The easiest way to fix a home whose owner isn’t there.
Put a price on the job. The owner taps yes from wherever they are — in writing, with a time on it. Before-and-after lands on their record, and the bill goes out on your own Stripe, Wave or Venmo.
House Matters is handyman software, and a handyman app, for small repair businesses. The job comes in with a photo, you price it from the truck, the owner approves it in writing from anywhere, you do it, and you bill labor and parts as lines. Built for second homes, rentals and a parent’s house. Your first three client homes are free, then $19 a month. No lead fee, ever. Works in your browser on any phone.
Dana’s photo · Sep 3
Before
AfterThe customer isn’t there. That’s the point.
If your customers stand next to you and pay cash, keep what you have. This is for the jobs where the person paying is a thousand miles away.
The owner is in Michigan until November.
The home watcher flagged a loose railing in August. The owner saw the photo, saw your price, tapped yes from the lake. You fixed it Tuesday; the before-and-after is on their record and the bill went out at 3:20.
- The job starts with a photo, theirs or yours
- The yes comes from wherever they are
- The bill can’t go past the yes
A photo and a price before yes.
The cleaner found a torn screen after the last guests. The owner wants it fixed before the next ones. Your price is one number and a note; their yes has a time on it; the invoice matches both.
- Small jobs under their limit: just do it and bill it
- A second trip is a second line, not a fight
- Labor and parts as lines on the bill
The daughter in Denver approves the grab bar.
Dad says he’s fine. His daughter is the one paying, and she wants to see what you saw. The photo, your price and her yes live on one record the whole family can open.
- The family asks with a photo and a note
- Their yes is in writing with their name on it
- The whole family sees what was done
The whole small-job loop, in your words.
From the photo of the problem to the money in your account, with the owner’s written yes in the middle — even when the owner is 1,000 miles away.
1 · The job comes in
The family asks with a photo and a note from their app, or you write it down standing in the house. Either way it lands on the home’s record.
2 · You put a price on it
One number and a note, from the truck. “Dock light, GFCI outlet + labor · $180.” Labor and parts get itemized on the bill, not the estimate.
3 · The owner taps yes
In writing, with a time on it: “Approved up to $198 · Dana Ruiz · Sep 4, 10:42am.” Small jobs under their limit — just do it and bill it.
4 · You do the job
Before-and-after from the camera goes to them the moment you tap done. “Repair complete: all good.”
5 · You bill labor and parts
Two lines, or ten. A $0 line when you went back and charged nothing. On your own Stripe, Wave or a Venmo request.
6 · The next job comes to you
The customer’s whole house lives in House Matters — keys, stays, the supply list, what it cost. The next ask comes from inside that record, not from whoever texted them last.
Nobody “forgets” agreeing to a number.
You open the wall and it’s worse. A new number, a fresh yes, no argument on the invoice. The bill can’t go past what they approved, and the approval has their name and a time on it. The “reply approved before I continue” text every handyman sends by habit — the app does it for you, and keeps the answer.
Worried about the out-of-town scam? The yes comes from inside the family’s own home record, with their name and a time on it. That’s the whole point.
The work is done. So is the invoice.
Tap done and the job is already a bill — labor and parts as lines, the owner’s approval quoted on it. House Matters sells no leads. On your own Stripe, Wave or Venmo — House Matters takes no cut, sells no leads, and keeps unbilled and unpaid on your screen until they’re settled.
Your accounts, your money — House Matters sends the invoice and keeps the record. See pricing →
Your clients see your work in House Matters.
Free for them, nothing to install, your name on every visit. When they need a hand with the house, the ask comes to you, not whoever texted them last. Built by Family Matters, so the money side is there if they ever want it.
The customer’s whole house lives here — keys, stays, the supply list, what it cost — so the next “can you take a look” comes to you from inside their record.
Your first three client homes are free. Then $19 a month.
Everything included from your first home. Past three active homes, Pro is $19 a month or $190 a year. Paused homes don’t count, there is no per-user fee, and House Matters takes no cut of what you bill.
