Damage Claims — Handyman Annex
1. Service-specific Preamble
Handyman work sits in a unique risk zone: small tasks (drill into wall, mount a TV, install a tap, regrout a tile) frequently produce disproportionate damage when something hidden behind the surface is hit. The most common high-value handyman claim is a drill into a concealed water pipe or electrical cable, often producing four-figure water damage.
The two principles that dominate this annex are the Pre-Existing Condition Principle (the contractor cannot see behind plasterboard) and the Customer Disclosure Obligation (customers usually know where pipes and cables run from prior renovations).
The Customer-Supplied Product Problem
Handyman work also presents the customer-supplied product problem: a customer buys a vanity online, the part is defective, and the customer expects the handyman to be responsible for both the part and reinstallation.
UP-C08 follows the industry consensus that customer-supplied items remain the customer's warranty risk unless the handyman damaged them during install.
2. Common Damage Scenarios
The following 22 scenarios capture the most common damage incidents arising from handyman services. Each scenario records why damage typically occurs, the liability outcome under this policy, the customer disclosure required to support a claim, the contractor procedure expected to avoid damage, and the evidence required.
2.1 Plaster crack from wrong anchor
Why damage occurs: Wrong anchor type for wall.
Liability outcome: Covered where the contractor used the wrong anchor. Conditionally covered where the customer specified the anchor.
Customer disclosure: Disclose wall type (plaster, brick, Hebel, weatherboard).
Contractor procedure: Identify wall type; use correct anchor; pilot hole.
Evidence required: Photo of wall section.
2.2 Tile cracking during install
Why damage occurs: Excess force; pre-existing hairline.
Liability outcome: Covered for excess force. Excluded for pre-existing.
Customer disclosure: Disclose tile age and visible cracks.
Contractor procedure: Light tap; inspect surrounding tiles.
Evidence required: Pre-install photo.
2.3 Tile cracking during regrout
Why damage occurs: Vibration on tile already debonded.
Liability outcome: Excluded where the tile already rings hollow under tap test.
Customer disclosure: —
Contractor procedure: Tap-test tiles before regrout.
Evidence required: Tap-test note.
2.4 Paint damage
Why damage occurs: Spillage; drips; splash.
Liability outcome: Covered.
Customer disclosure: —
Contractor procedure: Drop sheets; masking.
Evidence required: Photo.
2.5 Wallpaper damaged
Why damage occurs: Tool contact; water.
Liability outcome: Covered.
Customer disclosure: Disclose wallpapered walls.
Contractor procedure: Protect surfaces.
Evidence required: Photo.
2.6 Pipe damage during tile work
Why damage occurs: Drill into wet area pipe.
Liability outcome: Conditionally covered — depends on whether wall plans exist. Otherwise excluded where the customer knew of the pipe location.
Customer disclosure: Disclose prior plumbing routes.
Contractor procedure: Stud finder; depth limit; ask before drilling deep.
Evidence required: Pre-drill photo and depth note.
2.7 Water damage from improper sealing
Why damage occurs: Silicone failure after install.
Liability outcome: Covered where the contractor sealed inadequately.
Customer disclosure: —
Contractor procedure: Cure time; correct silicone product.
Evidence required: Photo.
2.8 Flexible hose burst
Why damage occurs: End-of-life hose (~10 years).
Liability outcome: Excluded under the end-of-life rule.
Customer disclosure: Disclose hose age.
Contractor procedure: Replace any hose visibly aged or corroded as part of any plumbing-adjacent job.
Evidence required: Hose photo.
2.9 Wire damaged during drilling
Why damage occurs: Concealed cable.
Liability outcome: Covered where a stud finder or cable detector was not used. Excluded where the customer knew the cable location and did not disclose.
Customer disclosure: Disclose recent electrical work.
Contractor procedure: Use cable detector before any drill into a wall.
Evidence required: Detector log.
2.10 Light fitting damaged
Why damage occurs: Wrong torque; over-tightening.
Liability outcome: Covered.
Customer disclosure: —
Contractor procedure: Manufacturer torque.
