Housekeeper
Average Salary: £28,000 - £45,000. Experience Level: Entry to Senior.What Does a Housekeeper Do?
A housekeeper's role goes well beyond basic cleaning. You are responsible for maintaining a home to the highest possible standard, often managing household inventories, coordinating with tradespeople, and ensuring everything runs smoothly behind the scenes.
Day-to-day, you might be deep-cleaning kitchens and bathrooms, managing laundry and ironing to exacting standards, preparing guest rooms, and maintaining organisation throughout the property. In larger households, you might supervise other staff or coordinate with a house manager.
The best housekeepers combine meticulous attention to detail with excellent time management. You will need to work independently, anticipate needs before they are voiced, and maintain discretion about the household you work in. It's physically demanding work, but for those who take pride in creating immaculate homes, it's genuinely rewarding.
Typical Daily Responsibilities
- Deep cleaning all areas of the property to exceptional standards
- Laundry management including delicate fabrics and specialist garments
- Ironing and wardrobe organisation
- Kitchen cleaning and organisation
- Bathroom deep cleaning and maintenance
- Bed making and linen management
- General household organisation and tidying
- Restocking household supplies
- Coordinating with tradespeople when necessary
- Preparing rooms for guests
Key Role Requirements
- Experience: Minimum 2 years in professional housekeeping, ideally in private households or luxury hospitality
- References: Excellent verifiable references from previous employers
- Background check: Enhanced DBS check (we can arrange this if needed)
- Attention to detail: Proven ability to maintain exceptional standards consistently
- Discretion: Understanding of confidentiality and professional boundaries
Desirable Skills
- Full UK driving licence
- Experience with specialist cleaning techniques (marble, antiques, fine fabrics)
- Knowledge of laundry care for delicate and luxury items
- Basic cooking skills
- First aid certification
- Flexibility to accommodate varied schedules
Personal Qualities
Beyond technical skills, successful housekeepers share certain characteristics:
- Pride in their work and genuine satisfaction from high standards
- Self-motivation and ability to work independently
- Excellent time management and organisational skills
- Professional demeanour and clear boundaries
- Physical fitness (the role is physically demanding)
- Adaptability to different household routines
For Employers
Hiring a Housekeeper: What You Need to Know
What Makes an Exceptional Housekeeper?
The difference between an adequate housekeeper and an exceptional one often comes down to attitude rather than skill. Technical ability can be taught, but pride in one's work, discretion, and reliability cannot.
When we recruit housekeepers for our clients, we look beyond the CV. We want to understand how someone approaches their work, how they handle unexpected situations, and whether they genuinely take satisfaction from maintaining a beautiful home.
Typical Hiring Timeline
We recommend starting your search 4-6 weeks before you need someone to begin. This allows time for:
- Initial consultation to understand your requirements
- Candidate sourcing and vetting (1-2 weeks)
- Interviews and trial days (1-2 weeks)
- Reference checking and DBS clearance (1-2 weeks)
- Notice period for successful candidate (typically 1-4 weeks)
Trial Days and Probation
Most successful placements include a paid trial day before making a formal offer. This allows both you and the candidate to ensure it's the right fit. We also recommend a 3-month probation period for permanent roles, giving both parties the opportunity to confirm the arrangement works long-term.
Setting Clear Expectations
The most successful employer-housekeeper relationships are built on clarity from day one. Consider:
- Specific duties and standards expected
- Working hours and flexibility requirements
- House rules and boundaries (particularly for live-in roles)
- Performance review schedule
- Communication preferences
- Additional responsibilities that might arise
For Candidates
Succeeding as a Housekeeper
How to Stand Out from Other Candidates
In a competitive market, certain things consistently make candidates stand out to employers:
- Attention to detail in your application: If your CV has typos or poor formatting, employers assume your housekeeping will be similar
- Specific examples in interviews: Don't just say you are thorough—describe your cleaning routine or how you organise a linen cupboard
- Professional presentation: First impressions matter. Arrive on time, dress appropriately, be polite
- Ask intelligent questions: Show you have thought about the role and what it involves
- Flexibility: Households aren't 9-5 operations. Demonstrating reasonable flexibility is valuable
- References that tell a story: Two excellent references trump five mediocre ones
Interview Tips
Housekeeper interviews often include practical elements. You might be asked to:
- Describe how you would approach cleaning a specific room
- Explain your laundry process for delicate items
- Discuss how you would handle a spillage on an expensive rug
- Talk through your typical daily routine
- Explain how you prioritise when there is more work than time
Come prepared with examples from previous roles. Employers want to see that you think methodically about your work and take pride in problem-solving.
Your CV Should Include:
- Clear career history: Dates, property types, responsibilities
- Specific skills: Laundry techniques, specialist cleaning experience, any additional duties
- References: At least two, with full contact details
- Certifications: First aid, food hygiene, any relevant training
- Why you are looking: Brief explanation of why you're seeking a new position
- Notice period: How soon you could start
- Preferences: Live-in vs daily, full-time vs part-time, location preferences
Housekeeper Recruitment FAQs
Cleaning is one element of housekeeping, but housekeeping encompasses much more including laundry management, household organisation, inventory management, coordinating with tradespeople, and maintaining a property to exacting standards day-to-day. Professional housekeepers are skilled at maintaining a home, not just cleaning it.
Not necessarily. Many roles are daily positions where you arrive in the morning and leave in the evening. Live-in roles do exist, particularly in country estates or where employers want 24/7 coverage, but it's very much dependent on the specific position.
Experience from luxury hotels, cruise ships, or high-end serviced accommodation transfers well to private households. What matters is demonstrable high standards, good references, and understanding of discretion and professional boundaries. We can help you position your experience appropriately.
Very. Housekeeping involves being on your feet most of the day, reaching, bending, lifting, and repetitive movements. You need to be physically fit. Most housekeepers walk 10,000+ steps daily and regularly lift loads of washing, move furniture, and work at height (changing curtains, cleaning high windows).
Statutory holiday allowance is 28 days including bank holidays. Many private household positions offer more, 30-35 days is not unusual, particularly in senior roles. Holiday planning typically requires coordination with the household schedule, especially if you are the only housekeeper.
Generally no. Private households expect your full attention on maintaining their home. Some employers might be flexible about school holidays if accommodation allows, but this would be negotiated individually, not a standard expectation.
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