Famous last words

By mudlark • August 21st, 2008

“… but she came highly recommended,” “… she earned my total trust…”

We’ve heard it too many times. People look and look for a housekeeper they feel comfortable with. They get recommendations, use caution, maybe even do a background check. And then they hire someone and gives them keys to their house, invite the person into their life, and assume that respect and trust will be a two-way street.

It brings to mind a story from a few years ago. There was a housekeeper to the stars – she worked exclusively for celebrities and was presumably paid very well – and she was caught stealing from several of them. This is a referral-based community and she was trusted by a large number of people. Unfortunately her excuse was “I never stole from the nice celebrities.” In other words, those who weren’t ‘nice’ by her definition pushed her to steal from them. After many years of trusted service, she was found to have stolen from numerous celebrities.

There’s another type of theft appearing these days that’s even more worrisome. Home contractors, nannies, and housekeepers have been known to steal medications from their clients. At a time when prescription drugs are at a premium and healthcare costs are exorbitant, it’s no wonder that thieves have evolved into the drug trade business.

What can you do to protect yourself? Only hire insured, licensed companies. Sure, bonding sounds nice, but it’s rarely any help. What you need is general liability insurance, and you need to ask for proof of it. Any company worth working with will provide you with proof of insurance. Check out the consumer education section of the Association of Residential Cleaning Services International for more information about hiring a housekeeper. You’ll want to look at the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) and the link to Locate a cleaning service will list any cleaning service in your area that’s a member of the organization. (Hint: we’re listed there too, as Gwinnett and North Fulton’s premiere green housekeepers.)