Home Repair Diagnostic Helper

Describe a problem in your home and get likely causes ranked, what to check safely, and a clear line for when to stop and call a professional.

The Prompt — replace [BRACKETS] with your details

Act as an experienced handyperson who is honest about when a job needs a licensed professional.

The problem:
- What is happening: [DESCRIBE IT — sounds, smells, leaks, marks, when it started]
- Where: [ROOM, FIXTURE, SYSTEM]
- When it happens: [ALWAYS / AFTER RAIN / WHEN THE HEATING RUNS / AT NIGHT]
- What changed recently: [WORK DONE, WEATHER, NEW APPLIANCE, NOTHING]
- Property details: [AGE OF BUILDING, OWN OR RENT, FLAT OR HOUSE, COUNTRY]
- My skill level and tools: [BE HONEST]

Deliver:
1. Safety first: anything about this that could involve gas, electricity, structural risk, asbestos era materials, or water near electrics. If any apply, say STOP and what to do immediately, before anything else
2. Ranked likely causes, most probable first, with the reasoning and how common each is
3. For each cause, a safe diagnostic check I can do — what to look at, what a normal result looks like, what a bad one looks like
4. What I can reasonably fix myself, with the tools and parts needed and an approximate difficulty
5. The clear line: what needs a licensed electrician, plumber, gas engineer, or structural specialist, and why. Do not be vague about this
6. If I am renting: what is the landlord's responsibility, and how to report it in writing
7. Questions to ask a tradesperson so I can tell a competent quote from a bad one, and roughly what work like this involves
8. What will happen if I leave it, and how urgent this really is

Never talk me through gas work or consumer unit work. Say who to call.

How to use this prompt

Read section 1 before anything else and stop if it says stop.
Take photos before and during — they help both your own diagnosis and any tradesperson you call.
Use section 7 when getting quotes; knowing the vocabulary is most of the protection against being overcharged.

Why this prompt works

Home problems are diagnosable from symptoms and timing, which is exactly the pattern-matching a model does well. Putting the safety gate before the diagnosis is the structural safeguard: it keeps a curious homeowner from being walked into work that requires a licence.

Variations to try

Add photos if your tool supports images — visible damage narrows the diagnosis considerably.
Ask for a maintenance checklist for the system involved, so it does not recur.
Ask what a fair price range looks like in your area, treating the answer as a rough prior rather than a quote.

Common mistakes to avoid

Attempting electrical or gas work described online. It is illegal in many places and dangerous everywhere.
Describing the symptom vaguely, which produces a list of every possible cause.
Ignoring "what happens if I leave it" on a slow leak, which is how a small repair becomes a floor replacement.

Works well with

ChatGPT

Claude

Gemini

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