Finding, and keeping, good reliable domestic support is no easy task. Social historians point out that not since the Victorian era has the demand for butlers, housekeepers, nannies and the ensuing retinue of household staff been so high. It is not just the rising number of wealthy individuals that is to blame for the acute shortage, but also the growth of two-breadwinner households.

Time starved couples have been increasingly choosing nannies over nurseries for their children, in an effort to maximise the time they get to spend with them. Nannies, after all, not only provide more one on one attention, but they also cut out time at the start and end of each day which would be swallowed up getting to and from a nursery.

Equally when one, or both, of you is working long hours, what you want to come home to is a clean, tidy, well stocked home with a garden you can just step out into and enjoy. Below we run through the things you will have to consider when hiring domestic help, and some of the costs involved.

Become an employer?

Firstly it is important to consider whether you want to be an employer or if you want to use staff employed by a third party agency. If you opt for the former you should be aware that you will have legal and tax responsibilities, as in UK law you be deemed to be a micro employer.

You are considered to be a micro employer if:

• You have to find work for the individual, and dictate what they do and how it is done, even if they carry out the work unsupervised
• You pay them a set amount on regular basis rather than an agreed sum for a particular job
• You provide the equipment they use (vacuum cleaner, washing machine, etc)
• You have to find someone else to do their work when they are sick

As a micro employer under UK law you are responsible for ensuring the following according to Citizens Advice:

1) Checking their eligiblity to work in the UK. This can be done through the  Home Office or by calling 0845 010 66707.

2) Ensuring they have a had a criminal records check if they will be looking after children. This can be done through the  Criminal Records Bureau or in Scotland through Disclosure Scotland . Even if you hired a nanny through an agency it is important to check this has been done.

3) Giving at least 24 days paid holiday a year (including bank holidays).

4) Giving sick pay and maternity leave.

Hiring Housekeepers & Butlers

Butlers are no longer just the thing of Jeeves & Wooster books. At the last count according to the Guild of Professional Butlers there were around 2 million butlers working around the globe. While this may sound a lot, the Guild’s Charles MacPherson says there is already demand for double that number from high net worth households.

Stephanie Storey, managing director, of Greycoat Placement, a recruitment agency for domestic staff, says demand for housekeepers and butlers with language skills is always particularly high.

Storey points out that around 50% of housekeepers and butlers will expect to live in. However at present you should expect to pay between £35,000 and £40,000 for a live out butler in London, with experienced candidates commanding £50,000 plus. While a live out housekeeper will earn between £28,000 and £35,000.

By employing a butler or housekeeper you can expect all the ordering, management and bill paying for your home to be taken care of as well as cleaning, cooking and shopping. However it is important to agree the exact role at the outset to ensure you don’t encounter issues further down the line.

To visit the Greycoat Placements website,  click here .

Hiring a Nanny

As with the above it is vital to agree at the outset what a nanny will be expected to do and what their hours will be. While it would not be out of the ordinary to expect a nanny to cook for the children and ensure their clothes are washed, and their bedrooms are tidy, cleaning your house and clothes will probably not be expected as part of the job description.

In addition you should be aware that most nannies will expect to have access to a family car, and it is becoming increasingly common for nannies to expect their own vehicle to be provided.

The average cost of a daily (live out) nanny is now in the region of £400 a week, in central London, although some agencies charge as much as £650. The cost in outer London is a slightly less wallet emptying £330 a week. Costs fall to around £295 for the rest of the UK.

However Nannytax, a company which organises payment of nannies on behalf of parents, points out that these figures are "net" and that once tax and national insurance are added in the true cost of employing a daily nanny is £30,000 in central London, £23,000 in outer London and £20,000 nationwide. In addition to which you should consider your extra responsibilities as a micro employer before deciding whether to employ direct or through an agency.

To visit the Nannytax website,  click here .

Hiring a Gardener

What you will end up paying for your garden will depend on whether it just needs maintaining or a complete overhaul. Word of mouth is often the best, when it comes to finding a garden designer. If there is a garden you particularly admired, ask the owner for the name of their designer. Alternatively the Society of Garden Designers has a searchable list of its members on its website.

Gillian Sandham of Gillian Sandham Garden Design & Consultancy, says that the cost of the garden redesign itself will vary depending on size, style, the proportion of hard landscaping to soft landscaping, as well as the complexity of the site. However as a general rule of thumb, expect to pay a fee equivalent to between 4%-10% of the value of your home.

To visit the website of the Society of Garden Designers,  click here .

By Lindsey Rogerson