Cleaner stealing

SalYo_2

My husband and I recently got married. We were given around £1,000 in cash as gifts. I put the money in an envelope in my draw shortly after the wedding. The cleaner came over the next day and that evening we noticed that the money was gone!

No-one else has been in our house since the money was there. She did not know that the money was there but we have no other choice but to assume that she took it.

We have spent 4 days absolutely tearing the house apart looking for it with no luck. The cleaner is due to come over as normal this week. She does not know that we know our money is missing and that we suspect her.

Has anyone been in this situation? What course of action should we take?

All advice welcome!!

evoke

I would put another envelope in the same drawer with a bit of money with the view of catching her in the act.

Is she through an agency? If so, contact the agency and explain what has happened and that you intend to get the police involved.

You need to be 100% sure that she took the money if you accuse her.

Sometimes temptation is too much for some people.

cyclonebri1

Police, now. But I just hope you don't find it later.

stone7

Are you 100% sure the money was in the drawer?

WantToBeSE

Before you go calling the police and getting her sacked etc, i would actually just ask her if she'd seen the envelope as you cant find it.
Nothing accusatory, just something like "there was an envelope with a large amount of money in, in the drawer. Have you seen it because it's not there and we can't find it?".
You may be able to tell from her reaction?

Also, make sure that it is DEFINITELY missing, not that your OH has put it somewhere/banked it/spent it etc.

lstar337

Would a cleaner that took £1000 really come back?

£1000 is not an amount that a homeowner would overlook if it went missing.

-taff

If she didn't know the money was there, who else did?

SalYo_2

the money was 100% in that draw.

no-one else knew the money was there except my husband who is equally and shocked and devastated.

we thought about stating the facts to her. getting her to understand that the facts would suggest that she took it and then saying that we will contact the police unless it is returned to us. so she has an opportunity to return it with no consequences. if we go straight to the police then we have nothing (for want of a better word) to threaten her with.

McKneff

There really is noting the police can do. There is no proof that she took it.

Have you asked her if she has been brining anyone with her. I found that some jewellery was missing from my box, thought I had mislaid it but found money went missing out of a change jar.
I found out that she had been bringing her 12 year old granddaughter with her and she was the one who was taking it.
Not a lot you can do to be quite honest. I don't understand why anyone would not put it in the bank within a day or two to be honest.

gazfocus

I guess the only issue is, if you confront the cleaner, there's little chance you'll ever see her or the money again. If you do as suggested above, and just ask her if she's seen it, she may think nothing of it and you can try to gauge their reaction.

McKneff

SalYo wrote: »

the money was 100% in that draw.

no-one else knew the money was there except my husband who is equally and shocked and devastated.

we thought about stating the facts to her. getting her to understand that the facts would suggest that she took it and then saying that we will contact the police unless it is returned to us. so she has an opportunity to return it with no consequences. if we go straight to the police then we have nothing (for want of a better word) to threaten her with.

Eh, of course there would be consequences, if indeed she took it and is now going to give it back, would you be daft enough to keep her on as a cleaner.

The consequence would be that she would be sacked and rightly so.

If you do the above, and she has not taken your money, I know what I would be telling you to do with your job lol

Yu have said goodbye to yur money, and if you think she has taken it, then just sack her. Not fair if she hasn't but if you cant trust her, you shouldn't employ her. simple as that.