Checkatrade Launches Express — Fixed-Price Online Booking for Small Jobs
What happened
Checkatrade has launched Checkatrade Express, a new online booking service for everyday small jobs around the home. Customers describe what they need, get an instant fixed price, book a time slot (including evenings and weekends), and pay through the platform. Checkatrade then assigns a vetted local tradesperson.
The service covers tasks like oven cleaning, door hanging, garden clearance, gutter cleaning, boiler servicing and general repairs. It launched in May 2026, with product terms taking effect on 1 October 2026.
Jack Steiner, GM for Express at Checkatrade, said the service was designed to solve the friction around small jobs: "Consumers can spend time waiting for replies, comparing quotes, or struggling to find someone willing to take on a quick fix."
Express operates in selected areas and is expanding. Customers can cancel or reschedule up to 24 hours before the appointment.
What this means for tradespeople
This is a significant shift in how Checkatrade works. The traditional model — customer requests quotes, tradespeople respond, customer picks one — gives way to Checkatrade setting the price and assigning the tradesperson. You don't choose the customer; the platform matches you.
For tradespeople who struggle to fill gaps in their schedule, Express offers a stream of small, paid jobs without the quoting cycle. You can accept or decline bookings, and you know the price upfront.
But the trade-off is control. Checkatrade sets the rate, not you. And if the fixed prices don't reflect your costs — travel time, materials, the complexity that "small" jobs sometimes hide — the margins may not work. It's also another step towards platform dependency: Checkatrade already launched inside ChatGPT and Claude, and Express further centralises how customers find and book tradespeople.
What to do about it
Express solves a real problem — small jobs are hard to quote profitably and customers struggle to find someone willing to do them. But relying on any single platform for your leads is risky, as Rated People's recent liquidation demonstrated.
The strongest position is owning your own reputation where customers already search — on Google. A steady stream of Google reviews means homeowners find you directly, at your prices, without a platform taking a cut.
Source: Insight DIY — Checkatrade Launches Checkatrade Express