🔧 Refurb pricing: where we beat the market rate, and where we skip it entirely

Checkatrade publishes national average day rates for UK trades every year. For a landlord, every extra day a refurb runs on is a day of lost rent - so here's how we compare, and where we don't charge a day rate at all.

📋 Where we do use a day rate

Painter and decorator — Market rate: £250–£350 — Our rate: £210
Tiler — Market rate: £200–£350 — Our rate: £215
Labourer — Market rate: £112–£280 — Our rate: £210

Market rates: Checkatrade, national average day rates, updated April 2026. Our rates are fully inclusive - fuel and call-out included, no add-ons. Our labourer rate sits above the market floor because it's for a vetted, reliable tradesperson - the £112 end of the range typically reflects less experience.

🚫 Where we don't

For electricians, plumbers, roofers, kitchen fitters, and general building work, we don't charge a day rate at all - every job is priced as a fixed quote before work starts, so you know the total cost upfront.

For reference, market day rates for those five trades:

Electrician: £300–£500
Plumber: £320–£480
Roofer: £280–£360
Kitchen fitter: £250–£350
General builder: £300

Source: Checkatrade, national average day rates, updated April 2026.

Why it matters for landlords: a day rate only covers one day - it doesn't tell you if a job takes three days or six, and every extra day is lost rent. That's harder to catch early if you're not on-site, especially managing more than one property. A fixed quote puts that risk on us, not you.

Want a fixed price for your next refurb, not a day-rate estimate? Reach out to landlords@nguhomes.co.uk, and we'll quote the whole job upfront.