House Cleaners & Other Unaccompanied Visitors

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Folks,
I have house cleaners for my home, they come during the weekday when we are at work. I checked-out the company, which was referred by a friend, made sure they were licensed, insured and bonded, then checked the BBB and internet for any complaints -everything came back with high marks. The manager has always been quick to respond, even though she does not do any cleaning.

My firearms and most valuables are locked in safes, and I'm insured. I put a house key in a lockbox the morning of their scheduled visit and remove it when I get home. My dogs get put in the garage or yard when they visit, but always have free roam of the household at other times (border collie will attack unaccompanied visitors to the home, even if already familiar with them.) I also have an alarm system with monitoring.

Anything else I should be considering to minimizing potential problems?
 
Find out if it's the same person/crew who comes to your house for each visit or if they rotate. If it's the same crew, or even if it's not really, see if you can make a surprise visit home once and a while they're there to give them the impression you may return at any time even when you're supposed to be gone.
 
Sounds a little silly but "nanny cam" buy one and weather or not you actually use it the first couple of times the workers are in your home leave the box sitting on the counter or coffee table just to let them know in a subtle way that they are being watched.
 
No the point of the nanny cam is that they don't know where they are being watched.

Talk to store secrity, alot of the black domes are fakes, the have other hidden camera that cover the area and where the back dome cams would miss.

Personally I would get one of the net controlled camera bots, thenhttp://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=robot+camera&tag=googhydr-20&index=aps&hvadid=3029162961&ref=pd_sl_8xq3r77ew_b hide the nanny cams, leave the robot out with the box, tell the manager that it's for the dogs, but the kids etc. love to play with it from their phones so don't get freeked.
 
I would think about installing a second deadbolt on the door. When it's cleaning day, only lock Deadbolt A and leave that key for the crew to use. At all other times, use Deadbolt B (or both A & B) to secure your home. That way, if someone on the crew duplicates the key, or if someone else manages to access the lockbox, they only have access to Deadbolt A. You could also do this by having your doorknob and your deadbolt keyed differently. I just don't like the idea of an unknown number of strangers EVER having access to the key to my home.
 
Hmmmm....why not just clean the house yourself. Seems like an avoidable security issue.

Even if the company and employees are trustworthy, the employees may talk about your safe to others... and we all know that "loose lips sink ships".
 
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Hmmmm....why not just clean the house yourself. Seems like an avoidable security issue.
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Time value of money. Both my wife and I earn more than the cost to hire others. A cleaning crew can also do a much better job and faster than us. -About them talking to others, yes there is that threat, but there are bigger houses than mine and "weaker" looking people than myself if somebody is lining up an easy score. They are already very aware of the security, alarms, dogs and "trained" homeowner.

I like TheWarhammer's "2 locks & 2 keys" suggestion though. Thanks.
 
Sounds to me like you got it basically covered in case of someone coming in unexpectedly... if you fear the cleaners stealing from you while they are there, the nanny cam thing is a good idea.... at least you could have evidence after the fact....
 
Time value of money. Both my wife and I earn more than the cost to hire others. A cleaning crew can also do a much better job and faster than us.
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Even if you factored in your 40 or 50% total tax rate in your calculation of "time value", that value only exists if you are getting paid for the time you would otherwise be cleaning.

Strangers will go through every drawer, file cabinet and closet in your house item by item. Strangers will know every detail about the most intimate aspects of your daily life, finances, and security.
 
Let's just say that it's much cheaper to hire cleaners than to do it myself, however you want to calculate it.
Strangers will go through every drawer, file cabinet and closet in your house item by item. Strangers will know every detail about the most intimate aspects of your daily life, finances, and security.
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I'm more worried that someone will tap my liquor cabinet or get into my Cubano's...

I think that I'll have to trust their manager in knowing how long it should take a cleaning team to clean a house before they're due at the next residence. Remember that they're insured and bonded.

I'm just looking for "holes" that I need to plug in order to increase overall security.
 
Keep in mind that cleaning people have camera phones too, like everybody else. Who knows what they might take photos of for "future reference". Sorry, I don't trust 'em.

We had 'em for awhile, thank God my wife got tired of the expense and poor results. I also came home unexpectedly one day, and one of them had her kid with her, about 9-10 y.o. He was just roaming the house and getting into everything. Don't know if anything was missing, but he was into our grandson's stuff and he could have snatched video games, CD's, DVD's, etc. Terminated their services in short order.
 
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I'm just looking for "holes" that I need to plug in order to increase overall security.
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The hole is letting a stranger into your house without supervision.

If that is a risk that you are willing to take, then take it, but you must understand that it is a risk.
 
