[bigstrat2003]

I'm sure it varies from location to location, but my handyman has said that the line here is modifying existing infrastructure versus installing new stuff. The former is fine without a license, the latter not. Thankfully, I've never yet needed him to do work that falls in the latter bucket.

[halostatue]

There's a fine line between large modifications to existing infrastructure and "new stuff". You need a handyman you can trust in order to know the difference.

It also depends on your insurance situation. If I'm doing renovations, my house insurance company will not honour my insurance if the work is being done by a contractor without knowing the insurance status of the contractor.

One thing to consider is whether there is a reasonably-priced "emergency contractor" service to which you can subscribe. Enercare in Toronto offers plumbing protection for $21/mo and electrical protection for $16/mo. Service calls — 24 hour service calls — are included and covered in the plan, and labour for fixing the problem is included. We've had multiple cases where we've needed to call a plumber out to look at issues and it would have cost ~$200 to get them in the door and more than $400 by time the work was done. We've also used them for discounted plumbing work (15% off labour and most parts) in the past when we didn't have a different contractor for something we needed done.