Domestic Help in London
Domestic services are an essential part of easing the stress of a busy expat life in London.
Unless you take pleasure in cleaning your own apartment there is a good chance a cleaning service will come in handy – especially if you have housemates with varying standards of cleanliness.
Word of mouth is a great way to find a reliable cleaner, otherwise, hiring an agency is an easy way to make sure your home gets tidied in a jiffy.
Your friends and neighbours may know a cleaner that they can recommend to you. Current rates are between £8.00 - £12.00 per hour. You directly pay the cleaner as you are not going through an agency. The cleaners are responsible for paying their own taxes.
There are many London cleaning companies on the Internet offering different options. You tend to get what you pay for. You will see cleaning companies offering low cleaning rates such as £7.00 per hour but be aware this is most likely not including the agency rates that they add on top.
Agency cleaning companies can organise a one-off clean at your property when you need it. This is a good option if you want the flexibility of being able to get your property cleaned when you need it rather than being tied into having a cleaner during the same time slot every week.
Agency cleaning companies can organise weekly cleans at your property in the same time slot. They can provide more than a basic cleaning service as well as additional housekeeping duties from washing and ironing shirts every week to making sure that the property’s supply of loo rolls, bin bags and washing powder is always topped up! This service is ideal for someone who is too busy to keep on top of their basic housekeeping duties.
Nurseries are the most popular form of child care for working parents in London. They range in price from £40.00 - £100.00 a day depending on the standard of the nursery and the area of London that you live in. You can find a lot of local nurseries with a simple search on the Internet. Ofsted reports (school ratings) can be found at www.ofsted.gov.uk. You will be able to see the grades of the nursery that you intend to visit that was measured from 1 (Outstanding) to 4 (Inadequate).
Hiring a childminders is a cheaper option than employing a nanny. Childminders usually work from their homes and look after up to three children at one time. They usually charge between £4.00 - £6.00 per hour depending on the area that you live in. You can find government registered childminders by phoning your local council; they will email you a list of your local childminders, their addresses and phone numbers.
Nannies are private qualified child carers who come to your property to look after your children. It can be arranged that they live in or out of your house. Nannies that live out of your house usually charge £10.00 plus per hour depending on their qualifications and experience. The easiest way to find a nanny is to go through a nanny agency.
Au pairs are usually between 17-27 years old and their chief purpose for being in the country is to learn English and assimilate into the local culture. An au pair lives with you and should be treated as part of the family. Au pairs earn board and lodging and a small amount of money each week in return for childcare and light housework. They usually work about 25 hours a week and have two days off.
There are many London companies that organise evening babysitting with the going rate of pay between £6.00 - £10.00 per hour.
The Internet lists an assortment of plumbers, electricians and other handy men. They usually charge a call out fee of approximately £85.00, which includes the first hours work. Following the first hour they then usually charge by the half hour.
If you are looking specifically for a local plumber or a gas engineer a reliable website for service providers in your local area is www.gassaferegister.co.uk. It is a good idea to a get a few quotes for a job before deciding which person or company you want to go with as prices and availability of service providers can differ widely.
At your local DIY stores such as Home Base and B & Q you will find a notice board where local tradesmen pin up their business cards and this notice board can be a helpful server of information.
Also local handymen usually advertise in local papers and directories such as the Yellow Pages. Your neighbours also should be able to recommend someone local that they have used themselves.
If you need someone to do basic maintenance or landscaping in your garden you should look in local papers, at your local DIY shop and garden centre notice boards.
Cleaners
Unless you take pleasure in cleaning your own apartment there is a good chance a cleaning service will come in handy – especially if you have housemates with varying standards of cleanliness.Word of mouth is a great way to find a reliable cleaner, otherwise, hiring an agency is an easy way to make sure your home gets tidied in a jiffy.
Your friends and neighbours may know a cleaner that they can recommend to you. Current rates are between £8.00 - £12.00 per hour. You directly pay the cleaner as you are not going through an agency. The cleaners are responsible for paying their own taxes.
There are many London cleaning companies on the Internet offering different options. You tend to get what you pay for. You will see cleaning companies offering low cleaning rates such as £7.00 per hour but be aware this is most likely not including the agency rates that they add on top.
Agency cleaning companies can organise a one-off clean at your property when you need it. This is a good option if you want the flexibility of being able to get your property cleaned when you need it rather than being tied into having a cleaner during the same time slot every week.
Agency cleaning companies can organise weekly cleans at your property in the same time slot. They can provide more than a basic cleaning service as well as additional housekeeping duties from washing and ironing shirts every week to making sure that the property’s supply of loo rolls, bin bags and washing powder is always topped up! This service is ideal for someone who is too busy to keep on top of their basic housekeeping duties.
Childcare
Nursery
Nurseries are the most popular form of child care for working parents in London. They range in price from £40.00 - £100.00 a day depending on the standard of the nursery and the area of London that you live in. You can find a lot of local nurseries with a simple search on the Internet. Ofsted reports (school ratings) can be found at www.ofsted.gov.uk. You will be able to see the grades of the nursery that you intend to visit that was measured from 1 (Outstanding) to 4 (Inadequate).
Childminders
Hiring a childminders is a cheaper option than employing a nanny. Childminders usually work from their homes and look after up to three children at one time. They usually charge between £4.00 - £6.00 per hour depending on the area that you live in. You can find government registered childminders by phoning your local council; they will email you a list of your local childminders, their addresses and phone numbers.
Nannies
Nannies are private qualified child carers who come to your property to look after your children. It can be arranged that they live in or out of your house. Nannies that live out of your house usually charge £10.00 plus per hour depending on their qualifications and experience. The easiest way to find a nanny is to go through a nanny agency.
Au Pairs
Au pairs are usually between 17-27 years old and their chief purpose for being in the country is to learn English and assimilate into the local culture. An au pair lives with you and should be treated as part of the family. Au pairs earn board and lodging and a small amount of money each week in return for childcare and light housework. They usually work about 25 hours a week and have two days off.
Babysitters
There are many London companies that organise evening babysitting with the going rate of pay between £6.00 - £10.00 per hour.
Plumbers, Electricians, and handy men.
The Internet lists an assortment of plumbers, electricians and other handy men. They usually charge a call out fee of approximately £85.00, which includes the first hours work. Following the first hour they then usually charge by the half hour.
If you are looking specifically for a local plumber or a gas engineer a reliable website for service providers in your local area is www.gassaferegister.co.uk. It is a good idea to a get a few quotes for a job before deciding which person or company you want to go with as prices and availability of service providers can differ widely.
At your local DIY stores such as Home Base and B & Q you will find a notice board where local tradesmen pin up their business cards and this notice board can be a helpful server of information.
Also local handymen usually advertise in local papers and directories such as the Yellow Pages. Your neighbours also should be able to recommend someone local that they have used themselves.
Gardeners
If you need someone to do basic maintenance or landscaping in your garden you should look in local papers, at your local DIY shop and garden centre notice boards.
by Laura Acton of 
