AIBU to ask for cleaning company to pay for locks to be changed?

[diamond211]

After increasing my hours at work recently, I decided to get a cleaner for a couple of hours twice a week. She was sent by a cleaning company with recommendations and after getting to know her for a few weeks gave her a key and the code to our house alarm.

It soon became apparent though that she preferred doing certain jobs (ironing while watching TV) and not others (thorough cleaning!)
She also began to arrive late and leave early and I found myself making excuses for her to DH.

Things came to a head last week when I returned home to find that again she had done my ironing (as agreed) and cleaned the shower and basin in bathroom but nothing else - no dusting, no floor mopping, no vacuuming. Again I started to make excuses for her - maybe I had given her too much ironing and she hadn't had time to clean? But when I checked the log on our house alarm (you can log in to see when the house was entered and exited), she had also left 30 mins early!

There was no note from her with an excuse (wasn't feeling well/ had to go home for some reason etc)

We decided that enough is enough, feeling like we are being taken advantage of (always left her the money for that day to take with her trusting that she would work for the 2hrs she was being paid for)

My problem now is that although I have told the company we don't want her to come any more, she still has our door key and despite being asked to return it twice, she still hasn't.
We are going on holiday soon and I feel very uncomfortable with this - WIBU to ask for the company to pay to have my locks changed??

I think you must just take this on the chin and change the locks yourself. And be prepared to do this every time you get a new cleaner that you 'trust' with your house keys.

I don't think the company would pay for this tbh.

I think you'll have to change the locks yourself. Even if she does hand them back she may have made copies.

I have insurance that covers locks in case keys are lost.

But, I don't expect to pay for new locks every time someone wants to get a new cleaner.

You should give the company a bit of time to get the keys back to you (a week? Maybe?) If they utterly fail to do that, then talk about wanting your locks changed.

In the meantime, change your alarm code.

I suppose there's no harm in saying "If I don't get my keys back by such a date, I will be changing the locks, and asking you to pay". Then at least they'd see you mean business.

Don't mention that you are going on holiday.

Is it possible to give them an online review? Do they thrive on a good reputation?

Why don't you change your house alarm code? Would that work, even as a short term measure?

You should definitely change your alarm code. I think you should tell the company you expect them to have your key by the end of today so that you can have it by Friday. Thr cleaner is dishonest (effectively stealing 1/2 hour's pay from you), reasonable not to want her to have the key. If they cannot do this then say you will change the locks. No harm in asking them to pay. What does your contract say?

With some locks you can just change the barrel which is cheaper.

Might be worth checking your alarm settings. On some you can set different codes for different people. If you do that, then you won't have to change your own code if you sack the next cleaner.