Home lamp repair and rewiring

Households with lamps they love, antique dealers, vintage sellers, interior shops and sometimes charity shops.

A fixed price per repair or rewire, plus parts. Regular trade work from dealers and shops can fill quiet weeks.

• Careful, tidy hands-on work
• Basic electrical knowledge and safe working habits
• Patience with older or fiddly lamps

• Public liability insurance, and check whether product liability cover is also needed for repaired items
• Make sure you are competent to work safely on mains-powered items and test them after every repair
• Check that running a business from home is allowed by your landlord, mortgage lender or council
• Be careful with very old lamps that may have unsafe or hard-to-replace parts, and be ready to decline them

Estimates suggest startup costs are typically around £300 to £1,500, depending on the tools, testing equipment and insurance you choose. Your own figure will vary with how much kit you already own and how you find customers.

Monthly revenue is typically estimated at around £200 to £1,500, depending on how many lamps you repair, your prices and whether you work with dealers or shops. The estimated minimum time commitment is around 5 hours a week.

Check public liability insurance and whether product liability cover is also needed. Make sure you are competent to work safely on mains items and test every repair. Check that your landlord, lender or council allows a home business, and be ready to decline unsafe antique lamps.