The Essentials of Hiring a House Cleaning Company

Do you want to be an employer? Beware of hiring an individual or an unlicensed company to clean your home. If you hire an individual and pay them a certain amount in a year, YOU are considered by the government to be their employer. If they fail to pay proper taxes on the money you pay them – and they usually do – you could end up being liable. If they file for disability, or social security, or unemployment, you will also be liable for any taxes not paid.

If an individual or unlicensed company worker is hurt in your home, there is a good chance you could be sued if the person is facing medical bills and/or loss of income. She may be a nice person, but just have no other recourse.

If anything is damaged in your home, like your wood floors or granite countertops, the cheap cleaner will not be able to afford liability insurance to cover damages and suddenly the cheap cleaner isn’t so cheap.

When you hire a professional service, you are ideally avoiding these risks. The service owner should carry the burden of payroll taxes, workman’s comp, and liability insurance. Ask to see proof of insurance. A good service will also do criminal background checks, drug testing, and ongoing training for employees. That kind of peace of mind is worth it, don’t you think?

Find out how long the company has been in business. A cleaning service is easy to start, and sadly many shady characters gravitate to this business because it IS easy and cheap in the beginning, but it takes far more to run a legitimate, professional service in the long haul. The longer a company has been in business, the more stable and well run the company will be, and the more long-term trustworthy employees it will have, which means more peace of mind for you.

Who provides the equipment and supplies? Look for a company that provides their own supplies and equipment, preferably green environmentally safe cleaners that work as well, or better than their toxic counterparts. Employees are less likely to misuse products they are familiar with and trained to use. Additionally, providing cleaning supplies for your cleaner can easily add hundreds of dollars a year to your total cleaning bill.

Is the staff English speaking? Communication is SO important, and can be very frustrating when language is a barrier

A cheap service will not be able to pay their cleaners a good wage. This is a hard job, and they should be able to make a good wage!