HOW TO HIRE · PERSONAL & LIFESTYLE

How to hire a house manager in the UK
The checks, the questions and the paperwork.

No register applies to house managers in the UK, but hiring one usually makes you an employer. Here are the duties, the checks and what to ask.

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THE 60-SECOND VERSION

Hiring a house manager in five steps

  1. Decide: employee, agency or contractorMost house managers are employees; that makes you an employer.
  2. Check the right to workUse gov.uk's service to see which documents prove it.
  3. Register for PAYE before the first paydayWith HMRC, if you employ them directly.
  4. Pay at least the minimum wage£12.71 an hour for workers aged 21 and over from April 2026.
  5. Get Employers' Liability insurancegov.uk says employers need it as soon as they employ someone.

BEFORE YOU BOOK

Check before you book

No register applies

Running a private household is not a licensed job in England, Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland, and house managers have no register. The legal checks come from employment law, not a register. No law requires a house manager to hold one. Someone working running your home and staff can request their own basic check — DBS in England and Wales, a Level 1 disclosure from Disclosure Scotland, or an AccessNI basic check in Northern Ireland — and show it to you.

Take references from previous households, by phone. Ask to see a recent certificate in their name. gov.uk →

Right to work check

Section 15 of the Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Act 2006 penalises employing someone who has no right to do the work, and a proper check before they start is the employer's excuse. gov.uk's service shows which documents are accepted, or you can check a share code online.

Run the check before the first day and keep a copy. gov.uk →

PAYE and the minimum wage (HMRC)

If you employ a house manager directly, gov.uk says you must register as an employer with HMRC before the first payday, and pay at least the legal minimum — for workers 21 and over that is £12.71 an hour from April 2026.

Register for PAYE and run payroll, or have an agency or payroll service do it. gov.uk →

Employers' Liability insurance

gov.uk says an employer must get Employers' Liability insurance from an authorised insurer as soon as they become an employer, and display the certificate. The page lists exceptions for close family members and employees based outside England, Scotland and Wales.

Ask your insurer or broker; check the insurer on the FCA register. gov.uk →

VAT

A house manager supplied by a business is a standard-rated service, so the firm adds 20% to the day rate or fee once registered. An agency over the £90,000 threshold must charge VAT on its placement fee and show it separately.

Ask the agency or firm for its VAT number, and for VAT shown apart from the day rate or the placement fee. gov.uk →

“Have you worked as a house manager in a household like ours?”

A good answer: Names of previous households and permission to ring them.

“Will you be employed by us or through an agency?”

A good answer: A clear arrangement, so you know who runs payroll and who is the employer.

“What documents can you show for the right to work check?”

A good answer: Documents on gov.uk's list, or a share code.

“How would you manage other house staff and contractors?”

A good answer: Rotas, briefs, checks on their work and their paperwork.

“How does a house manager handle household spending and accounts?”

A good answer: A budget, receipts, monthly reconciliation.

“Live-in or live-out, and what hours for the house manager?”

A good answer: Clear hours, time off and on-call arrangements in the contract.

“What notice would you give, and need?”

A good answer: A set period in the contract.

Getting the quote right

  • Salary or day rate, hours and overtime
  • Live-in or live-out terms and accommodation
  • Agency fee, if through an agency
  • Holiday, sick pay and pension, as an employer's costs
  • Expenses and household budget arrangements
  • Notice period and probation
  • Who actually attends: the house manager you interviewed, or cover sent on their days off, and whether they are employed by the firm or subcontracted
  • The firm's or agency's VAT number, with VAT shown apart from the day rate and the agency fee

Walk away if

  • Asked to pay cash with no payroll
  • No right to work documents
  • No references from previous households
  • Unclear who the employer is
  • Household spending with no receipts
  • No written contract

KNOW WHAT TO LOOK FOR? NOW FIND ONE

House managers near you, with the badges that matter shown

ID checked, trader status and one score from every review — on the card, before you message anyone. Nearest first. No account needed to look.

Or post the job free and let them come to you.

  1. Define the roleDuties, hours, live-in or out, staff to manage.
  2. RecruitInterview, references, right to work check.
  3. Set up as employerPAYE registration, insurance, contract.
  4. Start and probationHandover, budget, regular reviews.
  5. OngoingPayroll each month, accounts checked, contract reviewed yearly.

PAYE
Pay As You Earn — the system for paying an employee's tax through payroll.
Right to work check
Checking documents that show someone may work in the UK.
Employers' Liability insurance
Cover for claims by employees hurt or made ill at work.
National Living Wage
The minimum hourly pay for workers aged 21 and over.
Live-in
Staff who live in the household's accommodation.
Probation
An early trial period in the contract.

AFTER

When the job is done

Keep the employment paperworkContract, right to work check copy, payroll records, insurance certificate.
Review after probationHours, duties and pay against the contract.
Check household accountsMonthly, against receipts.
Leave the reviewSay how how the household was run went: only booked jobs carry reviews. Under four stars, you can send the problem to them first to put right.

STEP 1Write to the house manager firstDescribe the problem with the work, the date, and the fix you want. Because every service contract carries a term of reasonable care and skill under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, you can require a free repeat or a cut in the price.
STEP 2Ask Locufy to help put it rightWhen you score a booked house manager below four stars, you choose whether the house manager sees the problem first. We follow it through, then you review.
STEP 3Employment advice, or a trader disputeIf the house manager is your employee, a dispute is an employment matter, not a consumer one. If they trade as a business, Trading Standards is reached through Citizens Advice on 0808 223 1133 in England and Wales, Advice Direct Scotland on 0808 800 9060, or Consumerline on 0300 123 6262 in Northern Ireland.
STEP 4Small claims, as a last stepIf the house manager still will not refund or put it right, a small claim needs no solicitor: £10,000 is the limit in England and Wales, £5,000 for simple procedure in Scotland, £5,000 in Northern Ireland.

Hiring a house manager: questions people ask

Managing a household needs no licence in any UK nation.

Usually, if you employ them directly. gov.uk says you must register for PAYE with HMRC before the first payday, pay at least the minimum wage and get Employers' Liability insurance.

Yes, as their employer. gov.uk's service shows which documents are accepted.

No UK publisher prices house managers, so there is no reliable figure to quote. Most are on a salary or day rate set by the household and the role; ask for written terms from candidates or agencies.

No law requires one for a private household. A candidate can request their own basic check — DBS, Disclosure Scotland or AccessNI.

An agency may act as employer and run payroll, for a fee; direct hire makes you the employer.

MORE GUIDES

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House managers near you

House managers in LondonHouse managers in ManchesterHouse managers in BirminghamHouse managers in GlasgowHouse managers in BelfastAll house managers on Locufy →

Sources — checked October 2026

  1. gov.uk — check a job applicant's right to work
  2. Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Act 2006, section 15 — penalty for employing someone without the right to work
  3. gov.uk — register as an employer
  4. gov.uk — National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage rates
  5. gov.uk — Employers' Liability insurance
  6. gov.uk — employment status: self-employed and contractor
  7. gov.uk — request a basic DBS check
  8. mygov.scot — Level 1 (basic) disclosure
  9. nidirect — apply online for a basic check (AccessNI)
  10. Citizens Advice — more help with a consumer issue
  11. gov.uk — make a court claim for money: court fees
  12. VAT rates — VAT rates for goods and services: standard rate 20% on most goods and services
  13. GOV.UK — Register for VAT: when to register