Due to nerve damage in my hands, I find myself having more and more trouble keeping up with the housework, and I’m looking into getting some help. Is it better to go with a commercial maid service, or with one of the individuals who place ads in my mailbox? What should I look for in terms of proof of insurance (in case they are injured on the job)? Are they all bonded?
Personaly I like the commercial ones. They’re a little more expensive but not by a whole lot.
I like’m not for any of the reasons you listed but because when they come, they send a whole team and they’re in and out of your house in less than an hour.
Those other ones they send one maid and she or he will take there sweet f’n time.
IF you’re an A-hole like me; it’s like: “Dammit! you’re a stranger! Get out of my house!”
To be quite honest I never thought about the whole injury thing. Now, I’m curious to know myself.
Hiring someone pirely bacause you got a flyer through the door isn’t really the best move. Unless you’ve had someone recommended to you (this is how we got our cleaning service), it’s probably best to go with one of the professional toye services.
Former independent cleaner here -
If you go w/ a service that’s a full on business, paying taxes and insuring and bonding their employees, you’ll probably pay more (to cover the overhead) and have a team of strangers in your home. There’s no guarantee you’ll get the same team cleaning your house each time, so if you won’t be there and/or you don’t like having to worry about strangers taking your stuff that might be an issue.
An independent like myself usually works on their own or w/ a partner so you get the same people every time and learn whether or not to trust them enough to ask them back. More often than not, they don’t pay taxes or have worker’s comp insurance or bonding as those aren’t cheap. They also usually charge less or can be negotiated with.
The franchise services should have no problem w/ showing you their insurance documents, and when I worked for Merry Maid it was contractually required of the franchisee. Mind you, I was slightly injured at that job and was told by the franchise owner they couldn’t afford for me to make a claim, so… But that injury would still not be paid for by your home owner’s insurance, which could happen w/ an independent cleaner.
You didn’t ask but I’ll tell you anyway - the littlest gestures mean a lot, so if you leave your cleaners a note telling you how much you liked something they did, or a plate of cookies/bottle of water, those people will work hard to please you again. And don’t regift them @ Christmas, 'cause they know what stuff you have lying around. (Voice of experience.)
I have to say that after reading Nickle and Dimed, which has a section in which the author works for one of those commercial maid services, I’d never have them clean my house. The one she worked for at least was more about the appearance of cleaning - seeing the cleaners down on their knees scrubbing floors but being told not to use enough water for the job, etc. I’d reccommend you ask anybody you know who has somebody to come in to clean and get a reccommendation. My mother had a lady come in when she was busy keeping my brother’s daughter - she was fast and very thorough. Personally I’d go with an independent every time.
If you use an independent, or maybe either way, make sure that your homeowner’s insurance covers you for cleaners. Some policies specifically exclude it.
From a discussion with my HO insurance agent I was under the impression that coverage for home services workers is pretty much standard as long as they are not your employee.
I used to run a service. I had at least one customer say that they called us because we were insured/bonded, and after a friend had a worker break their leg at his home, they checked their insurance and found cleaners specifically excluded. Biggest injuries for home cleaners are back injuries and repetitive stress disorders, which can be very expensive and debilitating long term injuries. It’s certainly worth a check.
I’ve read a lot of opinions on this and found that, overall, people seem to like independents over pro services. Independents are typically cheaper and do better work because they are self-employed, and future work and payment depends on doing a good job, as opposed to being simply someone else’s employee who gets paid no matter what and who may just be doing this job just long enough to get a better job.
Check craigslist.com, respond to ads to initially define the price range and scope of work, then invite them all over for interviews and brief home tours. Make sure they are willing to work with you at home. I wouldn’t trust someone who said they don’t want to work if I am home.
Make sure you clearly agree on the scope of work and price. Also, make sure they have reliable transportation. One ad I saw initially looked great because of the really low price. Then, I found out that she had no car and I would have to either (1) go pick her up and take her home; (2) pick her up at and take her to the bus stop; or (3) pay her cab fare.
My parents have had cleaners come for many years. They much prefer independents for the following reason: They get the same people every week, and thus don’t have to “train” them how to clean each time. They have some things that need to be cleaned a certain way, or that they don’t want touched. With the commercial cleaners, it’s rare they get the same people multiple weeks in a row (even when they request it) and thus they have to show them all the “special” cleaning areas or rules.
We have had both. With the corporate cleaners, you usually deal with a manager regarding requests and complaints and don’t talk to the people who actually do the cleaning. They are insured & bonded, and you have no worries about whether you’re legal regarding taxes. A little more expensive because of this. They do a good job though not as personal, as has been mentioned.
