Woman rents out her 'handy' husband to do odd jobs as a joke. Now, he is booked up for weeks

In the digital age, several unique ventures have come up. Entrepreneurs come up with all kinds of ideas that sometimes fail and sometimes fly. In the case of a couple from the UK, their bizarre idea of renting a person became hugely successful. Bored Panda interviewed Laura Young, who once decided to “rent her husband” out as a joke. The experiment has now become a regular paying job. Quite hilariously, Laura Young decided to name the business, Rent My Handy Husband.

Maintaining a home requires a lot of effort and dedication. From furniture assembly, garden maintenance, fencing, painting, building stuff, and more, homeowners have a lot to do. Thus, getting help can go a long way. This is where Rent My Handy Husband comes in. According to its description, Laura Young’s husband, James can help people with all the chores and tasks that need to be done. James is highly skilled at building things. However, only the lucky people who live in or near Milton Keynes, England get to rent James. 

Her husband is so skilled she had to rent him out

Young got the idea after listening to a podcast that talked about a man making a living putting furniture together for other people. Her mind immediately went to her husband who is quite the handyman himself. She then quickly put together some adverts on Facebook and the Nextdoor app, offering her husband up for rent. James was up for helping out with odd jobs around the house for an hourly rate of £40 ($49.93) or a day rate of £250 ($312.06). While young expected to get a few good laughs, they soon got their first client. 

Eventually, it grew into a 6-days-per-week job, where James was booked from 9 am to 8 pm. Soon he was booked out for projects. “I never expected it to take off as much as it has,” Laura told Bored Panda, saying that they were getting requests coming from all over the UK. Since the rates may be too steep for some, Rent My Handy Husband offers discounts to people working in the National Health Service (NHS) and emergency services, and to those who are over 65, disabled, or caregivers.

Weird idea, great success

Young believes that the funny name Rent My Handy Husband is what made the business a success right off the bat. She also admitted that her husband’s skills and personality have added nearly as much to their success. This business has allowed the parents of three young kids, two of whom have autism, to have a better life with the best care possible. James, who was also diagnosed with autism, has been great with building stuff, even without instructions. “He sees things differently,” Laura said. 

James works on the practical side of the job and Laura Young runs the social media accounts and their website. Their business took off right when James had quit his previous job in a warehouse to be a full-time dad. “It’s really good for our particular family because having children with special needs makes for quite an unpredictable life,” Young told Bored Panda.

Editor's note: This article was originally published on May 9, 2024. It has since been updated.