telephone bookings and old-fashioned word-of-mouth referrals.

Well established franchises usually boast a marketing reach and budget, plus in-house technical expertise, to outperform independents through all these avenues.

Not being retailers, they don’t often need high street premises, which lowers your initial setup costs and ongoing overheads.

Services, for the home or otherwise, are also immune to the Amazon effect which has so disrupted the high street. Of course, the internet has become a primary source of leads – and franchises have the financial clout and in-house IT expertise to maintain competitive Google positions and develop intuitive booking platforms.

They also offer the cachet of a recognised brand, a proven formula, initial training and ongoing support, plus competitive prices for materials.

When comparing home service franchises, it’s wise to evaluate current and projected demand in various niches, as well as scrutinising the credentials of a specific franchise system. You can conduct some quick due diligence by checking a franchise’s customer reviews on platforms like Checkatrade.com and TrustPilot.

You may also be interested in these closely related franchise sectors: decorating , garden , home furnishing and restoration .