New Town · City of Edinburgh
Handyman Business Start-Up Guide for New Town
What you can and can't legally do before you start working in New Town and City of Edinburgh.
Explore the full Handyman Business Launch Kit — £22Thinking about starting a handyman business in New Town? "Handyman" isn't a licensed trade in its own name in the UK -- there's no general licence or protected title required -- but a small number of hard boundaries matter enormously before you take on your first job in New Town and the wider City of Edinburgh area.
What the rules say
Handyman work carries no general licence or protected title anywhere in the UK -- the real legal boundaries sit around four specific tasks. Gas work is Gas Safe registered engineers only, full stop. Notifiable electrical work needs a registered competent person or building control. Structural work like load-bearing walls needs Building Regulations approval. And suspected asbestos in pre-2000 properties should never be drilled, sanded or removed by a handyman. Outside those four lines, general repairs, assembly, carpentry and decorating are entirely unregulated.
Note for New Town: Scotland has its own separate building standards system rather than the England & Wales Part P regime -- check the Scottish Building Standards guidance for the notifiable/non-notifiable line before taking on electrical work.
Quick answers
Do I need a DBS check to work as a handyman in New Town?
A Basic DBS check has no eligibility restriction and is commonly expected by clients and letting agents in New Town, even though it isn't always a strict legal requirement for general domestic repair work.
Can I remove waste from a job in New Town myself?
If you remove waste from a client's property yourself as part of a paid job in New Town, this is reasoned to likely require waste carrier registration with the Environment Agency, SEPA or Natural Resources Wales depending on where you're working.
Do I need a licence to start a handyman business in New Town?
No general licence, registration or protected title is required to operate as a handyman in New Town or anywhere in the UK. The law instead restricts four specific activities -- gas work, notifiable electrical work, structural work, and asbestos handling -- regardless of location.
Can a handyman in New Town do electrical or plumbing work?
Simple like-for-like minor work is generally fine, but notifiable electrical work -- new circuits, consumer unit changes, any work in a kitchen or bathroom -- must go through a registered competent person or building control, whether you're working in New Town or anywhere else in the UK.