Neighbour has cleaner? Is this allowed? Post Reply

[HenryHoover]

I am posting under another name to save my anonymity.

I have just seen my neighbour's cleaner leaving her house. Should we be having cleaners given the latest set of guidelines? I had interpreted that we should not.

I am usually of the live and let live persuasion but I am surprised at how cross I feel about this and am tempted to say something. It is slightly awkward in that the neighbour is a friend. Not sure what I should do next.

Would you say something? 

Apologies for the first world problem 
 

[Daffy]

Not sure that you aren’t allowed a cleaner.

People are encouraged to do their jobs and ones job is a cleaner then it might be ok??

I would check before you say something.

[Okitsme]

I am pretty sure the answer would be no, the whole point it to just stay home, the family with the cleaner if practising this but not the cleaner.. I wonder how many other houses they clean daily!
It’s hard as it’s their livelihood... but surely to support you continue to pay full / % to keep them ticking over during this time (if you can)

My question on this which I believe is a relevant is those that still have their live our nanny!! Still transporting germs from household to household.

[SW4Lancslass]

I would agree with the last post. We have asked both our cleaner and our live-out nanny not to come at this critical time, both for their safety and ours.

[plaits]

I would say absolutely NOT allowed.

The guidelines reiterate over and over that we should be at home with our immediate families and not seeing anyone not even friends and family. Surely we can cope with their own cleaning for a few weeks?

[dencng57]

I agree this isn't essential unless perhaps the neighbour is a key worker who may be working long, exhausting hours - in which case perhaps reasonable if it provides support to get their own vital job done for the benefit of us all.
 

[Londonista]

I think the rules simply state if your job cannot be done from home you can go to work, and your work is absolutely necessary.

Key workers were only defined for who is allowed to keep sending kids to school.

I agree it’s a bit immoral to insist your cleaner comes but I’m not sure there’s anything you can do, apart from suggest to her that it’s an unnecessary risk. Eg “aren’t you worried about her bringing the virus into your house or her catching it from you”. Perhaps you could also point out that the longer we don’t socially distance, the longer we will have to do it.

Perhaps they are SD and the cleaner is wearing protective gear. I can only hope!

We will keep paying our cleaner for at least 3 months, but she said she is still going to most of her jobs which I was shocked about.

[Redfernpsychol]

This is definitely NOT ok! What part of not allowing anyone into your family home, even close relatives, are people not understanding?

I worked for the NHS for 25 years and all my friend and former colleagues who are still slogging away to help stop the spread of this virus and save lives are absolutely fuming about the way English people, particularly the privileged ones, are struggling to give up their old ways of lives. Even when it risks the lives of others!

Please tell your neighbour politely that she must not allow her cleaner into her house. It is officially against the government advice. This is NOT a grey area.

[SRWML88]

Our neighbour in the flat above still has her workman coming in daily to do work on her empty flat. She lives elsewhere and is not concerned by the distress this causes to my husband and myself as the workman comes in through a communal area, touching the door handles, light switches, etc.,

We do not know how many other properties he visits or whether he exercises social distancing in his spare time - we feel that we are being put at risk. He is not a building site worker with other builders on an empty building. There is another flat above her where there is a young couple living but we are unsure as to their thoughts on this.

The cleaner and workman should be made to stay at home like the rest of us and not be allowed to travel around spreading their germs. It seems that there are rules that some of us have to obey and others openly flout. To protect us all and the NHS, non key workers should be responsible, respectful and stay at home!

[nvmof3]

The government guidance is clear. If your work cannot be done from home, you can still go to work. There is no qualification about how essential your work is. The only requirement is that you practice social distancing at work. Our cleaner is still coming. I have given her the option of not coming but being paid anyway but she would prefer to come. When she is here she wears a mask and gloves and when she is downstairs with we are upstairs and vice versa. She doesn’t clean for any other families as her other jobs are all in hotels which have closed and she lives alone.
I think each individual family has to make their own decisions on the risks they are prepared to take. I see no problem with this so long as the cleaner is given the option of not coming. We have also agreed that if either we or the cleaner feel that they have exposed themselves to a higher level of risk or they feel unwell then they must inform the other party so that decisions can be made as to whether to continue or not (obvs not in the case of feeling unwell).
I would go back to your Live and Let Live stance. Your friend isn’t breaking any rules and has made her own choice for her family.

[nvmof3]

PS she drives herself to our house so no risk of picking up germs on the tube or bus and she washes her hands when she arrives

[mamababa]

I would assume this is fine. My own cleaner hasn’t come for weeks as she is deemed high risk due to chronic asthma.

But I would assume her cleaner is coming to clean her house rather than sit with her on the sofa and have a cup of tea.

She would be likely keeping 2m distance at all time, also technically she can’t work from home and your neighbour’s house is her work place.

The only caveat should be that she should walk / cycle / drive herself to work as she may technically not be a key worker so she shouldn’t be using public transport.

Also her job means she is literally ridding your neighbour’s house of germs including covid so this would be a good thing.

[Kirstie’s Mom]

Cleaners are not essential so it is not really allowed but our cleaner refused to take our money without working so she comes to our house and we stay in separate rooms and actually on a separate floor. She needs the money . I am in the country for the duration and she drives to our house coming in contact with no one . So rather than have her with no funds this is what we do . As you do not know what is going on inside the house unless you are peaking in the windows , I suggest you let it go . Worry about the people congregating in parks and exercising together openly - these are the people that will cause the lock down to get worse .

[Answer42]

Are you all nuts, the government is very clear stay in an no visitors. Based on what I’ve just read we can all define ourselves as ‘cleaners’ and carry on as normal visiting friends,. Thank you for the argument I can give the Police when stopped driving to see my Mum in Lancashire, I can argue I’m her cleaner I am entitled. Get real people this is serious you should not be allowing your cleaner to visit and you should be supporting them by paying them every week until this is over.

[mamababa]

Well the government says if you can’t work from home then you can go to work as long as you keep social distancing at all times commuting and working. This is unrelated to key workers as the above posts state.

You going to your mum’s house for a social visit is unrelated to a cleaner coming to someone’s house to physically clean and rid their house of germs, and also do their work.

As I mentioned earlier, my cleaner has stopped coming for now anyway, but I wouldn’t have a problem if she wanted to continue. I would make sure she was able to come without the need for trains / tubes.

If it was my neighbour, I would leave them be, as no one knows the ins and outs of their situation or how the cleaner is commuting or working etc.