Paying the cleaner while you're on holiday

[Badgerama]

We are off to Cornwall for a week this half term. It's the first time I've ever had a cleaner and I'm really happy with her. She's been with us for the past 6 months... costs £10 an hour and does two hours a week. She's lovely. Do I need to pay her for the week we are away if she won't be cleaning or is it presumed by her that she won't get paid for a few weeks a year when we are on holiday? I don't want to do the wrong thing and risk losing her!

It is polite to pay her, we do. We tend to ask them (if trusted) to come anyway and do things like defrost the fridge, deep clean the oven.

I don't know what the done thing is as I've never had a cleaner, but it's your choice not to have her there that week so I think you should pay her. Or alternatively, if you are happy for her to be there while your away, get her to do a deep clean on the kitchen or something like that?

I would pay her.

You pay when you are away so not her fault ...she doesn't get paid when she can't come?

I pay my cleaner when she's on holiday (£35 per week).

We do, but we have her come in to clean still and do some deeper cleaning.

Don’t pay when she is on holiday. That can potentially start an employment relationship which you don’t want to do.

I pay when we go away, we still want the house cleaned! She comes on Wednesday every week other than the ones she’s on holiday. It’s lovely to come back to.
If we are away for a fortnight she usually comes first to do a normal clean and the second week will do more deep clean jobs like paintwork/window frames, fridge (although I do this every week myself I don’t see it as a deep clean as much), doors and door frames, that kind of thing.

If we're on holiday, she comes in for a double session and does deep cleans - fridge, oven etc.

I don't pay her if she's on holiday.

I pay double the last session she does before Christmas

If I cancel my cleaner for any reason, I pay her but not if she cancels.

I would pay, but ask her to do some of those occasional jobs that often get missed - oven, freezer, things above eye height....

Cleaner here..
Always paid for customer's holidays.
Christmas presents + paid for the 2 weeks I am off!
Spoilt I know!!

I don't pay but see I'm in a minority!

10 per hour? That is so measly. Does she not declare her earnings? I appreciate that isn't what you asked I'm just shocked at how little she is paid.

You don't pay when she's unavailable. If you choose not to have her work one week, she's still holding your slot for you when she could fill it with other clients, so you pay her.

Pay if it isn't her choice. I never cancel our cleaner though, love coming home to a perfectly clean house.

Pay her and ask her to clean the fridge as a big one off rather than the rest of the house? Or some other job that needs a whole session and wouldn't otherwise get done