# Having a maid in Houston



## pericolo (Jul 29, 2013)

Hi,
We live in Singapore about to relocate to Houston.
In Singapore we have a maid living with us, which is quite affordable here for expats.
I wonder if in Houston it is normal to have a maid for expats with family.
In Singapore is quite common that she lives in your house, is it also the normal thing there or would it be more like a maid that comes for a number of hours every day?

And also how much does it cost there?

Thanks


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## BBCWatcher (Dec 28, 2012)

It is not at all common in the U.S. to have a live in housekeeper. (Housekeeper would be the preferred term in the U.S.)

According to this source live in housekeepers in the U.S. earn in the range of US$35,000 to $60,000 per year plus room and board. It's also common for employers to provide Internet access, pay for the housekeeper's mobile phone (partly to maintain contact with the housekeeper), and medical insurance. You must pay your housekeeper's Social Security and Medicare payroll taxes. As with Singapore, it is illegal to hire housekeepers in the U.S. who are ineligible to work in the U.S. It would be wise to maintain adequate insurance coverage that specifically covers your housekeeper and any possible mishaps. If you expect your housekeeper to drive for you you'll need to make sure he/she is covered under your car insurance policy.


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## twostep (Apr 3, 2008)

Our pearl (cleaning only) charges 250/day/cash. Does a decent job.


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## bellakem (May 20, 2012)

Yep..BBC Watcher is correct, only in addition, the employer usually provided a car as well for the housekeeper. Saw that a lot when l lived in L.A and it was mostly rich folks/actors that had such a setup. In Houston, we paid $100 per day regular cleaning...and $210/ day for deep cleaning ( base boards, ceiling fans,laundry) etc for a 3200 sq ft house.


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## BBCWatcher (Dec 28, 2012)

I hesitated to mention the car since "it depends." Reasonable use of one of the household's cars is usually workable.

Non-live in housekeeping is much more common, yes. But most U.S. households do not employ either live in or part time housekeepers.


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## Newyorkaise (Nov 30, 2010)

I would agree that it is uncommon for the typical U.S. household to have live-in help, with perhaps the exception of nannies in two-earner or upper-middle/upper-income families (and even that seems to have regional variations).

On the other hand, in my experience most professionals, singles and couples alike, and in both urban and suburban locales, have their homes cleaned regularly by either an individual (usually hired on the recommendation of friends) or a commercial cleaning service. Whether that's once or twice a week or as little as once a month depends on the situation. The cost varies by both region and duties.

Of my friends who have spent time in places where live-in help is the norm, no one has hired live-in help upon returning here to the US.


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## BBCWatcher (Dec 28, 2012)

Most U.S. households are not like yours.


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## twostep (Apr 3, 2008)

BBCWatcher said:


> Most U.S. households are not like yours.


Can you elaborate?


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## BBCWatcher (Dec 28, 2012)

That was primarily a joke. No two households are completely identical.

More seriously, the statement "most U.S. households do not hire housekeepers" (live in or otherwise) is factually correct. Exact statistics are hard to come by, but roughly 80% of U.S. households do not hire housekeepers.

Even more seriously, there's a growing problem in the U.S. (and in many other countries). Many comparatively well-to-do people are losing what understanding they had about how less well-to-do people actually live. That's a direct result of lower rates of social mobility and higher rates of income disparity.

That's not a criticism, but I think it's important to be firmly grounded in reality. If you look around and see most or all of your peer group in the U.S. hiring housekeepers, your peers are not representative of the U.S. population as a whole. It's not a bad thing to be special and privileged -- not at all -- but not realizing that fact _might_ be a problem.


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## twostep (Apr 3, 2008)

Well, the reality in my point of view is that my cleaning lady has a steady income and I do not have to scrub floors. 
Back to OP's question. It is highly unlikely for her to have live-in help unless she is able to pay adequate wages. One option is Au-Pair. Contractual agreements with authorized agencies set working/living conditions plus college credit hours. It works if her focus is to have someone in the house to keep an eye on children and help out. Otherwise "word of mouth" is the key to a good pearl. A good and reliable cleaning lady gets pampered and paid well.


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## Davis1 (Feb 20, 2009)

...


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## BBCWatcher (Dec 28, 2012)

By the way, "pearl" is not a term commonly understood among American English speakers in this context. I recommend sticking with "housekeeper" or perhaps "domestic help/helper" slightly more generally. "Maid" is getting a bit antiquated nowadays since it's gender specific.


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