[Closed] Electrician / Plumber - rates + margin?

The labour rate seems OK to me - are you not able to supply the detectors yourself if that saves you a fair bit of cash?

Sadly the flat is just over an hour away, add in a 'fault' in the fire alarm as a landlord I need it sorted.
I've tried with this gang to supply my own stuff, they refused.

Er, yes, that take the pi$$ somewhat. The charge rate sounds like they sent 2 people to do the job so you're paying for both of them.
If they are standard smoke alarms the fault is usually either the battery or that the alarm itself has expired (they have a life of about 10 years with a replace by date on them). Sounds like buying 3 alarms and driving for an hour would make a saving?

eek, though the rate may include some element of their mileage costs, assuming Highlands means they have to get to/from your property to the next point of call. I'm not sure what my spark charges hourly rate to be honest, or when he supplies smoke alarms, but he's a bit closer and gives decent service when needed.

50 ph is not a lot for a self employed skilled and certified professional that supplies own transport. I won’t do all the maths because it’s been done to death on this and other forums.

It might have been cheaper if the tenant had arranged it, you're probably paying a landlord's markup because they know you'll be offsetting it.

I’m getting they are just taking the p*ss now.

Trying to find a local sparky or plumber is nigh on impossible.

I'd hazard that the former is not wholly unrelated to the latter.

You really don't need a spark to change a battery in a smoke alarm though, it's about as complicated as putting a DVD in a player. Coincidentally I did one myself for a friend yesterday, you need a flat-blade screwdriver to prise the clip at the top and then the unit just slides off. (Assuming that's the fault of course, which it probably is.)

Is this your old place in Killin Matt? There will be a town faceboak group, get on that and get a number for a local handyman.

They are mains hard wired, and had expired after nearly 10 years. One was triggering the alarm, which could have just been a sensor (it was) or could be something more complex. You don't just change a battery in them.

I am not an electrician, and as a landlord need up to date and certified checks on something as fundamental as a fire system. I also needed my tenants and neighbours to get a good night's sleep - not wait a couple of days for me, then maybe a couple of days for electrician, while being wakened or harassed by alarm going off.

I've not a problem calling the sparky.

It also got a next day response, as the sparky was in the town anyway that day (as they usually are, being a local company with two employees living in town). I work full-time and couldn't be as quick.

It was correct thing to do in this situation as a capitalist pig landlord.

My issue is it feels like the hourly rate is spiralling up and the parts mark up high.

@nobeerinthefridge - Aberfeldy. I've already got a handyman, but this needed to be sparky. I know all the local builders, plumbers and electricians - there aren't many!

Handyman charges me £30ish an hour.

£50 ph for a short job ok, £50ph for an entire day / multiple days would be on the more expensive side.

Sounds reasonable.....as long as they don't drag it out for more than 30 minutes.

Full hour charge...

"You really don’t need a spark to change a battery in a smoke alarm"

"They are mains hard wired, and had expired after nearly 10 years."

This is one of my triggers! The electrician unions managed to get building regs changed to insist on mains smoke detectors(*) installed by an electrician, on the grounds that people don't change the battery in smoke detectors. Which ignores that mains smoke detectors are more likely to cause fires in the first place and that the detection chamber needs replacing as often as batteries anyway.

(*) Yes you can use interlinked battery detectors but at the time none existed.

Seems reasonable unfortunately.  50/hr isn't so much to run a business where you are on call and I wouldn't expect them to supply at the cheapest rate available online as that isn't the business they are running 🙁

So yes, it's unpleasant but normal

If a handyman charges £30 ish an hour and gets work no wonder trades are charging £50. Expensive if you want to buy property in Perthshire, maybe thats why the rates are top

as a landlord need up to date and certified checks on something as fundamental as a fire system.

As a landlord you can offset the costs of this against the costs of the (business) rental.

It's not normal though. Those rates are high end of, but if there's no local competition they always will be. As for the mark up on products that is also totally over the top. Wouldn't be getting work down here I'm afraid and they will eventually get found out

Man in English metropolis telling people about pricing in rural Scotland.

Here's news. Fuel costs quite a bit more in rural Scotland as does a pint of milk - hell Highland post code.....postage costs more.

Thanks all.

I wanted to check in - seems the hourly rate is ok but I'm not happy with markup.

As a landlord you can offset the costs of this against the costs of the (business) rental.

20% saved from this bill through tax reduction.

Hourly rate seems ok for the location and the travel time between jobs etc.
But considering they won’t even be paying retail for the parts (and I would assume that’s the price you are quoting the markup on) the markup on those is way too high.

I would expect they will have a minimum charge (1 hour?) or a call out fee, so quick jobs are expensive, but otherwise they are not worth their time.

How much are the alarms?