Domestic help costs taking us to cleaners

PAYING OTHERS to carry out domestic chores could be cleaning you out, according to a new survey.

The research from Abbey National found that increasing demand for help around the home has driven up domestic costs by at least a third over the past four years, although it seems that many busy families and working professionals are more than prepared to pay for the convenience.

The survey found that the amount people paid for domestic help differed depending on where they lived, with costs in the capital averaging about pounds 5,000 a year for every family which gets others to carry out day-to-day chores. Aberdeen, Birmingham and Glasgow are also expensive spots for domestic help.

Employing a cleaner costs two or three times as much a week in London as elsewhere, with rates in the capital as high as pounds 11 an hour.