How could I check out a potential cleaner?

[ladyjennifer]

I've posted this in good housekeeping too. There's no getting away from it, we need a cleaner - I spent all the bank holiday cleaning.

I'm trying via personal recommendation, but no dice so far. A cleaner who phoned me via a call to an agency has contacted me and he has vacancies - lots of vacancies in fact, which makes me suspect he's just starting out. He sounded very enthusiastic and worth a meeting.

So, if he hasn't had much experience so far, any idea how I could go about checking a) his honesty (we had a bad experience in the past with theft by agency cleaners) and b) his right to work in the UK?

Ability to do the job isn't so much of an issue because I intend being very clear about what we want, and can of course end the agreement if it's not working out. tia

I got my current cleaner because she posted on her Facebook that she was available and a friend saw it and told me about it knowing I wanted a cleaner - you could try saying that you're looking for one on your FB if you have one.

An agency I used a few years ago said that they always interviewed cleaners in their own homes to see how they kept them (wouldn't work for me, I know I'd clean someone else's house better than my own ).

As for your guy with the vacancies - new people can be keen - I gave one a 3 month trial with a fixed review point .... a couple of weeks isn't long enough. Ironically the best, most thorough cleaner I had... I couldn't keep - personality drove me nuts, she took forever as well! Good job, but at what financial and personal cost?!

If you don't like confrontation, you could say you only need a cleaner temporarily for 3 months.... easy get out at the end then!

Good luck

I would put an ad in your nearest shop/post office. See who rings up, take their details and call them back once you've got a few possibles. You will be able to tell quite a bit over the phone if you ask the right questions. Some won't give their full name, some won't have thought about references, some won't have been doing it very long.

I guess you could CRB check (not sure how you do this), but I would avoid agencies. The cleaners are poorly paid and not that good IME. I think if you pay someone a fair wage and treat them well, you shouldn't have any trouble.

Not sure about the right to work here stuff. Ask for a passport/work permit? There must be some way of finding out what's required. Alternatively, only take on someone British!

I can recommend writing a list of what you expect doing on a room by room basis and how frequently. I think it stops any misunderstandings happening. A good cleaner will be happy to take any comments on board.

Hope this is useful

Sorry I didn't post back earlier, thanks for the replies.

He's been for an interview and is coming back for a trial while I'm in the house. I followed up a personal reference, which was glowing, and he brought his documents along and left me with a photocopy. He's from the EU, so no worries about right to work here. If his work is ok, I hope to continue with him coming weekly while one of us is here.

And I've taken kwaker's advice and given a detailed list of what needs doing, room by room. So, fingers crossed it should be ok.