Voltify Contractors provides property maintenance in Custom House as part of its documented E16 coverage, so if your home or let property is here, the answer to “do you cover my area?” is yes. Plumbing, electrical work, painting and decorating, appliance installation and handyman repairs are all available to homeowners, leaseholders, landlords and letting agents.
What makes the biggest difference to how smoothly a job goes is usually what happens before anyone arrives. A clear description of the problem means the visit can be planned with the right parts, the right amount of time and the right trade, rather than starting with a diagnosis that could have been done over the phone.
What to have ready when you get in touch
You don’t need to know what is wrong. You do need to describe what you can see. These are the details that help most for each type of job:
| Type of job | Useful details to give | Service |
|---|---|---|
| A leak, a dripping tap, a toilet that keeps running, low flow from one tap | Where the water appears, whether it is constant or only when something is used, and whether you have found the stop valve and turned it off | Plumbing |
| A circuit that trips, sockets or lights that have stopped working | Which switch has tripped on the consumer unit (fuse box), whether it happens when a particular appliance is switched on, and a photo of the consumer unit | Electrical services |
| Replacing a washing machine, dishwasher, oven or hob | The make and model of the new appliance, whether it is freestanding or integrated, and whether the old one needs disconnecting and moving out of the way | Appliance installation |
| Redecorating one or more rooms | Which rooms, roughly how big they are, whether ceilings and woodwork are included, any cracks or stains, and whether the home will be lived in during the work | Painting and decorating |
| Small repairs and fitting jobs | A list of every item, anything you have already bought (brackets, blinds, flat-pack furniture) and, if you know it, whether the walls are solid or plasterboard | Handyman and property maintenance |
Photos are often more useful than a long description, particularly for leaks, damaged plaster and the rating plate or model number on an appliance. If there are several jobs, send the whole list at once: they can often be grouped into one visit instead of being booked one at a time.
If your home is in the Custom House regeneration area
Newham Council is running a regeneration programme covering Canning Town and Custom House, with its own published commitments to council tenants and homeowners whose homes are affected and access to independent advice throughout. If your home is in the programme area, it is worth checking the council’s plans for your block before committing to larger discretionary work, such as redecorating the whole property. Repairs that keep a home safe, dry and working properly are worth doing whatever the timescale.
If you rent your home from Newham Council, report repairs through the council’s repairs service rather than booking a contractor yourself. Private tenants should go to their landlord or letting agent, who can instruct Voltify Contractors to attend.
Urgent problems and out-of-hours work
Standard working hours are 7am–5pm, Monday to Friday. If water is escaping and you cannot stop it, or an electrical fault feels unsafe, out-of-hours emergency call-outs are available and are priced differently from standard-hours work. Turning off the stop valve or the relevant circuit first, if you can do so safely, limits the damage while you wait.
What a visit costs
The documented standard minimum call-out is £80 for the first hour. It is a starting point rather than a quote: the final price depends on the work involved, any materials or parts, and whether the visit is outside standard hours. The more clearly the job is described up front, the easier it is to say how long it is likely to take. To discuss a job, call 020 3411 1855 or email info@voltifycontractors.co.uk.
Custom House is one part of Voltify Contractors’ E16 coverage. Landlords may find the Canning Town page useful for Newham’s property licensing rules, and flat owners in newer blocks can see property maintenance around the Royal Docks for work that needs the managing agent’s approval. Everywhere else is listed on the areas we cover page, and every service category is on our services page.
