Hiring a Housekeeper and How It Differs From a Cleaner

A cleaner usually visits for a few set hours a week to tackle specific cleaning tasks and is either self-employed or sent by a company. A housekeeper takes on a much wider range of household jobs, works more hours to keep your home running smoothly, and very often becomes your direct employee. Moving from a weekly clean to housekeeping services means agreeing a clear list of duties and understanding your legal responsibilities around pay, holiday and tax.

Housekeeper or cleaner and which you need

Domestic cleaners focus entirely on cleaning the property during a fixed time slot. They arrive, clean the kitchens, bathrooms, floors and surfaces, and leave when the time is up. You can check typical house cleaning prices in the UK to see what this routine service costs.

Housekeeping suits households that need regular help with more than cleaning. A housekeeper manages the everyday mess and takes on the mental load of running the home. They tidy up the clutter, manage the laundry cycles, organise cupboards and keep the household functioning.

You need a housekeeper if your main problem is finding time to do the laundry, run errands and keep the house tidy. You need a cleaner if your home is already tidy but you want someone else to scrub the bathrooms and mop the floors. Many housekeepers do both, and the role usually involves more hours than a standard domestic clean.

What a housekeeper usually does

A housekeeper handles the routine physical work required to maintain a comfortable home. They adapt to the daily rhythm of your household and pick up the chores that a standard cleaning visit does not cover. The actual duties are whatever you agree and write down before they start work.

Housekeeping services typically include a mix of these tasks:

• Cleaning all rooms and maintaining a high standard of hygiene
• Washing, drying, ironing and putting away laundry
• Changing bed linen and making beds
• Grocery shopping and running local errands
• Receiving parcels and dealing with tradespeople
• Keeping cupboards, pantries and wardrobes organised

Never assume a housekeeper will automatically cook meals, look after pets or provide childcare unless you have agreed this in advance. Heavy duty tasks like oven cleaning, deep carpet cleaning or clearing gutters are not standard housekeeping duties. You will usually need to hire a specialist for those jobs.

Live in or live out

A live-out housekeeper arrives for their agreed working hours, completes their duties, and returns to their own home. This arrangement is simple to manage and preserves your family privacy in the evenings. You only pay them for the hours they work and you do not need to provide accommodation.

A live-in housekeeper is provided with a bedroom in your home, and sometimes their own bathroom or separate annexe. This suits households that need flexible support, early morning help, or someone to oversee the property when the owners are away. You must set clear boundaries for their working hours so they are not treated as being on call all day and night.

Family members of the employer living in the employer's home are not entitled to the minimum wage. However, non-family members living in the home who share in the work and leisure activities are still legally entitled to the minimum wage. Accommodation provided by an employer can be taken into account when calculating this pay, and no other kind of benefit counts towards it. From April 2026 the accommodation offset rates are £11.10 a day and £77.70 a week.

Using an agency or hiring directly

You can find a housekeeper by placing an advert yourself, asking for local recommendations, or using a domestic staff agency. Agencies save you time by filtering candidates, checking references and arranging interviews. They charge a fee for this service.

You must ask any agency in writing whether it introduces candidates for you to employ or whether it supplies and pays the worker directly. Ask them exactly what they charge for their service. If the agency pays the worker, you pay the agency a regular invoice and the agency handles the payroll.

If the agency just introduces the person to you, you hire the candidate directly. This means you take on all the legal responsibilities of being an employer.

When you become the employer

Hiring someone to work in your home brings strict legal duties. GOV.UK states you are usually considered the employer of a housekeeper, nanny or gardener if you hire them and they are not self-employed or paid through an agency. You cannot ask your employee to become self-employed just to save yourself paperwork.

Anyone you employ must have an employment contract, be given payslips and be paid at least the National Minimum Wage.

Employers must meet all statutory employee rights. You must deduct the right tax and National Insurance contributions from their pay. You are also responsible for paying statutory benefits such as sick pay and maternity pay when they qualify for them.

Pay, holiday and pension duties

You must pay your housekeeper at least the minimum wage for their age group. The National Living Wage applies to workers aged 21 and over. Rates change on 1 April every year and you must update your payroll when they do.

The table below shows the legal minimum hourly pay rates based on a worker's age.

These are the legal minimum rates from April 2026, and you can pay more.

