Jim's Handyman (also known as Jim's Building & Maintenance) provides residential and commercial handyman, building and maintenance services across New Zealand, as part of the wider Jim's Group franchise network. The business operates through locally owned Franchisees who are police checked, fully insured and trained.
Jim's Group traces back to a part-time gardening business run by Jim Penman while completing his PhD in history, going full-time in 1982 and franchising in 1989. It has since grown to nearly 4,000 Franchisees across four countries, with new Franchisees joining at a rate of around 200 per year. Jim Penman remains the owner and full-time CEO of Jim's Group.
In New Zealand, Jim's Handyman covers a wide range of regions, including Rodney/North Auckland, Warkworth, Auckland Wide, Central, East, West and South Auckland, Pukekohe, Hamilton, Cambridge, Wellington, Christchurch and Queenstown. Franchisees decide which services they offer, in which areas, and on which days, and are expected to turn up on time, in full uniform, and to satisfy the customer on every job.
Jim's Handyman, also operating as Jim's Building & Maintenance, provides residential and commercial handyman and building maintenance services throughout New Zealand. It's part of the broader Jim's Group franchise network, a name well known across Australia and New Zealand for its locally owned, franchise-based trade services.
Jim's Group has an unusual origin story. It began as a part-time gardening business run by Jim Penman while he completed his PhD in history, going full-time in 1982 and franchising in 1989. Since then, the business has grown to nearly 4,000 Franchisees across four countries, adding around 200 new Franchisees per year. Jim Penman remains the company's owner and full-time CEO, and by his own account stays remarkably down to earth about it — when once asked to confirm his business title for an interview, he reportedly had to check his own business card. As he put it, "I just say 'I'm Jim' and that is usually enough."
There are no company-owned businesses within Jim's Group — every job is carried out by licensed operators and Franchisees, and Franchisor rights across most divisions (aside from Mowing) are held as partnerships with individuals experienced in those specific trades.
Jim's Handyman covers a broad scope of residential and commercial work, including commercial building maintenance, bathroom renovations, carpentry, door and window repairs and replacements, home renovations and modifications, minor painting, outdoor sheds and carports, tiling, plastering, and verandas, pergolas and decking. This range means customers can typically find a Jim's Handyman Franchisee suited to jobs from small repairs through to larger renovation projects.
Every Jim's Franchisee is police checked, fully insured and trained before taking on work — a standard the company applies across the network. Jim's Group describes a selection process that rejects hundreds of potential Franchisees each year, looking specifically for people with high standards who take pride in their work.
Franchisees have a say in what services they offer, in which areas, and on which days, but once a job lead is passed to them, they're expected to follow up promptly, turn up on time in full uniform, and satisfy the customer — with the stated aim of actually exceeding expectations rather than simply meeting them.
Jim's Handyman operates across a wide swathe of New Zealand, with dedicated coverage in Rodney/North Auckland, Warkworth, Auckland Wide, Central Auckland, East Auckland, West Auckland, South Auckland, Pukekohe, Hamilton, Cambridge, Wellington, Christchurch and Queenstown. This regional structure means customers across both the North and South Islands can typically connect with a local Franchisee rather than dealing with a distant call centre.
Jim's Handyman sits alongside other New Zealand divisions of Jim's Group, including Jim's Fencing NZ and Jim's Mowing NZ, giving property owners access to a broader family of trade services under the same trusted brand if their needs extend beyond general handyman work.
Customers can request a free quote online, with requests normally responded to within 2 business hours, or call the national number directly — answered Monday to Friday from 7:00am to 8:00pm and weekends from 9:00am to 5:00pm. Free quote requests also enter customers into a regular services voucher draw, adding a small incentive to getting a job assessed.