Staying safe when you hire

Most of the people listed here will do a straightforward job at a fair price. A few precautions still make sense, particularly when you are letting someone into your home for the first time.

Our checks are not a substitute for your own judgement. Read how verification works so you know exactly what a badge does and does not mean.

Before anyone comes to your home

Ring the number on the listing yourself and speak to the person who will actually be doing the work. If the number does not answer, or the person on the phone does not match the listing, tell us — that listing needs fixing.

Ask for a name and, for an individual rather than an agency, ask to see some identification when they arrive. You are entitled to look at it at your door. Do not take a photograph of it, and do not ask them to send you a copy in advance; nobody should be sending identity documents over WhatsApp, in either direction.

If you are on your own, arrange the first visit at a time when someone else is at home or nearby. Tell one other person who is coming and when.

Agreeing the work

Settle three things before anything starts: what exactly is being done, how long it should take, and what it costs. Say it out loud and get the person to say it back. Most disputes we hear about come from a job that quietly grew.

Ask what is included and what costs extra. A listing page shows what a provider says they include, what they charge extra for and what they do not do at all — go through it with them.

Money

Pay when the work is done, or in stages if it is a long job. Do not pay a large advance to someone you have not worked with before, and be wary of anyone who asks for the full amount up front, in cash, before starting.

Never share a bank one-time password, a UPI PIN, or a card number. No legitimate provider needs any of these. A request to "verify" your account by sharing a code is a scam, whoever it appears to come from.

For domestic work in your home

Agree working hours, days off and pay in writing, even if it is only a message on your phone that you both keep. Be clear about which rooms and cupboards are part of the job. Put away documents, spare keys and cash before the first visit, as you would for any tradesperson.

If a child or an elderly relative will be alone with the person at any point, take longer over the first few visits and stay in the house.

If something goes wrong

Report the listing. Every listing page has a report link, and every report reaches a person on our team — see the content policy for what happens next and how quickly.

Tell us if a phone number is dead, a price is wrong, the person who turned up was not the person listed, or anything about the visit worried you. We would rather remove a listing and be wrong about it than leave one up that should not be there.

If you have been threatened, or something has been taken, that is a matter for the police first. Tell us afterwards and we will take the listing down while we look into it.