SidelineLegitimate side income, reviewed weekly

SidelineWork for yourself

Small repairs

Evening handyperson

Flat-pack furniture, shelves, curtain rails, dripping taps you are actually competent to touch, and the list on someone’s fridge. Small, local, paid by the hour. Leave gas and electrics to people who are qualified.

A drill, a tape measure, and folded banknotes on a workbench

Checked 22 September 2026. Figures are ranges, not offers.

Where
In your own town — London, Manchester, Birmingham, Leeds, Glasgow, Cardiff, Dublin, Toronto, Vancouver, Sydney, Melbourne, New York, Chicago, and smaller places. You do not need a platform.
Hours
Jobs are one to three hours, mostly weekends. Quoting and driving are part of the evening even when the drill is not. Two jobs on a Saturday is plenty.
Pay
Local handyperson rates are often $30–60 or £25–45 an hour, plus materials
To start
Tools you already own and know how to use. A basic liability policy once you are in other people’s homes. Do not finance a van for a side income.

Why it is listed

People already pay for this, the skill is checkable, and you can start with work you have done in your own house.

What you can realistically expect

You will be slow at first and you should price as if you are slow. The review that matters is “they turned up and the shelf is straight”.

Who pays you

The householder pays when the job is done, by transfer or card. A small call-out plus hourly rate is easier to explain than a mysterious quote. Materials are either theirs or reimbursed against a receipt.

How to start

  1. Write five jobs you will do and three you will not.
  2. Tell neighbours and a local noticeboard.
  3. Visit, look, then give a number. Do not quote from a text message photo if you can help it.
  4. Take payment the same day.

Finding the first customers

  • Someone on your street who has said “I keep meaning to” about a piece of furniture.
  • A landlord with one rental, who has small jobs and no time. Get the agreement in a message.
  • A café or club with a wobbly rail and a manager who can say yes.

What to charge

Minimum visit of one hour, then hourly. If the job is obviously twenty minutes across town, the minimum is what makes it worth leaving the house. Say the minimum before you go.

Tax and paperwork

Keep a note of every payment and every cost from the first job. In the UK this is usually self-employment; tell HMRC when your income reaches the point they set. In the US it is often self-employment tax, sometimes with quarterly estimates. Other countries have their own registration. This is not tax advice — an hour with an accountant beats any course. In the UK, gas work and most electrical installation are restricted. In other countries the licence names differ. If you need a ticket you do not have, the job is not yours.

Read this before you start

  • Lead-selling apps charge you for the phone number. They are not on this list.
  • A customer who wants you to start today and pay next month is a no.
  • Do not copy a franchise’s brand. You are a person with a drill.

Sideline will not ask you for money. Anyone who messages you claiming we will is not us. Write to [email protected] if something on this page looks wrong.

This one is independent. There is no platform to join and no official signup link.

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