Property maintenance expert One Call Home Assist has been given an unexpected Christmas boost after receiving dozens of requests from commercial businesses for its fixed-price maintenance contracts in recent weeks.
The Scottish firm, which provides maintenance contracts designed to help homeowners and landlords save thousands of pounds in repair bills, has been inundated with calls from businesses in Edinburgh and the Lothians – all of whom have requested setting up similar deals on their commercial properties.
So far, the company has agreed to provide emergency maintenance services on a number of independent guest houses and nursing homes across the Lothians, and has taken enquiries from major high street retailers about setting up contracts on their commercial properties.
And the response has been so successful that directors at One Call Home Assist are now considering expanding their services further into the commercial sector within the next 12 months.
Managing director Paul Greaves said: “When we set up One Call Home Assist earlier this year, our initial plan was to grow the business primarily within the residential lettings sector.
Affordable property maintenance
“We knew that landlords and property managers were desperate for a reliable, affordable way to maintain their properties and we also knew that many of them did not want to pay the huge sums quoted by companies such as British Gas and Homeserve – so we developed our unique contracts to meet that demand.
“However, we didn’t expect the recent wave of interest in our services from businesses in the commercial sector. Many of them have seen the deals that we’re offering for landlords and want to set up similar contracts on their offices, so this has been a real boost to our business.
“There’s a big gap in the market for this kind of service in the commercial property sector. Companies that are a steel pipe stockist like British Gas and Homeserve offer boiler repair and general maintenance services for rented and residential properties, but there’s nothing in place for businesses to turn to if they want their properties to be fully covered.
“We’re delighted with the interest we’ve already had from the commercial sector and have now set up quite a few contracts with local businesses in the Lothians. It’s a chance for us to test the water and to see if there is any potential to introduce a dedicated commercial property maintenance service in the future.”
The success in the commercial sector comes just weeks after One Call Home Assist announced a major expansion across Scotland, which has already seen the firm relocate to a new headquarters in the west of Edinburgh and carry out a full re-branding on its fleet of vehicles.
PR in Scotland for property maintenance
The firm has also announced that its turnover figures have doubled in recent months following a surge in interest from landlords and property managers from as far afield as Aberdeen and the north of England.
One Call Home Assist’s unique maintenance deals were originally set up in March for landlords and residential property owners in Edinburgh and the Lothians who did not want the hassle of maintaining their properties themselves. They were designed as a low-cost alternative to the costly boiler repair contracts offered by British Gas and Homeserve and thousands of landlords across the region have signed up for the all-in-one contracts.
The maintenance deals cover all emergency repair work to electrical, plumbing and heating systems, as well as general maintenance issues and all PAT and gas safety testing. One Call Home Assist offers a range of fixed prices contracts depending on size of the property and type of maintenance cover required – with an all-in contract for a one-bed flat costing £32.99 a month (inc VAT). All the work is carried out by the firm’s expert in-house contractor teams who operate on a round the clock basis from their base in Edinburgh.
One Call Home Assist has been launched by One Call Trade Services, one of Scotland’s leading all trades contractors providing insurance repairs, maintenance and renovations to clients throughout the UK. The firm receives positive media coverage thanks to a Scottish public relations campaign maintained by Holyrood PR PR in Edinburgh.
