Cleaner living in a tent

[newbie202020]

I'm pretty sure our cleaner is living in a tent and I feel really uncomfortable about it and I'm not completely sure why.

She was recommended through a friend and has been cleaning for us for about a year with no problems, cleans well, is reliable etc. We've also recommended her to neighbours who she also now cleans for and they too are happy with her services.

She isn't from the UK, and her English is a little limited but have gathered that her husband was seriously injured a few months ago at work and hasn't been able to work since. She has also mentioned moving house. We assume her husband was in some kind of cash in hand job so unlikely to be receiving workplace sick pay.

Our cleaner was unable to work this week due to something medical and sent us a photo to show this (we definitely didn't expect to/want to see a photo) and she was clearly in a tent, sitting on what appears to be some kind of office chair.

We have no reason not to trust her, although she doesn't have a key and we are usually home for the duration of her working hours, but I really feel for her if she is living in a tent as she cannot afford accommodation. We are in London and rents are very high. As her English is limited I can't raise this with her sensitively and anyway, I don't think it's really my place to. We pay her the going rate around here of £17 p/h.

I'm interested in hearing the views of others on this.

Thanks all

You know that minimum wage is £11.45 after tax, pension etc. Minimum wage earners don’t get sick pay. It’s crap, but it’s certainly not illegal.

Err no, the minimum wage is the minimum wage BEFORE pension, NI, and other deductions. https://www.litrg.org.uk/working/employment-status/employment-rights/national-minimum-wage

Minimum wage earners can claim SSP just like anyone else if they are employed, not if they are self-employed. Whether they are paid while off sick before SSP kicks in will depend on the policies of their individual employer.

People don't half talk a load of nonsense.

I do think you should be covering holiday and sick pay up to a certain number of weeks a year. You are right that you don’t have to, but it is morally wrong not to. Our laws don’t protect casual workers as they should.

Again, no. That would shift the relationship from a client using a self-employed person to provide a service, into an employer/employee relationship with all the legal implications that brings. Morals have nothing to do with it. When you are self-employed you know the deal. I am self-employed and have been for decades, it suits me and there is no way I am ever going back to being anyone's employee.

So she should clean her own home and get rid of the cleaner? Yep, that’ll help the cleaner 🙄

No it isn't, what bollocks.
Minimum wage is £11.44 before deductions.

Sorry I was having a brain fart. I meant that there are deductions to be made on the £11.44. It’s too early.

@MrsTerryPratchett

It's 'border' BTW. Not 'boarder' unless you believe boarding schools caused the housing crisis. Actually, come to think, Eton...

and YOU are rude.

I never point out your glaring mistakes, of which there are plenty! My iPhone has a mind of its own & frankly I'm beyond caring. There's rarely a post without glaring errors.

@YeahComeOnThen I don't normally (because your right I make alot of mistakes ) but the Eton joke was too good.

NRFT and I've never had a cleaner, but if I did and this was my cleaner, who was reliable, did a good job and had been working for me for a while and I suspected she was struggling so much that she was living in a tent, then I'd ask her outright, using the the photo as an excuse. I'd give her a raise (even if it was just a slight one) and I'd leave a drink and some food out that she could take home if she wanted, even if it was just a sandwich. I'd also tell her, in the nicest possible way, that she could use my bathroom facilities shower/bath at the end of her shift. I'd also ask her permission to let any neighbours, who she cleans for, know that she is struggling. You never know who might be in a position to help her. It wouldn't be insulting her or treating her as a charity case, I'm not well off, I just get by and ive had some pretty desperate times in my life. If someone had offered me a helping hand, I wouldn't have been insulted, I'd have been grateful. There's no shame in accepting help or offering it.

Are you insane? The majority of employers don't pay sick pay, it's SSP from the government which isn't paid for the first 3 days of illness anyway. But this cleaner is self employed, she's not OP's employee, so of course there's no sick pay (including SSP) for OP to deal with.

OP, you can connect her to Streetlink who provide support for homeless people. They go and visit and get all agencies involved, including offering temporary accommodation which is usually a hostel and pretty basic but can lead to other accommodation in the long term. It’s quite possible that she doesn’t want to engage with the authorities but is a route. I helped someone through them once and he did get a flat after about a year but unfortunately wasn’t able to maintain it due to his addictions. I don’t know if this could help but it’s all I can think of.

https://thestreetlink.org.uk/

@MrsTerryPratchett

i fink you was write you make alot of mistakes. Your joke about Eton was pretty good too bee fare!

The links provided by some of you are great - thank you. I will try to speak to her about the photo and the suggested organisations who can help

Yep. A cautionary tale, I worked most of my life for companies that paid 6 months full then 6 months half pay. Hardly ever went sick. Then a few years ago while working for Citizens Advice I got cancer. They paid me for two weeks only. I hadn't really looked at the sick pay before accepting the job because I didn't think I would need it.

Quite. I am surprised that nobody has suggested the op moves the cleaner and her family into her spare room. There is a deep seated guilt around employing cleaners isn't there? If you found out a waiter in a restaurant you frequent was on hard times, would you help him? Leave a massive tip maybe? I believe a lot of people still believe people (women) should clean their own homes.

The avg hourly rate here is around £15 p/h from what I've seen and that's in south west London.

If you can afford to pay a little extra that would be nice, or rather than give it to her you could set it aside so she gets a bonus type of thing.

Fronting up a deposit will be a challenge for her so would be hard to get out of her situation even though she's working.

Could you use google translate to have a bit of a chat and see how else you could help her? Doesn't always need to be financial help, could be helping her find local food banks, helping her research accommodation on your internet etc

@EveSix
would not be in a position where that situation would ever arise, because I, in accordance with my own conscience, would not be the owner of more than one property: my actual home.

My post is not ridiculous ‐it only appears so if you are so entrenched in the ideology which enables profiteering from basic human need that has prevailed in Britain for the last few decades, that you cannot conceive of a more equitable vision for housing in Britain.

There are no 'other people's children' of the future; they' all our children.
Fantastic post , agree 100%. Some of the replies on here are truly sickening and display a shocking ignorance.

So you're on the side of illegal immigration then? Poor people being exploited and not being part of the system, not only missing out on potential help but also depriving services of the money they need to be better run. Shame on you.

Oh God don't shop her, she's living in a tent already, its hardly a good life... don't add troubles on top. I can't imagine how bad life must be in her home country if living in a tent in Brexit Britain is the best case scenario she currently has.

OP why not increase what you pay her and always leave out some small things to eat/drink every time she comes? It'd be really kind.