The independents are more like hiring your own employee. We have had problems with cleaners that have poor English (every time we had to call our most recent one, her 10-year-old son had to get on the phone to translate). They will generally have no bonding or insurance, and you have to decide whether you are going to pay taxes or pay cash under the table. Even if a person is not a conventional employee, there are laws about paying taxes if you pay more than a certain amount over a calendar quarter. If there’s something you don’t like, you speak directly to the cleaner, and if you really don’t like something you get to fire them. Some people are good at this and some people hate that level of interaction.
In either case, do two things: First, I strongly suggest you develop a list of what you want done. Many of the mailbox fliers have lists like this that you can crib from. There are some things a thorough cleaner will do that you probably would not even think to do yourself, like disinfecting your telephone handsets. Second, get recommendations from people you know if at all possible. Our best cleaner was a woman who had worked for a friend of ours for 10 years. Unfortunately she quit after just a few weeks to change careers and get a regular job with full benefits, etc.
I read this about 20 times before I figured out what it meant. I wish “gift” had not become a verb. :rolleyes:
If you hire independent cleaners, or independent contractors of any sort, and you pay them more than $600, then you must file a 1099-MISC form.
Cite: IRS.
Note that this is not likely to be noticed by the government unless you a) claim this service as a deduction or b) are audited. Of course, if you’re the sort who is honest and expect other people to be honest (eg, pay taxes) then you’ll file this regardless of whether you believe you’ll be caught or not. This is really just a way for the government to flag independent contractors than to come after you.
ShibbOleth, that looks like it applies to fish!
Besides, almost everyone I do business with is an independant contractor – the roofer, the cement driveway guy, the mudjack guy, the guy that will build my pole barn, the guy that cuts my grass while I’m here – where’s the line drawn?
I always wonder at those politicians that get in trouble for not paying their nannies’ taxes. Where’s the line drawn at hiring a company with one employee (independant contractor) versus being an employee? This is a real question with real legal ramifications.
Hijack…
WTF?
Why fish and not say, chickens?
I don’t know why, but they are pretty obsessed with fish. Reminds me of a kid’s book about “Awful End” that we listened to on CD.
Anyway, the line is drawn at $600 OR if the receiver is a corporation OR (there’s more at the link, I’m not going to list everything). They’re quite strict about fishmongers, apparently, so be particularly careful there. Since you’re location is in Mexico I doubt that the rules apply, but if you pay independent contractors in the USA you need to follow IRS rules. Or you should, anyway. Housecleaning services are going to be generally at least $40-50 per cleaning on a small to average home, so assuming at least 12 cleanings per year the limit is clearly in sight.
For God’s sake, go with the independent. A service will cost you more money, but that money doesn’t go towards the people doing the actual work. The actual cleaners most likely making minimum wage or only slightly above. It’s the difference between the person cleaning your house going home and being able to feed their kids and pay their rent, or risking living in a car and skipped meals. You personally can make a big difference in people’s lives by paying them honestly for their labor and cutting out the middle man.
We paid a minimum of $8 an hour and up from that to about $11 or 12 an hour, depending on a number of things. We also provided cars, gasoline, uniforms, which would otherwise come out of their pockets, paid their taxes, and at least provided workers comp and liability, although we couldn’t afford to pay health care benefits, but then most small business can’t. Anyway, in my experience, the richer the customer the less they were concerned with how well “the help” was paid and the more concerned with how little they could get away with paying.
Speaking of liability, that’s another potential concern with independents.
Not to hijack this thread, but ‘gift’ hasn’t become a verb in my book, but ‘to regift’ has come into common verb usage thanks in great part to ‘Seinfeld’. Seriously, one five-year client of mine gave me a Hanukkah-wrapped box of chocolates that I’d dusted under on their mantle for 3 weeks. A holiday card w/ a note inside about the good job I’d done over the past year would have tickled me pink instead.
Joe Mahma, you live in the same house all year, right? You don’t leave for the winter?
I’m going to stop changing my location when I travel – err, my SDMB location. In any case, I can’t imagine that not everyone in the entire county is breaking this law. Hell, everyone that does any service that’s not a corporation is suddenly an independent contractor?
At work, we have a janatorial service come in and clean. We’ve been through several services, and frankly I’d say we’d be better off with an independant. Here is a short list of problems that have happened:
Change stolen from desk drawers (eventually caught on “nanny cam”)
Lots of money stolen for “honor box” candy station.
Computer rendered useless due to trojans, etc. result of midnight “free porn” surfing session by cleaner.
Digital camera missing, thought to be cleaner related.
The actual cleaners are not so well paid, and have high turnover, and not a lot to lose if they get caught. If we complain to the service, they oppologize, and if we have proof, fire the offender and compensate us, otherwise they just assign a different cleaner to our account.
An independant IMO would stand to lose much more if busted.
My sister has an independant that all her friends also use. She loves his work. Not only does he do things as she asks, but he will supply stuff to make the house stay cleaner/more organized between his visits…One of those plastic hats to put over plates in the microwave oven for example…no hassle for her to use, the oven stays cleaner fo rher, and is easier to clean for him.