HandyVan: A day in the life of a fitter

But what’s it like doing the job? We decided to find out a little more about the day-to-day life of a HandyVan fitter.

Start of the day

A regular day starts bright and early, with the first visit of the day at 9am. ‘All fitters have PDAs (handheld computers),’ says Dave Crawley, a senior fitter of 10 years experience, who covers the North-West Kent area, ‘and we use these to find out where our booked jobs are. On average, we do 3-4 a day.’

‘If it’s our first visit to a property, we start by carrying out a full survey to see what we think needs doing,’ explains 60-year-old Dave. ‘One of our main aims is to make sure that the property is safe and secure.’

This means the simple, but important job of checking door and window locks, and making sure smoke alarms are in place. ‘We regularly fit British Standard mortice locks, which is a good way to cut crime,’ says Dave.

Safety and repairs

Handyvan fitters also spend time inside a house or flat, carrying out basic repairs and improvements.

‘We fit handrails and grabrails in convenient places,’ says Jack White, a 65-year-old fitter from Kent, ‘and we also get asked to fit curtain rails or put together flatpack furniture.’

‘I’ve even washed down people’s gutters and sorted out a wobbly toilet seat. These are all simple repairs, but ones that many of our customers could never do themselves.’

‘A job can take as little as 30 minutes, or as long as 4 hours,’ admits Dave Crawley. ‘You just never know until you get there – but on average, it’s about 2 hours per job.’

More than just a handyperson

Our fitters see themselves as much more than handypeople, though. ‘Many people are really grateful of the social interaction,’ points out Jack White. ‘They want a chat over a cup of tea, while you fit a door chain for them.’

And these chats can also have an extra benefit. ‘I often discover other problems that people are having that Age UK can help them with, so I’ll pass on some of our information guides,’ says Jack.

Job satisfaction

‘I get immense satisfaction from being a HandyVan fitter,’ says Dave proudly. ‘As a regular tradesman outside Age UK, I could earn a lot more money, but that’s not why I do the job.’

And this is something that Jack White agrees with wholeheartedly. 
‘I used to be a self-employed master locksmith and when we moved to the area, I wanted something less stressful, so working for Age UK was ideal. It’s such a rewarding job and there’s no way I’m thinking of giving it up any time soon.’

How to apply for the HandyVan service

Our fleet of 26 HandyVans are spread across the UK and deliver a free service to those who meet the following criteria:

• you are 60 years old or over
• your savings or assets (excluding your home) do not exceed £20,000
• the HandyVan service operates in your local area

To find out if you're eligible to receive the service - just call 0845 026 1055, email handyvan@ageuk.co.uk or, to print a freepost reply slip,
download our HandyVan home service guide.