My husband and I (HOs) are at odds as to who should pay our regular cleaner during the house sit. Should we give the house sitters the option to have the cleaner come in and they pay or do we just assume they will want the cleaner to come and we pay as usual?
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We have had cleaners coming only a couple of times, often they would come at the beginning or at the end of the sit. Only twice we had the situation that a cleaner would come in the middle of our stay. The HOs asked if it would be OK if a cleaner would come and they paid themselves (we didn’t really need or want this service). PS: If it’s a major expense for you and sth you need to think about, it’s fine to not let the cleaner come, but I wouldn’t ask the sitter to pay (unless you have no animals to care for).
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In my experience, the HO has always paid.
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Just ask the sitters what they prefer. If they are ok with the cleaner coming, then in my opinion, the home owner should continue to pay for it.
If they don’t, then tell them it’s their ‘task’ to keep everything clean to your standards.
Or if you hesitate, let the cleaner come at the end of their stay, that’s probably the most beneficial to everyone.
We had a few cleaners & gardeners and really didn’t mind. As sitters it’s a nice way to interact with locals.
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I had great fun with the ladies that came on my long term sit. We would sit and have coffee and chat a bit after they were done.
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We have had cleaners on many sittings. The HO has always paid.
Sometimes the HO asks us if we still want the cleaner to visit.
I see what @anon36831737 has written about letting the sitter know the duties - we have never been asked to do this. Usually the cleaner knows what is to be done or the HO has left a note for them.
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We have never paid for the cleaner, if the HO wants to give them unusual deep clean jobs that’s fine by us.
I do think considering the cleaner and their income is important too
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@Amparo We did 8 months over 3 sits at same house in Mexico and had a fabulous cleaning lady… she became our Spanish teacher as well at the end of her shift 
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My long term repeat HOs have a team of two Mexican ladies who have also now become friends! We even text each other in between sits to catch up. I enjoy hearing the stories of their lives and they are amazed at the photos and stories of my adventures.
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Thanks all for prompt response - all very helpful to us newbie HOs
Yes that’s my view too i.e. our lovely cleaner appreciated the income
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Great question and good awareness. Many housekeepers have been impacted during these recent times with many cancellations.
I’m one of those people who cleans before the cleaner arrives so they don’t think I’m an untidy slob. I really dislike watching someone else clean up my mess and I have never paid for this service.
It makes sense for the cleaner to arrive the day the sitter is leaving but not necessary in my opinion. If you have to pay a retainer to keep the cleaner I understand they will come on their usual day to clean. I would make myself scarce that day.
Cleaning and laundry is part of my side of the deal.
Elsie
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We do the same, haha. We always clean and tidy everything before the cleaner comes.
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Personally, we prefer not to have cleaners during our stay but am always aware that the cleaner should not lose their income on our say. So we always agree to them continuing as per normal - the home host pays
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We’re currently on a house sit where the homeowner has a cleaner and we were asked if we’d like the cleaner to come in. I said it wasn’t necessary unless they felt obligated to their cleaner. We’ve done other sits where there has been cleaners and the homeowners have always paid.
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Thanks for advice
Thanks for advice
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I would never pay for a cleaner. We pride ourselves on leaving the home spotless, as our references testify.
We dont charge for pet minding/dog walking/security either.
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Hi, @JenWren. Thanks for asking this question! It looks like you have been given solid advice and a few different perspectives. I always ask my sitters if they are okay having a cleaning team come in. Regardless of their decision, I always pay our cleaners.
As @anon36831737 said, I also let my sitters know what the cleaning team will be doing and won’t be doing. This is so driven by individual preferences and cultural norms, and I have learned a lot reading others’ posts here (like the housekeeping team’s making the dog’s food–wow!).
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