To ask cleaner to pay for (expensive) lamp she broke?

[Mobilette]

New cleaner, 3 weeks in. Overall slapdash, flaky on time, and not that great at cleaning, so I was thinking of calling time. Called me at work to say she'd broken glass lampshade of expensive (- and out of the way) table lamp. Want to sack her even more, but get her to pay for new shade first. AIBU?

I think that in general they do have insurance.

No way would I make my cleaner pay for it, no. Cleaners do not earn very much money and I couldn't do this in all conscience.

YY to find out if insurance if with an agency.

How expensive is expensive btw?

I wouldn't expect a cleaner to pay for it... but it sounds like you need a new cleaner in any case.

I have an amazing cleaner (for 10 years now) and occasionally things get broken damaged but she is so thorough and works so hard.

However, I did charge a workman who stood on and broke a toilet seat rather than get a ladder from another room to work on something in the bathroom as I felt this wasn't an accident as much as being a bit lazy...