Selecting a Maid Service

Having a maid service come to your house can sometimes be more cost-effective than you would think. Check classified advertisements, phone books, local bulletin boards, recommendations from friends, and the Internet for a pool of candidates. Then, make a detailed spreadsheet that contains the names and phone numbers of these agencies or persons. Next, call all the numbers and get the answers to the following questions:

• Are they bonded?
• Can they give you five references and, if so, what are they?
• Do they need to see your home to give you a price quote? (If so, arrange for them to visit your home and use the opportunity to negotiate a price.)
• Are their rates per job or per hour?
• How do they resolve complaints?
• Can they give you any examples of when they have resolved a complaint?
• Whom should you call to report dissatisfaction with the service?
• Do they offer guarantees?
• How prompt are they?
• Do they expect you to maintain a certain level of cleanliness (for example, no clutter) in your home or is their service all-inclusive?
• Do they provide the cleaning products?
• Are they environmentally friendly?
• What are their policies?

Also call your local Better Business Bureau to find out if there are any outstanding complaints about the businesses you are researching. Call the referrals of the companies you have to which you have narrowed your choices down. Remember, this is an employee you're hiring, so be responsible about choosing your maid service. After all, they will have access to everything in your home that you have not locked up or nailed down (and even then...).

Schedule a trial cleaning and definitely be home for at least the first time the service comes to your home to clean so you can catch and address any problems early on. I personally recommend being there the whole time every time your maid service goes to your house, but I realize some of you are hiring a maid service specifically because you do not have the time to spend at home.

If there is a problem with the service you have received, insist that it is resolved before the next time the maid service enters your home. If there is no change made, drop the maid service and find a better one.

Lastly, check with your tax professional about whether or not you'll be required to act as an employer and pay the related taxes and do the associated paperwork for hiring the maid service.