Amazon Home Services: You can order cleaners, electricians, plumbers — but only in the US

'In less than 60 seconds, customers can now browse, purchase and schedule hundreds of professional services'

Internet retail giant Amazon has significantly expanded its remit, today announcing the launch of a new service that will allow users to hire professionals to do household work.

Amazon Home Services, which is available in major US markets as of today, offers a marketplace of companies and qualified individuals that perform tasks in or around the home such as cleaning, plumbing and painting.

You can order singing lessons, get your iPhone repaired, and there's even services available for those in need of something called goat grazing.

The official press release reads: "In less than 60 seconds, customers can now browse, purchase and schedule hundreds of professional services."

It works like the rest of the retail site; you choose the job you want performed, mention any important details such as 'number of hours required' and then they come to come by at an agreed upon time.

It's not really anything groundbreaking, but Amazon's entrance into the home services business is. The idea is that you can order a new bath, and hire the guy to install it quickly and easily via the same website.

"We’re very excited to see if we can solve what today is a real pain point. It’s tough to quickly find someone who is qualified," said Amazon Marketplace VP Peter Faricy.

Here's where Amazon Home Services is available

The service pros, as the website calls them, are handpicked by Amazon and then required to be background-checked, insured and licensed.

Then there's the upfront pricing which is based on a combination of quality, availability, and verified reviews. And finally there's the 'happiness guarantee' that says customers get a refund if they're not pleased with the work.

The Amazon Home Services' model is designed to stop the sort of over-pricing; the billing runs through Amazon, and they receive a 20 per cent cut for standard services, and the job is only paid for once it has been registered as complete.