Has this ever happened to you? After days of measuring, planning, coordinating colors and shapes and aesthetics, you order a wardrobe from IKEA (not sponsored). It arrives in all its glorious parts, reminiscent of 3D puzzle pieces that fit just right when put together correctly.
‘Correctly’ is the buzzword here. The instructions seem cryptic, all the bolts look the same, and the wardrobe pieces weigh way more than your Sunday shopping. It’s a pain, both mentally and physically, making you wish for a handy human being to give you, well, a hand.
One woman decided to offer just that, in the form of renting out her skilled husband to anyone struggling with odd jobs around the house. It’s a funny yet wholesome project that turned the family’s life around for the better. Laura Young, the mastermind behind this idea, was kind enough to answer some of Bored Panda’s questions, so let’s get into the details!
More info: Rent My Handy Husband
“Rent My Handy Husband” is the hilarious name of a UK business, where a wife “rents out” her husband to anyone needing help with odd jobs around the house
Image credits: James Linsell-Clark/ SWNS
Maintaining a home, whether rented or owned, can require a lot of effort and dedication. Whether it be furniture assembly, garden clearance, or good ole fence painting, it’s always nicer to have someone helping out—be it a friend, a family member, or a neighbor. But at times, those people aren’t available, so what do you do?
You call your local ‘Rent My Handy Husband’ and, as it says in the description, rent a handy husband of course! Sadly, this is quite a new idea, so there may not be many of those available yet, but if you’re lucky enough to live in or close to Milton Keynes, England, this wife-and-husband duo might be for you!
Laura Young started “renting out” her husband James’ skills in home maintenance after being inspired by a podcast and thinking ‘why not?’
Image credits: Laura Young
All the way back in June, Laura Young, 38, got the idea to rent out her husband James’ skills in home maintenance and DIY, such as painting, decorating, tiling and carpet installation, after listening to a podcast that spoke about a man making a living putting furniture together for other people.
In a moment of ‘why the heck not?!’ she put together some adverts on Facebook and the Nextdoor app, offering her husband to come and help out with odd jobs around the house for £40. Although she expected this to get a few good laughs, the family soon got their first messages from interested clients.
What started as a joke soon grew into a 6-days-per-week job, where James was sometimes booked from 9am to 8pm. November is fully booked, sorry!
Image credits: James Linsell-Clark/ SWNS
“The first customer needed a door frame replaced and then from there I just had people enquiring on the Facebook page. It went from a regular flatpack to so much more, like laying a carpet and rebuilding a wall,” Laura revealed, as per Daily Mail.
What started as an innocent bit of jokey fun turned into a money-making project called “Rent My Handy Husband,” with James being booked out for 6 days per week, sometimes from 9am to 8pm. The 42-year-old is currently booked up for the month of November on jobs, even scheduling some projects for January 2023.
“I never expected it to take off as much as it has,” Laura told Bored Panda, with requests coming from all over the UK and them having to say “no” to jobs
Image credits: rentmyhandyhusband
Their business became so popular that they even had to turn down jobs and reduce their hours, now working Monday to Friday 9am-5pm. “I never expected it to take off as much as it has,” Laura told Bored Panda. They’ve even received requests for their services from people living over 150 miles away.
Some of the customers even asked James if he’d ever “rent out” Laura, which they found to be hilarious. “It wasn’t quite the ‘Indecent Proposal’ Robert Redford gave though,” she laughed.
The funny name, as well as James’ incredible skills and lovely personality have ensured the success of the business from the very beginning
Image credits: James Linsell-Clark/ SWNS
Laura believes that the name “Rent My Handy Husband” helped make the idea successful right off the bat. “It’s a funny name and it makes people [do a] double take,” she said, adding that her husband’s skills and personality have added nearly as much to their success: “They meet James and see he’s a genuinely nice bloke who can turn his hand to most things.”
Although their schedule is super booked, they’re planning on treating their neighborhood for the Christmas season. They’ll be offering help with light installations both inside and outside homes, which can be a finicky process—but not for James and Laura! There’s nothing they can’t handle, apart from electrical or plumbing work, which they don’t offer anyways. Other than that, no job is too small for them!
This venture has allowed the parents of 3 young kids, 2 of whom have autism, to have a more balanced life and ensure that they’re getting the best care possible
Image credits: rentmyhandyhusband
While James works on the practical side of the job, Laura runs the social media accounts as well as their website. This opportunity couldn’t have come at a better time, as James had quit his previous job in a warehouse to be a full-time dad to their three children, two of whom have autism.
“It’s really good for our particular family because having children with special needs makes for quite an unpredictable life,” she told Bored Panda. “There are lots of hospital appointments involved as well, so we are grateful we are able to make this work for our family.”
James was diagnosed with autism himself four years ago. He’d always been really good at building things without instruction: “He sees things differently”
Image credits: James Linsell-Clark/ SWNS
Laura revealed that James was diagnosed with autism himself four years ago. He’d always enjoyed building and constructing things, but it’s one thing to enjoy it and another to be talented in doing so. “He’s really good at building things and doesn’t bother with the instructions,” Laura explained.
“James doesn’t come from a trade background but his grandad was a nuclear engineer, and they think he was also on the spectrum,” she continued. “He’s got a very methodical mind and can think outside the box. He sees things differently.” Anything that involves building, engineering, or creating is right up James’ alley, being some of his favorite things to do.
The hourly rate of £40 may be too steep for some, so the family offers discounts to healthcare workers, people over 65, disabled people, and caregivers
Image credits: Laura Young
The hourly rate of £40, or a day rate of £250, may be too steep for some. The family offer discounts to those working in the National Health Service (NHS) and emergency services, as well as to people over 65, disabled people, and caregivers. “We know what it’s like to be parents of children with special needs,” she said. “We’ve known what it’s like to struggle for money or have to save.”
“I’d like to hope we are helping within the community; we’ve joined a group who ask trades to offer an hour or two free, and we’ve put our services forward should that help,” she continued. “We’ve got quite a large clientele of people that meet our criteria for discount and that feels like a little community in itself.”
Since the start of the business, a number of similar handyman services have popped up, but the Youngs wish them nothing but the best in their endeavors. As for their own future, they hope that the business continues to grow.
“I’d like to hope we are helping within the community,” Laura said. They hope the business continues to grow, and we wish them the best of luck in their ventures!
Image credits: James Linsell-Clark/ SWNS
“We have a large amount of interest from people all over the UK asking for our services and, whilst we are happy to if we can, it’s not necessarily cost effective for people, so who knows, maybe we’ll look into branching out further down the line,” Laura said.
We at Bored Panda wish them all the best of luck and hope that they can make many more people smile! Let us know your thoughts on this story and whether you’d like to have similar services in your town!
That wardrobe story right at the beginning? Yeah, that’s my own experience with building IKEA (not sponsored) furniture. I was too eager to get it all done and it was too late in the evening to ask anyone for help. Long story short, I nearly broke bits of my body, as well as the wardrobe itself. Learn from my mistake—don’t build heavy things alone. Rather rent a handy husband. Goodbye for now!
People have absolutely loved this idea, chuckling at the funny name as one should. Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
