Edinburgh’s ‘Doug the Handyman’ is named amongst the best tradesman in the UK

The jack-of-all-trades does everything from wall mounting TVs, to installing washing machines, and even building bespoke pizza oven stations

An Edinburgh plumber, decorator and all-round handyman has been named as one of the UK's top tradesmen.

It is the first time Neighbourhood Faves has run in the UK and the winning businesses have all been voted for by neighbours in their local communities based on their contributions to their local areas and excellent services.

Doug Brown runs Hawthorn Property Services, which he promotes through his Nextdoor page ‘Doug the Handyman’. Before establishing Hawthorn Property Services, Doug worked as a chartered surveyor, doing odd jobs for friends and family members on the side.

Doug Brown runs Hawthorn Property Services, which he promotes through his Nextdoor page ‘Doug the Handyman’.

They encouraged him to start advertising his services online, and Doug quickly built a customer base through recommendations, which largely came through his Nextdoor page. Since then, he has been able to make working as a handyman his full-time job.

Doug said: “I am so grateful for this win. Being a new business, it’s validating to see that you can compete with other businesses through the support of your local community. Nextdoor has been the main driver for business for me and I wouldn’t be where I am today without it.”

Hawthorn Property Services covers everything from wall mounting TVs, to installing washing machines, and even building bespoke pizza oven stations.

Doug said: “The list of services on my Nextdoor profile is by no means exhaustive, I am happy for people to get in touch with whatever they need doing. I pride myself on always doing the best job possible, and where I can’t help, I will find someone who can.”

Doug credited his customers and community for his win, saying: “They have supported me by giving me work to do, and recommending my services.”

As a top ten Neighbourhood Faves winner, Doug will be featured on Nextdoor’s Discover Map, have access to digital tools including a new Fave trophy badge for his business and receive up to a year of free advertising on Nextdoor to help further promote Hawthorn Property Services.

Laura Roche, Managing Director of Nextdoor UK, added: “Local tradespeople are at the heart of our communities, and I am delighted that Nextdoor has played such a large part in driving business for Doug, and getting him the recognition he deserves. This is only the start of a very exciting initiative to launch in the UK, and we look forward to recognising more local businesses and tradespeople in the years to come.”

Nextdoor is free to download. To sign up or to find out more, visit nextdoor.co.uk.