How we chose
We started from the twenty-five property maintenance firms Google Maps shows across Telford. Scheme memberships were sourced from the TrustMark, Gas Safe, NICEIC and waste carrier registers, each firm's own website and platforms such as Checkatrade and Which? Trusted Traders [1] [5] [6] [7]. Each business must first meet our basic checks: it is who it says it is, it is trading today and can be reached, and anything it must hold by law is in place. Ten firms met all three. What customers say counts most toward the score, since beyond a small handful of reviews volume adds nothing, then proof of competence, then whether the firm has traded two years or more and whether its cover is stated, then pricing clarity and website detail. All evidence is dated early September 2026.
How to hire
Match the person to the job first. A handyman owns odd jobs, decorating, small carpentry and minor plumbing, while heating work belongs with a Gas Safe registered engineer, electrical work with an NICEIC or NAPIT registered electrician, and garden or clearance waste with a registered waste carrier [5] [6] [7]. Most Telford property maintenance firms bundle several of these, so check that the person doing each part of your list holds what that part needs.
For any job touching gas, ask for the engineer's Gas Safe card and check the number on the Gas Safe Register before work starts [5]. Registration is a legal duty for gas work, and the card shows which appliances the holder may work on. For electrical work, search the NICEIC online register for the business name and ask for its registration number, then confirm the two match [6].
For the general maintenance itself there is no single licence, so use the registers that fit the job. TrustMark lists firms checked for the specific trade you need, and its guidance is to confirm the firm is registered for that trade rather than taking a badge at face value [1]. Where the job leaves waste behind, from hedge cuttings to clearance loads, the firm taking it away must appear on the public register of waste carriers, brokers and dealers [7].
Get three quotes on the same written scope before you choose, as TrustMark advises, so you compare like with like rather than three different ideas of the job [1]. Each quote should separate labour, materials and VAT, state any call-out or minimum charge, and say what changes the price if the firm finds worse than expected once work starts. A quote that is far below the others usually leaves something out, and one far above the rest should explain what extra care or cover the money buys.
A proper quote shows the full scope in plain words, the materials included and who supplies them, start and finish dates, payment stages, how waste is removed, and what guarantee the firm gives in writing [1] [8]. Check whether VAT is added on top, since published cost guides mix figures with and without it. Keep every quote, message and revised figure together so the final invoice can be checked against them.
At the end, collect the paperwork that fits the work: an itemised invoice, the written guarantee terms, a gas safety record for any gas job and an electrical certificate for any electrical work [5] [6]. Pay by card or bank transfer where you can, since cash leaves no trail if a snag needs chasing. Citizens Advice sets out your options if a trader's work falls short, including template letters for putting the complaint in writing [8].
Pricing
As of autumn 2026, rough Telford ranges for odd jobs run like this: a handyman averages around £30 an hour, with most firms setting a £40–£50 minimum charge for small visits [2]. Checkatrade's cost table puts hanging pictures or a curtain rail near £45, eight basic shelves near £200, and an hour of minor plumbing near £60 [2]. Telford usually sits below London and South East prices, where the same hour starts far higher [2].
For garden and grounds upkeep, Checkatrade's June 2026 tables put a gardener at £15–£40 an hour, near £30 on average, or £120–£320 for a full day [3]. Grass cutting runs £15–£30 an hour and strimming averages near £60 a job, while hedge work and tree surgery climb fast once climbing kit or removal is involved [3]. A neglected garden can take several visits to bring under control, after which a regular slot usually costs less than repeated one-offs [3].
For painting and decorating, a Which? survey of nine Trusted Traders in November 2025 puts a small room at £200–£900, a medium room at £250–£1,100, and a hallway with landing and stairs at £400–£1,600 [4]. Repainting one room of woodwork runs £70–£650 where the old gloss is sound [4]. These figures include labour and materials but exclude VAT, and Telford should land below the London end of each range [4].
Access and condition move every price most: overgrown gardens, layered old paint, parking and travel across Telford, and whether old fittings and green waste are taken away all add or subtract [2] [3]. Ask whether the quote adds VAT on top, since guides mix figures with and without it, and whether a call-out fee applies [2] [4]. Get the scope in writing before work starts: exactly which jobs, which materials, making-good and waste removal included, the guarantee terms, and what changes the price if the firm finds worse than expected [8].
Red flags
Quotes a multi-day job list without visiting or asking for photos and measurements.
Cannot give a Gas Safe number you can check yourself on the register when the job touches gas [5].
Quotes clearance or garden work with no waste carrier detail and no plan for where the waste goes [7].
Asks for full payment in cash before starting, with no written quote or terms [8].
Gives one fixed price for a long job list with no breakdown of labour, materials and VAT.
Will not put the scope, price and start date in writing before lifting a tool.
Finishes gas or electrical work with no certificate or safety record to leave behind [5] [6].
The bottom line
For most Telford homes, start with Arcox Landscaping Ltd: one documented firm for landscaping, driveways and grounds upkeep, with stated SMAS membership and Trading Standards approval on the record. Pricing runs quote-only through a consultation request, so ask for proof of cover and an itemised written figure first.
Match the firm to the job: Shropshire Property Maintenance where one firm must own repairs and refurbishments including gas and electrical work, Handyman Telford Shropshire for painting, carpentry and odd jobs, and JC Property Snagging for a fixed-price new-build inspection.
Then get two or three itemised quotes on the same written scope, and check the paperwork before you pay: an itemised invoice, the written guarantee terms, and the safety certificate wherever gas or electrical work was involved.
Corrections and business responses
Tell us what needs checking, or ask to claim a listing and reply to an assessment.