Evidence required: —
2.11 Switch damaged
Why damage occurs: Wrong-rated tool.
Liability outcome: Covered.
Customer disclosure: —
Contractor procedure: Correct tool.
Evidence required: —
2.12 Floor drilling debris stain
Why damage occurs: Dust; oil from drill.
Liability outcome: Covered.
Customer disclosure: —
Contractor procedure: Drop sheets.
Evidence required: —
2.13 Tool marks on floor
Why damage occurs: Tool dragged.
Liability outcome: Covered.
Customer disclosure: —
Contractor procedure: Floor protection.
Evidence required: —
2.14 Adhesive on floor
Why damage occurs: Drip during install.
Liability outcome: Covered.
Customer disclosure: —
Contractor procedure: Drop sheets.
Evidence required: —
2.15 Furniture damage during assembly
Why damage occurs: Stripped screw; cross-thread.
Liability outcome: Covered where unreasonable. Excluded where flat-pack joints were already stripped.
Customer disclosure: Disclose any prior repair.
Contractor procedure: Pilot holes; correct bit.
Evidence required: —
2.16 Furniture damage during disassembly
Why damage occurs: Joint failure.
Liability outcome: Conditionally covered — flat-pack rarely survives disassembly.
Customer disclosure: Disclose value.
Contractor procedure: Warn customer; photo joints.
Evidence required: Customer acknowledgement.
2.17 Tile damaged during regrout (tooling)
Why damage occurs: Wrong grout removal tool.
Liability outcome: Covered.
Customer disclosure: —
Contractor procedure: Manual scraping; no aggressive rotary.
Evidence required: —
2.18 Sealant damage to chrome
Why damage occurs: Chemical contact.
Liability outcome: Covered.
Customer disclosure: —
Contractor procedure: Masking tape.
Evidence required: —
2.19 Door frame damage during hinge adjustment
Why damage occurs: Over-drilling.
Liability outcome: Covered.
Customer disclosure: —
Contractor procedure: Pilot holes.
Evidence required: —
2.20 Latch mechanism broken
Why damage occurs: Forcing end-of-life latch.
Liability outcome: Conditional (forcing vs end-of-life).
Customer disclosure: Disclose any sticky latch.
Contractor procedure: Identify stop.
Evidence required: —
2.21 Hinge over-extension
Why damage occurs: Door pushed past design stop.
Liability outcome: Covered.
Customer disclosure: —
Contractor procedure: Identify stop.
Evidence required: —
2.22 Customer-supplied product damaged in install
Why damage occurs: Forcing the wrong part.
Liability outcome: Covered where install was unreasonable. Excluded where the part was defective on arrival (customer warranty issue).
Customer disclosure: Confirm part dimensions before booking.
Contractor procedure: Inspect part before install; refuse if obviously defective.
Evidence required: Part photo.
2.23 Quick-reference summary table
The following table summarises the 22 scenarios above for at-a-glance use:
| # | Scenario | Default outcome |
|---|---|---|
| 2.1 | Plaster crack from wrong anchor | Conditional (anchor selection vs customer-specified) |
| 2.2 | Tile cracking during install | Conditional (force vs pre-existing hairline) |
| 2.3 | Tile cracking during regrout | Excluded (debonded under tap-test) |
| 2.4 | Paint damage | Covered |
| 2.5 | Wallpaper damaged | Covered |
| 2.6 | Pipe damage during tile work | Conditional (wall plans vs customer knowledge) |
| 2.7 | Water damage from improper sealing | Covered (inadequate seal) |
| 2.8 | Flexible hose burst | Excluded (end-of-life) |
| 2.9 | Wire damaged during drilling | Conditional (cable detector vs customer disclosure) |
| 2.10 | Light fitting damaged | Covered |
| 2.11 | Switch damaged | Covered |
| 2.12 | Floor drilling debris stain | Covered |
| 2.13 | Tool marks on floor | Covered |
| 2.14 | Adhesive on floor | Covered |
| 2.15 | Furniture damage during assembly | Conditional (unreasonable vs pre-stripped joints) |
| 2.16 | Furniture damage during disassembly | Conditional (flat-pack risk) |
| 2.17 | Tile damaged during regrout (tooling) | Covered |
| 2.18 | Sealant damage to chrome | Covered |
| 2.19 | Door frame damage during hinge adjustment | Covered |
| 2.20 | Latch mechanism broken | Conditional (forcing vs end-of-life) |
| 2.21 | Hinge over-extension | Covered |
| 2.22 | Customer-supplied product damaged in install | Conditional (install vs defective on arrival) |
3. Service-specific Exclusions
In addition to the universal exclusions in the Damage Claims Master Part 5, the following are also excluded under this Annex:
- Damage from drilling into concealed services where the customer reasonably knew the service location and did not disclose.
