ID
- What
- Photo ID matched to a live selfie.
- How
- Checked by the onboarding team, not just software.
- How often
- When a pro joins.
Trust and safety
Letting someone in is a big deal. We treat it that way.
Every pro is checked before their profile goes live. Your payment is held until the job is done. And if the work is not as agreed, the Handwell Promise puts it right.
What we check
Four checks, shown on every profile.
All 30 pros on Handwell have passed the first three. 24 have also passed a background check.
Insurance
- What
- Public liability cover of at least €1m, or goods in transit cover for movers.
- How
- We read the certificate and note the expiry date.
- How often
- Every year. Profiles pause the day cover ends.
References
- What
- Two past customers or employers.
- How
- We phone them ourselves and ask about the work.
- How often
- When a pro joins.
Background check
- What
- A basic criminal record check.
- How
- Optional for pros, and shown on the profile when passed.
- How often
- Every two years.
Payment protection
Your money waits until the job is done.
Pros know the money is there. You know it will not move until you say so.
You accept a quote
The agreed price is taken and held. Nothing is paid to the pro yet.
Handwell holds it
While the job is booked and being done, the money sits with us, not with either side.
You mark it done
The pro is paid within two working days, minus Handwell's fee from their side.
If you forget to mark a job done, the payment is released 48 hours after the agreed date, unless you have raised a problem in the job thread.
The Handwell Promise
If the work is not as agreed, we put it right.
In plain words, here is what that means.
Covered
- Work that does not match the accepted quote.
- A job left unfinished, or not started on the agreed day without notice.
- Up to €1,000 per job, once the pro has had a fair chance to put it right.
Not covered
- Jobs arranged and paid outside Handwell.
- Changes of mind after the work is done as agreed.
- Damage to your home: that is what the pro’s own checked insurance is for.
How to use it
- Tell the pro in the job thread, before you mark the job done.
- Give them a chance to come back and fix it, usually within a week.
- If they cannot, our support team refunds you from the held payment or the Promise.
Reviews you can trust
Only households who booked and paid can review.
No anonymous reviews, no reviews for sale, no deleting the awkward ones.
- One review per completed job, written after the payment is released.
- Pros can reply once, in public, but cannot edit or hide a review.
- Ratings on profiles are averages of every review, not a selection.
Questions
Trust, in detail.
Is the Promise insurance?
No. It is Handwell's own guarantee, paid from our fees. Pros' own insurance covers damage; the Promise covers work that was not done as agreed.
How do I raise a problem?
In the job thread, before you mark the job done. Our support team sees it, and the payment stays held until it is sorted.
Can a pro remove a bad review?
No. Pros can reply once, publicly. We only remove reviews that break our rules, such as personal details or abuse.
What happens to my address and phone number?
Only the pro you book sees them. Pros who quote but are not booked see your district and the job, nothing more.