How to Hire a Household Manager
When a household becomes difficult to manage alongside work and family life, employing someone to oversee its day-to-day running can make a significant difference. You may have several members of household staff, regular contractors, a busy family schedule or more than one property that needs attention.
A household manager, sometimes called a house manager, takes responsibility for coordinating these moving parts. Their role is to keep the household organised and deal with many of the practical matters that would otherwise fall to you.
If you want to hire a house manager, it helps to first decide exactly what you want them to take responsibility for. This guide from the household staffing experts at Nannies Matter explains what a household manager does, when you may need one and what to look for when choosing the right person for your home.
What Does a Household Manager Do?
A household manager oversees the day-to-day organisation of a private household. Rather than focusing on one specific task, their role is usually to coordinate the people, schedules and practical work needed to keep the home running as you expect.
The house manager's role will vary depending on the size of the property and the needs of the family. Typical duties can include:
- Managing and coordinating other household staff
- Organising household and staff schedules
- Booking and overseeing property maintenance
- Managing contractors and repairs
- Keeping track of household supplies
- Organising events and preparing the home for guests
- Carrying out administrative duties
- Managing agreed household budgets
- Coordinating work between multiple properties
- Making sure regular household tasks are completed
A manager working in a smaller household may take a more hands-on role. In larger estates, they may spend more time overseeing other staff, arranging maintenance and making sure everything is completed to the family's requirements.
How Do You Know When You Need a House Manager?
You may benefit from a house manager when organising your home starts to require more time and attention than you can give it.
For example, you may find yourself regularly arranging repairs, checking staff schedules, speaking to contractors and keeping track of jobs around the property. None of these tasks may be particularly difficult on their own, but together they can take up a considerable amount of time.
Hiring a household manager may make sense if:
- You employ several members of household staff who need coordinating.
- You regularly use contractors and maintenance services.
- Your work or family schedule leaves little time for household administration.
- You have a larger property that requires ongoing oversight.
- You own multiple properties.
- You entertain regularly or need support with event planning.
- You would prefer one person to take responsibility for the overall organisation of the home.
You do not need to live on a large estate to benefit from support. A busy family in a single residence may simply want someone dependable to take responsibility for the practical running of the household.
If you are still deciding which role would provide the right support, understanding the different types of household staff can help you separate household management from more specialised domestic roles.
Do You Need a Household Manager, Housekeeper or Nanny Housekeeper?
The right role depends on whether you need someone to manage the household or carry out particular duties within it.
A household manager has overall responsibility for organisation. They may supervise staff, oversee property maintenance, manage schedules and deal with contractors on the family's behalf.
A professional housekeeper, by comparison, is primarily responsible for the upkeep of the home. Their duties may include cleaning, laundry, ironing and other practical household tasks.
Families that need a combination of childcare and domestic support may instead be better suited to a nanny housekeeper. This role combines care of the children with agreed housekeeping duties during the working day.
In a larger household, these roles can also work alongside one another. A household manager might oversee housekeepers, nannies, chefs or other staff rather than carrying out each of their duties personally.
Should You Hire a Live-In or Live-Out House Manager?
Both live-in and live-out house managers can provide effective household management. The right arrangement depends on how much support you require, the hours involved and whether suitable accommodation is available.
Live-In House Manager
A live-in house manager lives at the property in accommodation provided by the family.
This arrangement can suit larger estates, properties with extensive maintenance requirements or households where responsibilities sometimes fall outside standard working hours. It may also be useful where the manager oversees several staff members and needs a consistent presence at the residence.
Living at the property does not mean the manager is permanently on duty. Their working hours, private accommodation and time off will still need to be clearly agreed and are subject to legal requirements.
Live-Out House Manager
A live-out house manager works agreed hours before returning to their own home.
This may suit families whose requirements are concentrated within the working week. A live-out manager can oversee staff, arrange repairs, manage schedules and deal with the day-to-day administration of the property without remaining on-site overnight.
The decision should be based on the role itself rather than assuming that one arrangement provides a higher level of service.
What Should You Look for When Hiring a House Manager?
The right house manager needs more than good organisational skills. They will often have significant access to your home, schedules and private family life, so judgement, discretion and reliability matter just as much.
When hiring a house manager, look for someone with:
- Relevant experience working in a private household
- Strong organisational and schedule-management skills
- Experience managing household staff
- Confidence dealing with contractors and maintenance work
- Good communication skills
- The ability to work independently
- Discretion and respect for family privacy
- Experience relevant to your property and household setup
- Strong references from previous employers
Some households will also require specialist skills. These might include experience managing smart home systems, coordinating multiple properties or overseeing a larger estate.
The best candidate will understand when they can deal with something themselves and when they should involve you. A capable manager will be able to reduce the amount of household administration reaching you without needing close supervision.
What Should You Agree Before You Hire a House Manager?
Define the role before beginning the hiring process. Household manager positions can differ significantly, so candidates need a clear picture of what you expect.
Consider what you need from the role in terms of:
- The household manager’s main duties and areas of responsibility
- Normal working hours
- Whether the position is live-in or live-out
- Which household staff they will manage
- Their authority to arrange repairs and instruct contractors
- Any household budget they will be responsible for
- Event-planning responsibilities
- Whether they will oversee one property or several
- Any travel requirements
- Confidentiality expectations
- Salary and other employment terms
Pay will vary depending on the responsibilities involved, the candidate's experience, the working hours and whether accommodation forms part of the position. A household manager responsible for several employees and multiple properties will usually have a very different role from someone managing a smaller family home.
Being specific at this stage also makes it easier to identify candidates with the right experience. This process takes a lot of work, so if you would rather an experienced team take on the finding and shortlisting of candidates for you to interview, get in touch with Nannies Matter. We will be happy to help you.
How Do You Hire the Right Household Manager?
Hiring the right household manager starts with understanding what your family actually needs from the role.
A sensible process is to:
- Define the duties you want the manager to take responsibility for.
- Decide which skills and previous experience are essential.
- Set the working hours according to legal maximums and choose between a live-in or live-out arrangement.
- Identify candidates with relevant private household experience.
- Check employment history, references and other relevant background information.
- Interview shortlisted candidates to assess both their experience and their fit with your household.
- Agree the role, salary, working arrangements and responsibilities before employment begins.
Fit is particularly important in private household recruitment. A candidate may have excellent experience but still not suit the way your family prefers its home to be run.
Nannies Matter's matching process starts by getting to know each family and understanding the working environment, duties and type of person they are looking for. This allows us to focus our search on suitable candidates rather than presenting families with large numbers of CVs to sort through themselves.
Find a Household Manager With Nannies Matter
Nannies Matter has been helping families recruit nannies and other household staff since the early 2000s. We work closely with each family to understand how their household runs before looking for candidates who meet their requirements.
Whether you need a hands-on house manager for a busy family home or an experienced household manager to oversee staff and a larger property, we can help you define the position and search for suitable candidates.
We recruit household staff across London and the Home Counties, including Surrey, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire. See the full areas we cover.
To discuss hiring a household manager, call Nannies Matter on 07736 337065 or complete our online contact form.