Trades and home services

House cleaners#

Two or three jobs a day at addresses across a city, with the travel between them costing as much time as a short job itself.

Suggested booking questions: Nearest station and address · Size of the home (1LDK, 2DK, 3LDK…) · Regular or one-off? · Do you have cleaning supplies?

Booking guide for house cleaners in Japan

Deep cleaning services#

A full day in one property, often at a move-out deadline that cannot slip.

Air conditioner cleaning#

Ninety minutes per unit, and a household with three units is a half-day booking rather than three appointments.

Suggested booking questions: How many units and what type? · Wall-mounted or ceiling? · Nearest station

Handyman services#

Small jobs of unpredictable length, which is why a fixed hourly slot works better than trying to estimate each one.

Suggested booking questions: What needs doing? · Photos of the job · Nearest station

Electricians#

Scheduled work and emergencies in the same diary, needing two event types with completely different notice periods.

Plumbers#

Most of the work is urgent, so the useful setting is a very short minimum notice rather than a well-organised week.

Suggested booking questions: What is the problem? · Is water still running? · Address and nearest station

Carpenters#

A measuring visit, then a fitting day weeks later — two bookings for one job.

Painters and decorators#

A free quotation visit is the thing that needs booking; the work itself is scheduled by agreement afterwards.

Locksmiths#

Half the work is somebody standing outside their own door right now, and half is planned lock changes.

Pest control#

An initial treatment and a follow-up two weeks later, which should be booked at the same time.

Gardeners and landscapers#

Seasonal and weather-dependent, with most customers on a quarterly cycle that should be booked a year at a time.

Movers and removal estimates#

The estimate visit is the sale, and it has to happen before the customer calls three competitors.

Suggested booking questions: Current and new address · Size of the home · Preferred moving date · Any large or awkward items?

Furniture assembly#

Short jobs where knowing what is in the box decides whether it is one hour or four.

Suggested booking questions: What needs assembling, and how many items? · Brand and model, if you know it

Appliance repair#

The part is ordered after the first visit, so a second appointment is the norm rather than the exception.

Suggested booking questions: Appliance type, make and model · What is it doing wrong? · How old is it?

Computer repair#

A drop-off appointment, a diagnosis, and a collection — three touch points, of which two need a slot.

Phone repair#

Walk-in length work, but booking it means the part is in stock when the customer arrives.

Suggested booking questions: Device model · What needs fixing?

Bicycle servicing#

Drop-off in the morning and collection in the evening, with spring being three months of everybody at once.

Car mechanics#

The car is with you all day, so the booking is really a drop-off slot and a bay for the day.

Shaken (車検) inspection bookings#

Every car has a legal deadline, so the booking is driven by a date the customer cannot move.

Suggested booking questions: Expiry date on the current certificate · Make, model and year · Any known faults?

Car detailing#

A half-day or full-day booking on one vehicle, where the size of the car changes the price and the time.

Motorcycle servicing#

Seasonal, with everybody arriving in the same two weeks of spring.

Junk and 粗大ごみ removal#

A collection window rather than a precise time, usually tied to a move-out date.

Suggested booking questions: What needs taking, and roughly how much? · Which floor, and is there a lift? · Move-out date, if there is one