Jobs a handyman is genuinely the right call for
Fitting shelves, curtain poles and blinds, hanging and adjusting doors, easing sticking windows, silicone renewal, minor carpentry, flat-pack assembly, filling and making good, replacing tap washers and toilet seats, and clearing gutters within safe reach.
These are jobs where the skill is breadth and tidiness, and where paying specialist rates buys you nothing extra.
Jobs that need a specialist by law or by certification
Electrical work in a bathroom or kitchen, gas work of any kind, and notifiable building work all need appropriately qualified and certified people. Certification is not paperwork for its own sake - it is what your insurer and your future buyer's solicitor will ask for.
The grey area: plumbing
Isolated tap swaps, trap replacements and toilet fill valves are reasonable handyman territory. Anything involving unvented systems, pressurised components or altering the pipework layout is not.
The practical test is whether failure floods the house. If it does, use a plumber.
How to get the cheapest honest answer
Batch small jobs. Half a day of handyman time covering eight jobs costs far less than eight separate call-outs across three trades. Write a list, photograph anything unusual, and send it before booking so the right tools arrive with the right person.