Consumer Review: Best Home Maintenance Services in 2024

Becoming a first-time homeowner is rewarding, but it introduces a new realm of maintenance responsibilities. Unlike when you were renting, you can’t simply call your landlord to handle issues (assuming they were reliable). Now, you either need to fix things yourself or hire someone to do it. Not everyone wants to spend their free time researching how to fix a leak or troubleshoot a broken dishwasher.

Thankfully, there’s a bunch of proptech startups tackling ongoing home maintenance. (And they’re taking a different approach from the contractor marketplaces I reviewed last week.) I tried a bunch of them so you don’t have to.

DISCLAIMER: Most VC-Backed Home Maintenance Companies Will Die

Like most VC-backed companies, these companies chase recurring revenue by turning home maintenance into a subscription. And if you’ve seen my LinkedIn content, you’ll know that I’m extremely skeptical of the survivability of these businesses. Real estate is inherently cyclical AND seasonal, so homeowner spend has its ups and downs. VC-backed companies need to reach a point of stable revenue and profitability. It’s tough to do that without encountering a downturn.

These companies raised a lot of money, and in order hit profitability, their fees have to go up eventually. If you’re reading this article after 2024, chances are the prices went up. So, disclaimer, most of these companies will probably die. The ones who survive longer may actually be onto something. For now, you might get a good deal on the VCs’ dime.

*FYI, this is not a ranking- rather, it’s a good cross section of what you can find out there to help with home maintenance. So I”ve put them in alphabetical order. Also, this list is definitely not exhaustive. You can see all single family home maintenance companies in the directory here.

BuildZoom

BuildZoom originally was going to appear in last week’s article about contractor marketplaces, but they’re still an early stage company. They’re younger than the industry giants (founded in 2013), and they differentiate by holding your hand through a renovation project. They provide homeowners with free personalized project consultation to define project scopes and guide you through the process.

Users input their project details, and BuildZoom’s algorithm matches them with contractors who have a proven track record in similar projects. The algorithm leverages a database with information on over 3.5 million contractors across the US. So you can compare contractors based on various metrics such as license status, work history, and customer reviews. As a real estate developer, I didn’t need the hand holding, but I did find a good contractor on here.

Pricing: Free for homeowners, 2.5% of job cost for contractors.

Darwin Homes

Darwin Homes isn’t actually for first time homeowners, but rather single family home investors. It’s a real estate investment management platform that handles acquisition to renovation to maintenance. It offers innovative solutions for acquiring, renovating, and managing rental properties, making life easier for residents and owners through transparency and professionalism.

Pricing: They offer tiered pricing based on the number of homes managed. For example, managing up to 3 homes costs $129 per home per month, with a 50% charge of the first month’s rent​. Maintenance Reserves: These range from $500 to $350 depending on the plan, to cover ongoing maintenance needs

Honey Homes

As a first time homeowner, you may not have discovered yet that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Founded in 2019, Honey Homes is a home maintenance service provider that offers subscription-based preventative and proactive maintenance. The company assigns you a dedicated home manager, ensuring that homes remain in optimal condition without homeowners needing to manage multiple service providers. Honey Homes covers a wide range of maintenance tasks, including HVAC servicing, plumbing, electrical work, landscaping, and general repairs.

This is in stark contrast to reactive maintenance, where you scramble to find someone to fix something that just broke – like your AC during a heat wave. These last minute emergency calls tend to be multiple times more expensive than proactive maintenance.

Pricing: $2,950 per year for annual membership, $295 per month for monthly membership

Onder (acquired by EasyKnock)

Onder is the youngest company on this list (founded in 2021), and they were acquired already. They offer comprehensive home maintenance services on a subscription basis, including small repairs, ongoing maintenance, renovations, design/architect services, material procurement, and contractor sourcing.

Onder Care: $8.25/month (billed yearly) or $12/month (billed monthly).
Onder Care+: $33.25/month (billed yearly) or $50/month (billed monthly). Includes additional services and discounts.
Project Costs: General maintenance tasks are $125/hr, with discounts for OnderCare+ members.

Porch

Porch was founded in 2012 and is a software platform for a variety of home services. They can help out as early as during your purchase, connecting you with insurance options, mortgage options, and inspectors. After closing, they can assist with moving services, and then segue into maintenance and handymen services.

Pricing:
Homeowner Costs: fixed pricing for various services. For example, specific maintenance tasks like TV mounting or carpet cleaning have predetermined costs, making it easy for homeowners to understand what they’ll be paying upfront. This model enhances transparency and allows homeowners to plan their budgets effectively.

Contractors: Contractors pay Porch a referral fee for jobs they secure through the platform. This fee is typically a standard 2.5% of the project’s value.

TaskEasy

TaskEasy is a unique option on this list because they’re a niche contractor marketplace that focuses on all things lawn care. Since founding in 2013, they’ve performed over one million tasks across the U.S., from scheduled lawn maintenance to full landscaping jobs.

Pricing: TaskEasy offers set prices for their services based on market rates, and there is no need for price negotiation. Prices are determined using satellite imagery and public record data to estimate the size of the yard.

Derek Hsiang

Derek is the founder of The Proptech Scout, as well as an NYC landlord and real estate developer. In a former career, he bootstrapped and exited an e-commerce business while side hustling as a strategy consultant.

www.theproptechscout.com