Almost all workers are entitled to 5.6 weeks of paid holiday a year. Someone working a five-day week must receive at least 28 days of paid annual leave, which can include bank holidays. A part-time worker on three days a week must get at least 16.8 days of paid leave.

All employers must provide a workplace pension scheme. You must automatically enrol a worker and make contributions if they are aged between 22 and State Pension age, earn at least £10,000 a year and usually work in the UK. The minimum total contribution is 8 per cent of qualifying earnings, of which the employer must pay at least 3 per cent. In most schemes these contributions are based on earnings between £6,240 and £50,270 a year.

Insurance, payroll and right to work checks

An employer must have employers' liability insurance covering at least £5 million from an authorised insurer as soon as they become an employer. The fine for not being properly insured is £2,500 for every day you lack cover. This insurance is not needed if you only employ a close family member or someone based outside England, Scotland and Wales.

You normally need to register as an employer with HMRC when you start employing staff. This must be done before the first payday. You cannot register more than two months before you start paying people.

You must check a job applicant is allowed to work in the UK before you employ them. You must check original documents with the applicant present and keep copies with the date of the check. You could face a civil penalty if you employ an illegal worker without a correct right to work check.

What to put in writing

An employer must give employees and workers a written statement of employment particulars. The principal statement must be given on the first day of employment. The wider written statement must be given within two months of them starting work.

The principal statement has strict requirements. It must include:

• Pay and how often it is paid
• Hours and days of work
• Holiday entitlement
• Job title or a description of the work
• The start date of employment
• The place of work

A written task list helps keep expectations in line. Write down exactly what duties are expected daily, weekly and monthly. Include clear rules about having visitors in the home, using mobile phones during work hours, and how they should pay for household shopping.

How to recruit and trial a housekeeper

Interview candidates in your home so they can see the size of the property and the standard you expect. Ask about their previous experience, what tasks they enjoy doing, and how they handle delicate surfaces or expensive fabrics. Speak to their previous employers on the phone to check references rather than just accepting a written letter.

You can ask a candidate to show a basic DBS check, which gives a copy of a person's criminal record. The individual applies for this themselves. It costs £20, is available for people working in England and Wales aged 16 or over, and usually takes up to three days to process before a paper certificate is posted. Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own routes for background checks.

Arrange a paid trial day before making a final job offer. This lets you see how they follow instructions, how they treat your home, and whether you feel comfortable having them around. Pay them for this trial time even if you decide not to hire them.

Agree clear arrangements for keys and home security. Decide whether they will take a set of keys home or use a secure key safe outside the property. Do not hand over full alarm codes until trust is firmly established.

If the recruitment process and employer duties feel like too much administration, you might prefer to stick to standard domestic cleaning visits. Read our guide on how to choose house cleaning services to find reliable self-employed cleaners or companies that handle their own paperwork.

Common questions

What is a maid service?

Maid service is a traditional term often used to describe standard domestic cleaning or light housekeeping. Most modern UK providers refer to themselves as cleaners or housekeepers rather than maids.

Do I need a domestic staff agency?

An agency saves you time by finding and vetting experienced candidates. You will pay a fee, and if the agency only introduces the person, you usually become their employer, so ask in writing which way it works.

What is a nanny housekeeper?

This is a hybrid role combining childcare duties with running the home. Because looking after children takes priority, the housekeeping tasks must be realistic and clearly written down so expectations are met.

Can I hire a part time housekeeper?

Yes, many households hire a housekeeper for just a few hours a day or a couple of days a week. All employer duties still apply, but holiday entitlement and pay are calculated on a pro rata basis for the exact hours worked.

What does a private housekeeper do?

A private housekeeper works directly for one household rather than for a commercial cleaning company. Their duties cover everything needed to keep the home running, from daily cleaning to managing laundry, ironing and running local errands.

Next steps

Before you start interviewing candidates, get your requirements in order.

• Decide exactly what tasks you need help with and how many hours it will take
• Choose whether you want a live-in or live-out arrangement based on your available space
• Ask any agency in writing whether they supply the worker or introduce them for you to employ
• Register as an employer with HMRC before the first payday if you are hiring directly
• Set up employers' liability insurance of at least £5 million before they start work
• Give your new housekeeper a written statement of employment particulars on their first day

Hiring a housekeeper transforms how your home runs, but it brings legal responsibilities that you must get right from the start. If you decide that you only need a few hours of help a week without the paperwork of becoming an employer, you can find a house cleaner near you to keep your home clean.