No lead fee, ever · No credit card to start · Free for homeowners, always
| Tool | Price at one user | What the price buys |
|---|---|---|
| House Matters | $0 up to 3 client homes, then $19/mo | The absent owner’s yes, before-and-after, labor and parts billed; no lead fee, no cut |
| Joist | Basics $12 · Pro $17 · Elite $32/mo | Line-item estimates and signatures; change orders and QuickBooks on Elite |
| Jobber | Core $49/mo month to month, $29/mo paid yearly | Quotes, scheduling, invoicing; QuickBooks from the $99 Connect plan |
| Housecall Pro | Basic $79/mo, $59 paid yearly; $100/mo per extra user | Scheduling, online booking, estimates, invoicing |
| FieldVibe | Free at one user; $20/mo for quotes and invoices | Requests, scheduling, a free website |
| Wave · Square Invoices | Free; card fees only | Estimates and invoices, no calendar |
| Thumbtack / Angi leads | $15–$40 a lead as pros report it, paid whether they answer or not | Leads, not software |
Prices read from each company’s own pricing page on September 9, 2026. Lead prices are what handymen report paying, not a list price. Read the full comparison →
Plain answers, before you ask.
The questions handymen ask on the first call, answered the way they’d be answered on the phone.
Is this a lead site?
No. House Matters sells no leads and takes no cut. It is for the customers you already have — the second home, the rental, the parent’s house — and for the next job those customers send you from inside their own home record.
What does the customer have to install?
Nothing. Your price, the yes, the before-and-after and the bill are links that open in any browser. If the family wants the whole house in one place — keys, stays, the supply list, every bill — House Matters is free for homeowners, and your jobs are already in it.
Can I keep Jobber or Joist?
Yes. Plenty of handymen run their walk-in customers on Joist and their absent-owner customers here. House Matters is where the owner who isn’t there says yes; it doesn’t need to be where everything else happens.
Do estimates show materials and labor?
The price is one number and a note; the bill is lines. “Dock light, GFCI outlet + labor · $180” is what the owner approves. “Labor · 2 hrs · $150” and “Parts · $24.50” are what they pay. If a customer needs a line-item estimate up front, put it in the note or attach your own.
Can I take a deposit?
Not yet. Jobs bill when they’re done. For a job with real material cost, price the materials as their own job and bill it first.
Do I need a licence?
It depends on the state and the size of the job, and House Matters doesn’t check or store one. Florida, California and Arizona each draw the line differently — the dollar amounts and the exact words are in the licence guide.
What if they say no?
Then nothing happens, and nothing is owed. The job sits on the home’s record as “declined” with your price on it. If the problem comes back in January, so does your number.
What about a second trip?
A second trip is a second line. Or a change order with a new price and a fresh yes, if the job grew. Either way it’s on the record before it’s on the invoice.
Does it work with no signal? Is there an app?
You need a bar when you tap done, and it works in your browser on any phone, from the truck. Take the photos as you go — the app holds them. The House Matters app for iPhone is in review with Apple; Android follows.
Whose data is it?
Yours. Your customers, their homes, your prices, photos and invoices belong to you. Ask, and House Matters sends you a spreadsheet of all of it within a week, or deletes the account and everything in it.
Guides and templates for handymen.
All guides and templates →Handyman estimate template
The price, the note, and the “reply approved before I continue” text. Full text, no signup.
TemplateHandyman invoice template
Labor and parts as lines, the approval quoted on the bill.
GuideHandyman price list (2026)
What handymen actually charge by the hour and by the job, with a number.
GuideWhat a handyman can do without a licence
Florida, California and Arizona: the dollar lines and the exact words.
Set up before your next service call.
Sign up free
Your name or your business name. Pick Repairs & maintenance. No credit card to start.
Add one home
The owner’s email or mobile — the exact one they’ll sign in with — and the address.
Price your first job
A photo, one number, a note. The owner taps yes from wherever they are.
Do it and bill it
Before-and-after from the camera, labor and parts as lines. Card, bank, or Venmo.
Fix homes for people who aren’t there? Start today.
Free to set up your customers’ homes and price your first job. No lead fee, ever.
Start freeWorks in your browser on any phone, from the truck.
House Matters is also for home watchers and cleaners, and free for the people who own the home.