- Damage to end-of-life flexible hoses, silicone seals, plastic latch mechanisms and similar consumables that fail during routine handling.
- Defects in customer-supplied products — the customer takes the manufacturer's warranty risk on parts they purchased.
- Damage to tiles that ring hollow on tap-test before any work begins — a pre-existing debond.
- Damage where the customer specified a non-standard method — for example, insisting on a wall-mounted item too heavy for the wall type.
4. High-Risk Items Requiring Customer Disclosure
The following are high-risk items where customer disclosure before the service is essential to preserve a claim:
- Locations of water pipes and electrical cables from prior renovation;
- Tiles that ring hollow;
- Cracked or stained plaster;
- Old flexible plumbing hoses;
- Recent electrical or plumbing work;
- Wallpapered walls;
- Specialised wall materials (Hebel, weatherboard, double-brick);
- Customer-supplied items that are non-standard.
5. Contractor Procedure
The contractor performing a handyman service through URGENT Pro must:
1. Wall scan — stud finder and cable detector before any drill into a wall.
2. Tap-test tiles before any tile-adjacent work — hollow rings indicate debond and the contractor must warn the customer.
3. Surface protection — drop sheets and masking on every job.
4. Customer-supplied product inspection — refuse install of obviously defective parts; photograph the part before install.
5. Pilot holes before any structural screw.
6. Photo log — pre-work photo of walls, surrounding surfaces, the part to be installed.
7. Scope confirmation — written scope before any chargeable work begins; any scope creep handled as a change order, never silently.
6. Claim Evidence Requirements
To support a damage claim under this Annex, the following evidence is required (in addition to the universal evidence standards in the Damage Claims Master Part 8):
- Pre-work photo from contractor — URGENT Pro retrieves these from the platform record;
- Description of where damage was discovered;
- For plumbing/electrical-adjacent damage — photo of the drilled location and the service hit;
- Receipt or product link for any damaged customer-supplied item.
7. FAQs
7.1 The handyman drilled into a water pipe — am I covered?
Yes, where you did not reasonably know the pipe location and the contractor failed to use a stud finder or cable detector. If you had recent plumbing work and the pipe location was known to you, the claim may be reduced for contributory non-disclosure.
7.2 The flexible hose under my sink burst after the handyman tightened it — covered?
Only if the contractor over-tightened. Flexible hoses have a finite life (~10 years) and end-of-life failure is excluded. Best practice is to replace any visibly aged hose as part of plumbing-adjacent work.
7.3 A tile cracked during regrout — covered?
Only if the tile rang solid on the tap-test before work began. Hollow-sounding tiles are debonded and outside the contractor's control.
7.4 My customer-supplied vanity was scratched in install — covered?
Yes, where the contractor scratched it. The contractor is not responsible for the vanity itself being defective on arrival — that is your warranty claim with the supplier.
7.5 The handyman declined to install my customer-supplied light because he said it was unsafe — what now?
That is the Right to Decline. He should have offered to source a compliant alternative and noted the reason in the job record.
7.6 Is the handyman insured?
Yes — every contractor on URGENT Pro is required to hold $10 million public liability insurance, matching the Australian industry standard captured in Airtasker's CGU policy and Jim's Group's franchisee requirement.
7.7 What about consequential water damage from a leak after the handyman left?
Covered under the contractor's PL where due care and skill were not exercised (ACL s 60). Foreseeable consequential loss is recoverable under the ACL s 267 / s 236.