Housekeeper cost in London · 2026
What does a private housekeeper cost in London?
Current specialist private-household guides place many full-time London housekeeper roles around £35,000 to £55,000+ gross a year, depending on duties, seniority and working arrangement. These are role-based market benchmarks, not a separate pay rate for Filipino candidates.
The quick answer: expect the role definition to move the number.
A 2026 London private-household salary guide from Silks Luxury Lifestyle lists full-time housekeepers at £35,000 to £50,000 gross a year, while 19 London lists £45,000 to £55,000 for both live-in and live-out housekeepers. A current South Kensington vacancy from Tiger Private advertised £45,000 to £50,000 for a live-out rota housekeeper.
Those figures are useful reference points, not a quote. Property size, cooking, laundry and wardrobe care, driving, travel, staff supervision, working pattern and experience can all change the appropriate salary.
2026 London housekeeper salary benchmarks from current public sources.
Different datasets describe different parts of the market. Compare like with like before using any figure in a household budget.
| Source | Role or dataset | 2026 figure | What it tells you |
|---|---|---|---|
| Silks Luxury Lifestyle | Full-time private housekeeper | £35,000–£50,000 gross/year | Specialist private-household guide; senior roles shown higher. |
| 19 London | Live-in private housekeeper | £45,000–£55,000 gross/year | Specialist London private-staff guide. |
| 19 London | Live-out private housekeeper | £45,000–£55,000 gross/year | Same published range, with scope and property size affecting expectations. |
| Indeed | London housekeeper, broad market | £15.52 gross/hour average | Broad job-market average across many housekeeping settings, not only private households. |
Sources checked August 2026: Silks salary guide, 19 London 2026 housekeeper guide and Indeed London housekeeper salaries.
What pushes a private-housekeeper salary up or down?
The label “housekeeper” covers a wide range of private-household jobs. A realistic budget starts with the recurring duties and hours rather than a headline rate.
Cleaning, laundry and ironing sit at one end; cooking, wardrobe care, household organisation and supplier coordination add responsibility.
Accommodation changes the package but does not remove the need to agree lawful pay, working hours and genuine off-duty time.
Larger homes, multiple residences, formal households and staff-team coordination can move the role into a more senior bracket.
Longer days, weekend work, travel, rota patterns and frequent schedule changes should be defined before salary is agreed.
Formal-household experience, high-level laundry or wardrobe work, family cooking, driving and supervision can justify a different package.
Budget for the employer cost, not only the gross salary.
For 2026/27, most employers pay Class 1 employer National Insurance at 15% on earnings above the £5,000 annual secondary threshold. Private household employers generally cannot use Employment Allowance for domestic staff such as housekeepers.
Eligible staff may also require workplace-pension contributions. The statutory minimum employer contribution is normally at least 3% of qualifying earnings, with the 2026/27 qualifying band running from £6,240 to £50,270.
See household-employer responsibilitiesWorked illustration
What could a £50,000 gross salary cost before agency fees and extras?
This example uses 2026/27 statutory rates and assumes a standard adult employee who is eligible for automatic enrolment. Actual payroll depends on the employee and the pension scheme.
- Gross annual salary
- £50,000.00
- Employer National Insurance
- £6,750.00
- Minimum employer pension illustration
- £1,312.80
- Illustrative employment cost
- £58,062.80
The £58,062.80 illustration excludes agency charges, payroll administration, employer’s liability insurance, travel, mileage, bonuses, food, accommodation costs and any other benefits or expenses. Employer National Insurance and pension rules can change, so check the current rules before making an offer.
Does live-in accommodation reduce what you have to pay?
Do not treat a room in the household as a substitute for salary. For National Minimum Wage calculations, employer-provided accommodation is handled through a statutory accommodation offset rather than the commercial rental value of the room.
From April 2026 the accommodation offset is £11.10 per day or £77.70 per week. Other benefits such as food or a car do not count towards minimum-wage pay.
Plan a live-in domestic staff arrangementCleaner, housekeeper or housekeeper-cook: price the job you actually need.
A cleaner is usually focused on agreed cleaning tasks. A housekeeper has a broader responsibility for running the home. Adding family cooking, wardrobe management or household coordination can create a materially different role.
How Filipino Domestic Services scopes cost enquiries
The cost discussion starts with the job specification.
Filipino Domestic Services’ current client terms require the household to provide full details of the work and the period of engagement before candidate introductions are made. Candidate suitability is then considered against the work the household has described.
For a housekeeper enquiry, the useful inputs are therefore concrete: live-in or live-out, normal hours, cleaning and laundry expectations, cooking, driving, household size, pets, travel and the intended start date. A broad request for “a housekeeper” is not enough to compare salary expectations meaningfully.
See how the matching process worksKeep salary, employer on-costs and agency pricing separate.
Salary is paid for the employee’s work. Employer National Insurance, pension contributions and employment expenses sit on top where applicable. Agency charges are a separate cost of the introduction service.
Sources and calculation basis.
For a cross-role comparison, see this year's salary report, which keeps public market sources and methodologies separate.
Questions about housekeeper costs in London.
What is the average housekeeper salary in London in 2026?
There is no single private-household rate. Current specialist guides place many full-time London roles around £35,000 to £55,000 gross a year, while broader job-market averages can be lower. Duties, seniority, hours and household complexity matter more than nationality.
Is a live-in housekeeper cheaper than a live-out housekeeper?
Not automatically. Accommodation changes the overall package, but current specialist guides can show overlapping live-in and live-out salary ranges. Compare the same duties and hours, then account separately for accommodation and employment costs.
Should I agree salary in gross or net terms?
Gross pay gives the clearest basis for an employment budget because PAYE, employee deductions and employer on-costs can then be calculated from a known figure. Confirm the final payroll treatment with your payroll provider or HMRC guidance.
What costs sit on top of a housekeeper’s salary?
Depending on the arrangement, the household may need to budget for employer National Insurance, workplace pension contributions, payroll administration, employer’s liability insurance, expenses, mileage, benefits and agency charges.
Can accommodation count towards minimum wage?
Only through the statutory accommodation-offset rules. From April 2026 the offset is £11.10 a day or £77.70 a week. The market rental value of the room is not simply deducted from the minimum-wage requirement.
Does Filipino Domestic Services charge an agency fee as well?
Agency pricing is separate from the housekeeper’s salary and the household’s employment on-costs. Review the current Filipino Domestic Services fees and client terms for the charge that applies to the requested arrangement.
Define the role before setting the budget.
Send the duties, hours, live-in or live-out arrangement, location and start date so the enquiry can be scoped accurately.