I want to hire a housekeeper

In My Humble Opinion
1

Well with the promise of a very nice pay increase in my very near future (and the corresponding workload increase) my household has decided that a housekeeper is a wise decision. Currently, I’m thinking that I just need someone to come in two days a week (maybe three) to do some basic things. Having never had a housekeeper, I’m not really sure what to expect, what’s reasonable to expect, etc. Of course, rates vary by region, service, and so forth, so I don’t really expect anyone to be able to answer that for me (although I welcome any guesses) but mainly, I have three areas of concern:

Hiring: What’s the best way to find a reliable housekeeper? Maid service companies tend to be really expensive, and not nearly as flexible as an individual. However, I don’t really like the idea of a newspaper ad either. I’m asking around with people I know to see if they have any recommendations. Does that sound wise? Once I’ve gotten a few names, it seems reasonable to me to ask for references and to actually call them up. My main concern is theft; obviously the overwhelming majority of professional housekeepers are honest, hard-working people, but I can’t help but be paranoid about the tiny minority and my propensity for bad luck. Any suggestions there?

Service:

Basically I’m hoping for someone who can vacuum, mop, clean the bathrooms, dust, maybe shampoo the rugs once a quarter, etc. Ideally, I’d love for someone who would also do laundry, and what I could really, really use is someone who could drop off and pick up dry cleaning for me. Are the last two things too much to ask? (Obviously all things depend on how much I’m willing to pay).

Legal stuff:

If I hire a private housekeeper on a part-time basis, am I her employer? Can I ask people to work as independent contractors, and therefore responsible for their own taxes? Where’s the line between someone providing a service, and someone working for you? What happens if she gets hurt while on the job?

Clearly, I’m brand new to this concept, so any information from Dopers in the know is greatly appreciated.

(Ironically, I worked as a housekeeper for 6, but only as a very basic, under-the-table type “vacuum, mop, change the litter pans, and let the gardener into the back” type of job, and for only one couple.)

2

Er, no stereotyping/bashing/pigeonholing intended by referring to the potential future housekeeper as a “her”.

3

I worked as a house cleaner for a time, so I’ll offer what advice I know coming from that side of the fence.

Hiring:
One, if possible, get someone who has been recommended because either they use her/him, or know someone who does. Although I at one point posted a Help ad in the newspaper, anyone calling me to work for them was actually taking quite a chance. If I were hiring, I don’t know that I would take that chance. I never stole anything, never did anything unethical or improper, however, I’ve heard of others who aren’t as ethical or honest.

Two, get references and actually check them! Relatives don’t count.

Service:
Some of my clients would leave me lists, and others would just tell me to do “whatever needed to be done”. For me, I was there a certain time period and did what I could during that time period. I also worked my butt off, so it wasn’t like I breezed through with a vaccum cleaner and that was that. If they wanted me to iron, I ironed. However, it ironing was a the top most importance, and I only had so much time, then they had the understanding that I may not get to everything else on the list. Yes, I ran errands, however, that gets stickey–whose vehicle is used? If it’s theirs, do you pay mileage? If it’s yours, are they covered under your insurance? Lots of legal stuff–I’d consider picking up my own dry cleaning. From a personal stand point, while doing my own laundry, I’ve shrunk, discolored, etc. a good portion of my own clothing. Are you willing to take that risk with your own at the hands of someone else?

As far as the legal stuff, I have no clue. As a housekeeper, I never got hurt on the job, and not sure what I would have done had I gotten hurt. No, I wasn’t bonded at the time either, since I was cleaning houses because I needed the money and every cent I could get, and being bonded would have been an expense I simply could not have handled.

4

I had a friend who cleaned houses and I pointed her toward a co-worker who needed a housekeeper. The relationship lasted for years. Word of mouth is probably the best way to do it.

If you live in a well-to-do neighborhood, there are probably lots of places you can go for a referral. Otherwise, you might want to go with an agency, as you’ll be sure to get a bonded, supervised person. If they’re a little pricey, it might still be worth it… for a while, anyway.

5

Yeah, I think recommendations is really the way to do it. I’ve never had one but if I can manage to get my apartment “clean swept”, I think I might as extra incentive. A friend has a cleanign lady she loves so that’s who I’m gonna get…

6

Most cleaning services can do most of those things, but they’ll probably balk at the dry cleaning and maybe the laundry. Of course there are separate services that can do those.

If you hire someone and they work for you over a certain amount of time per year (I forget the amount, it could be a dollar figure) then you need to file a 1099 form for them. You also may be required to pay taxes such as FICA, FWT, SUC, etc.

Also, check to make sure that your homeowner’s policy covers you for liability, theft, etc. I’ve had people tell me their homeowner’s specifically excludes maids. In that case you’d want to add a rider. Take into consideration how you would handle it if they got hurt in an accident, burnt your house down, hurt someone else that came into your house through some action, etc. What if they take some money, appropriate some jewelry or clothing? What if they get diagnosed with a repetitive stress disorder in a couple of years, would you be liable for worker’s compensation or sued for disability and lost income? If you add car trips in there’s a whole new element to insurance and liability. How will you reimburse for use of their car, or do you expect to let them use yours?

IANAL but I do own a residential cleaning service. Our insurances cover all of that sort of stuff, which is why some people use us. Also we’re probably a little more efficient than most individuals, provide cleaning materials and equipment, etc. If one of our folks is sick then we have someone else who can fill in for them. Plus if you aren’t happy with our work out something or switch to another service than to go through the whole hiring process again.

In the past two days we broke a glass lampshade and a picture frame. I’ll pay for those. It’s not that common to have breakage, but it does occur. If it’s very expensive my insurance covers it, otherwise I eat the cost.

As for the hiring bit, my best housecleaners are recent Mexican and Cuban immigrants. Many don’t speak any or very little English. But they work very hard and I can do some rough translation. If you want someone who speaks English and does good work they’ll probably be fairly expensive.

7

My wife owns her own housecleaning business.

She does most of the stuff you name. She doesn’t do laundry or run errands though. However, the person my brother used to have would do those things for extra money. Each individual cleaner will have their own set of limits.

If you’re hiring someone to be your permanent maid as in there every day and you are their sole emploer, then you would probably be responsible for taxes, however people like my wife who have multiple clients take care of their own taxes.

Good luck, unfortunately, there are a lot of would be cleaners who only care about the money, not about how good a job they do (my wife has worked with several people like that) I hope you get your money’s worth.