When one hires a maid to clean their home or office, they are basically permitting a stranger access to their personal items. For this reason, you must ask the right questions to make sure that you end up hiring an honest and reliable maid. The first place to start is asking friends and acquaintances for their experiences with maids or maid services. You will then want to make a list of what you expect a maid to do, and how often. You will want to know what the current rates are for various cleaning services, and whether you will need additional homeowner's insurance. If you are hiring an independent maid on contract, find out what the tax implications are, what must be deducted from the pay, and how you file those taxes. Check with the federal and local tax offices to determine what your responsibilities are as an employer.
If you are hiring a maid through an agency, you will want to know how long they have been in business, ask for referrals of current clients, and whether their maids are insured and bonded. Do they guarantee their services? Has the agency performed background checks on its maids? Does the agency train its maids? Will the agency send the same person every time, or is a team coming in to do the job? If it's a team, is there a team leader or supervisor on-site?
When speaking to previous clients, inquire about reliability, promptness, attitude, and how satisfied the other person is with the work performed. Ask whether the agency provides cleaning equipment and supplies. Many are complete services, bringing their own vacuums, mops and pails as well as rags, cleaners and polishes. You may have preferences for green products; find out if these are available.
Be certain of the charges, based on the tasks you want performed, and the size of your home, whether you are hiring a maid privately or through an agency. Other questions you will want to ask are whether there is a fee charged if you cancel the maid service for a week or month because of illness or holiday. You will also want to be clear whether you will be expected to be home to let the maid in, or whether you can make arrangements to leave a key. Ask whether the maid is comfortable with pets as some people are allergic or uneasy around dogs or cats.
When interviewing a new maid, whether from an agency or independent, some questions will concern the methods for dealing with common tasks and if you have items that require special care such as oriental carpets or antique furniture you will want to know how they will be treated. Make sure that you are clear about how to clean these items. You may also discuss special requests, such as cooking occasionally or taking care of pets when necessary. Observe how the children interact with the maid, and her response to them. If the maid is not a native English speaker, are you able to communicate well enough?
Whether you go with an independent maid, or a service, being clear about your needs and expectations at the start will help foster a good long-term relationship. Asking the right questions will ensure that you have a hired a professional and quality maid.
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House cleaning can become quite hectic. Maid Service Toronto and cleaning services Oakville are available to ease your burden of chores. Cleaning services Toronto have helped out many families before.
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