App-based handyman service launches in Orlando

Oison Hanrahan, Handybook (July 15, 2014)

Among the many new app and web-based companies launching in Orlando is Handybook, which attempts to solve a problem of modern life: waiting for a contractor to show up.

New York-based Handybook offers a website or app where you can connect with contractors and cleaning services that have been vetted for experience, criminal records, professionalism and insurance. Customers plug in a desired time and service needed, and the service matches them up with a professional who is available for that exact time. Theres an extra charge for certain services, like doing laundry. The website is Handybook.com.

Founder Oisin Hanrahan said Orlando is a good fit with the companys demographic profile.

We go where there are lots of independent professionals looking for work. Vacation rental is a big driver of business for us. Timeshare, property managers, second homes. You definitely see that in Orlando, said Hanrahan, 30. Property management firms lean into Handybook when they have an oversupply.

A native of Dublin, Hanrahan has garnered significant press in the U.S. and Ireland. Handybook has raised $49 million already and has about 150 employees.

One of those employees is now based in Orlando, where the company says hundreds of Handybook contractors are now available. Handybook has sometimes been called the Uber of handymen, referring to the fast-growing car service company that uses an app to connect drivers with people needing a ride.

Asked about Uber, Hanrahan said, I can see similarities but there are a lot of differences. We provide more than one service. Theres a high level of trust needed for someone to enter your home.

He said the current tech wave of companies focused on app and web-based innovation will last as long as there are industries that haven't been disrupted yet.

According to the Handybook website, a 2-hour cleaning for a one-bedroom home in Orlando costs $70. Laundry would be an extra $35. When I plugged in my email for a speculative appointment, I got a coupon offer in my inbox a few minutes later.

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App-based handyman service launches in Orlando