I'd go back to the premise of your dilemma ....

you allow a cleaning company to send whoever they want into your home....

Aint gonna happen in my domain!

I'd only go with someone who I know personally who cleans houses for extra income.

If you don't know anyone who's got a wife who cleans houses, I might suggest that you are restricting your social contact to include only the upper crust and have created your own dilemma.

IMHO, for all the Q.C. you actually have any real control over with a cleaning company, you might as well pull up to Home Depot at 6 a.m. and hire the first day laborer that comes to your window.
 
I face this same problem, my oldest son is disabled and he "keeps an eye" on the housekeeper. I made sure all of my firearms were secure in the safe prior to me going to Iraq. I told my wife to secure her jewelry, my son says it is still strewn all over the bathroom countertop. So bottom line, secure it or be prepared to lose it.
 
Have you ever given them your alarm codes? Can you alarm be armed and disarmed via phone?

What I would do is disarm the alarm when they go into clean. Arm it when they leave. Have them call OR set up a surveillance system in your house you can monitor by PC. Honestly, they isn't that difficult. There are some motion activated webcams and wireless webcams that can be used for this purpose.

Also, I do not know if you use a service or a person, but if it is a service make sure they are insured and tell them that you ALWAYS want the same crew, no exceptions. Tell them that you will be checking on this. Then hire a private investigator to do a back ground checks and periodic checks a few times a year. If you are using a person, do the PI bit.

Usually people have some kind of motivations to steal, such as legal trouble, medical bills or issues, etc... A good PI doing occasional checks a few times a year might be able to spot these indicators before it becomes a problem.

Rotate your code and keys every 1 year or 2 years. It isn't hard for lock smiths to come and re-key your house. The point is you don't want the maids drug whacked ex-boy friend to get some kind of bright idea. Get an unlisted / un-published number.
 
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Even when you use the same person everytime, here's something to think about, along the lines of the child that got brought along posted above.

Had a client once whose previously trustworthy housekeeper brought her boyfriend along. He stole their videocamera and their copies of their tax returns for the previous several years. Then proceeded to try and get loans or credit cards in their names. They were caught quickly, but the point is that even when you use the same person every time, you have no control over who they might bring with them when you aren't around.
 
Use a separate Maid Code on your alarm for them. Make sure any temptation is locked up. There are very good and honest service companies, but you don't want to tempt anyone. Make sure you feel comfortable with the crew they send and try to get the same ones if possible. I love the service I get from the company I use and have used them for 9 years now with no bad results.
 
Does the company do pre employment drug test and criminal background checks? If the answer is no , keep looking for a cleaning service.
 
I have a cleaning service and have had one for several years, with no problems.

However, in my case it's an individual woman, not a company. As someone else said, I MUCH prefer this setup. With a company, they can send anyone they want, and potentially many different cleaners will gain access to your home over time. With an individual, it's one person. I've had the same lady for about 3 1/2 years now, I've recommended her to friends, and I trust her. I don't think I could say the same about a company where I haven't personally met each of the employees who will have access to my house.

I'm buying a new house next week, and have thought a little about how I'll set it up for additional security (I currently rent, so I just give her a key). In the new house, I likely will have a combination lock (and preferably a biometric + combo, though I haven't priced these yet) installed on the side door to the house. That way, there's no risk of her copying the key, one of her kids taking the key etc.
 
I have this problem solved. I occasionally use a cleaning service that my friend owns. Three ladies drop by and clean my place. I hand them some cash, cool to go.

The trick is, I work from home. So, While they are here, I am here. I am also here most of the time anyway. They know I have a couple of gun safes but they have not said anything to me about them.

Have not had any problems
 
Ditto RoboDuck. I'm much more interested in the people the cleaning service would send than the management. Background checks every 3 mos. is a good idea.

But finding a friend or one lady show to do the cleaning is the ultimate.
 
I'm more worried that someone will tap my liquor cabinet or get into my Cubano's...

I think that I'll have to trust their manager in knowing how long it should take a cleaning team to clean a house before they're due at the next residence. Remember that they're insured and bonded.
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I don't mean to be a [], and I am not trying to rag on you with my response here. I will answer your question literally.

If money is no object: Then put the good booze and the good cigars into yet another gun safe. Leave a box of lower value booze and cigars by the door and let the cleaning people help themselves. In time, they will come to love you, and call you Patron. I may be dumb (my first wife often said so) but how is the insurance or the bonding going to help you in a case of identity theft? How will you go about proving that the cleaning service is the culprit?

The best secrets are the ones you don't share.

Regards,
sammy
 
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