New cleaner : what should I be asking for? (Admin)

[ZaphodBeeblerox]

We're trialling a new cleaner tomorrow and I have awkward-itis. I've had cleaner before but from an agency and it was usually ad-hoc. This is via a facebook recommendation on a neighbourhood mum's site. I don't know the person who recommended her personally, and I obviously don't know the cleaner.

Should I be asking for her ID and such before she starts work? Is it okay to write down her details? I'll be in the house when she is working, but eventually I'd like to be able to just leave her to it and go out for a walk etc if she's cleaning. How do I trust a stranger essentially?

Also do I ask her if she is insured? Are cleaners typically insured? We had one cleaner who broke a frame, and obviously I paid for it. we don't have expensive things per se, but I was wondering.

TIA for any useful suggestions!

Fine to ask for ID & contact details.

Have you already discussed how much & how she will be paid?

If she is self-employed rather than from an agency, she is unlikely to have insurance.

Have discussed how much yes, but not how she will be paid. Assuming cash in hand?

Yeah, most likely. Although there will be people on MN who will tell you that's wrong...

We are a mid-sized cleaning company and no cleaning service has access to insurance that would cover us for smaller items broken just because all policies have an excess, ours is £250 which we have to pay towards any claim.

Insurance is meant for the big things like fire or flood, damaging carpets or valuables above the excess, or cleaner having a bad accident thus making sure no party goes bankrupt.

Most clients value our services and would not dream of making us pay for smaller breakage in any case, just because they understand that in the nature of our duties we have to touch all of their items and if they haven;t left things stored away breakage will occur from time to time as it would if they were doing the work themselves. It's just the nature of the job and we do have that understanding with our clients.

Most self employed cleaners who are operating correctly and professionally will be covered with a basic public liablity policy for the larger things as is essential, but no cleaner could get insurance to cover smaller items due to the excess charged.

I strongly recommend making sure she has insurance in place and personally I would not pay cash in hand just to make sure she is a cleaning professional registered to pay her taxes as she must and who knows what she is doing in your home and is running a legit business otherwise you are left vulnerable to all sorts of issues.