Self-Employed Cleaner - Would You?

coupleuk

I could do with some feedback please - especially from anyone who has experience of cleaning hotel rooms !!

Would YOU consider a self-employed cleaning job?

I'm thinking of operating a hotel and don't want (if I'm honest) the hassle of employing staff - holidays, tax, NI, sickness, lateness and seasonal changes etc.

So, I was looking at offering my room cleaning to 1 or 2 people on a self-employed basis......

Payment of £5.50 per room to clean a double room and en-suite and change linen/towels. I'm working on 45mins per room.

That would work out at £7.33 per hour (local cleaners earn between NMW and £6.50ph).

In the winter months, it may only be 2hrs per day but at the height of the season it could well be 6hrs+ per day.

The self-employed staff could work 21 hours per week before they had to worry about paying tax/NI - which would probably even out to that if you allow for quiet winter and busy summer.

Anyway, what are your thoughts? - especially those who have cleaned hotel rooms before.

We aren't talking City Centre locations here, just a quiet seaside town.

Thanks

MX5huggy

It's unlikely HMRC would agree with your tax dodging plan.

See http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/MoneyTaxAndBenefits/Taxes/WorkingAndPayingTax/DG_4015975

Annisele

coupleuk wrote: »

I'm thinking of operating a hotel and don't want (if I'm honest) the hassle of employing staff - holidays, tax, NI, sickness, lateness and seasonal changes etc.

So if they're self employed, they're never sick/late/on holiday/finding a better gig at short notice?

I don't think your plan will actually help you - and as MX5huggy says, HMRC isn't likely to be keen.

northerntwo1

My cleaner is self employed and I pay £12.50 per hour for a much less strenuous task of running the hover.

This fee covers their insurance, their travel to my home, their holiday pay, their on costs.

I think you'd find it hard pushed to find anyone to work for what is in essence under minimum wage with no job security that would show any form of loyalty.

You'd be better off asking for someone on a zero hour contract at say £10 per hour. You may get some mums wanting money around school hours, or a mature lady wishing to pick up some spends.

blossomhill_2

or a man ...

TrickyWicky

MX5huggy wrote: »

It's unlikely HMRC would agree with your tax dodging plan.

See http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/MoneyTaxAndBenefits/Taxes/WorkingAndPayingTax/DG_4015975

Doesn't look like tax dodging to me if the op doesn't want to run a HR operation and just offer the work on a SE basis. It's down to the SE'd person to deal with their own tax.

heretolearn_2

You can't just decide 'oh I can't be fagged to be an employer, i'll say it's self employed'. Someone is employed or self employed according to those criteria, it's not down to the employers discretion.

Do they work on a self employed basis doing cleaning elsewhere?
Could they send someone else to do their work?
Will they provide their own equipment such as hoovers, mops and cleaning materials?
Can they pick and choose their own hours?
And so on (see the link above).

If not, they are employees and the OP would be evading their legal responsibilities as an employer.and could get in trouble with the HMRC.

MX5huggy

TrickyWicky wrote: »

Doesn't look like tax dodging to me if the op doesn't want to run a HR operation and just offer the work on a SE basis. It's down to the SE'd person to deal with their own tax.

It's not up to the OP to choose to do HR if the cleaner supplies their own tools & materials (unlikely). Chooses when to work (unlikely hotel guests don't like being ejected at 8 am to change the beds.. Etc the ok they might be SE but the OP just wants to save tax. And then there's this http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/manuals/esmmanual/ESM4018.htm

TrickyWicky

coupleuk wrote: »

don't want (if I'm honest) the hassle of employing staff

Nothing mentioned about tax avoidance, op just doesn't want the responsibility of dealing with employing people directly and dealing with the people as a boss.

heretolearn wrote: »

You can't just decide 'oh I can't be fagged to be an employer, i'll say it's self employed'. Someone is employed or self employed according to those criteria, it's not down to the employers discretion.

It is if you agree to it. My last job I worked purely for one company, couldn't choose my shifts (ok I could pick days but not shifts), couldn't send someone else to cover me etc. Despite this, I was self employed.

MX5huggy wrote: »

And then there's this http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/manuals/esmmanual/ESM4018.htm

Which says:

If there is no contract of service, the worker is treated as an employed earner under the above Regulations when employed as a cleaner of

If someone takes the work on a SE basis then a contract is formed either verbally or in writing.

sniggings

sorry but if you can't be ars...bothered to deal with staffing, I can't see how you will cope running a hotel.

Notmyrealname

coupleuk wrote: »

I'm thinking of operating a hotel and don't want (if I'm honest) the hassle of employing staff

Find something else to do if that is your attitude. You cannot avoid hiring staff and as others have said, it wouldn't qualify for self employment. And as it is a seaside resort be very aware that the DWP and HMRC do a lot of checks of staff to see if everything is above board so you won't get away with it for long.