For families & private households
Bringing someone into your home is a big decision.
Most people hiring a house manager are doing it for the first time. There's no standard vocabulary for it and very little straight information. This page is here to fix that — whatever stage you're at.
I'm not sure what I need
You know something isn't working, but not what kind of help would actually solve it.
What a house manager does →I'm meeting candidates
You need to know what to ask, what to look for, and how to tell preparation from polish.
What to look for →I have someone already
You'd like to invest in them, or confirm a certification they've told you about.
Your options →What a house manager actually does
A house manager runs your household the way an operations manager runs a business — with systems, standards and judgment.
The distinction that matters most: a house manager isn't hired to do everything in your home. They're hired to make sure everything in your home runs. They hold the whole picture — the calendar, the vendors, the supplies, the upkeep, the seasonal rhythm — so that you don't have to.
If you've ever thought I need an assistant, but for the house rather than the office, that instinct was right. There's a name for it.
How the roles differ
These titles get used interchangeably, and they shouldn't be. Here's the plain version.
Cleans and maintains the home itself. Focused on the physical space.
Cares for the children. Focused on the people, not the property.
Supports an individual — their schedule, correspondence, errands and appointments.
Runs the household as a whole: systems, calendars, vendors, inventory, upkeep, travel, events, and the coordination of anyone else working in the home.
Oversees multiple properties, larger staff teams and capital projects. A step up in scope from house management.
Many households already employ one or two of these and still feel stretched. That's usually the sign — you have help, but no one is managing the whole.
Does this sound like your household?
Tick anything that feels familiar. Nothing is recorded — this is just for you.
Ticked several? That pattern — capable help, no one holding the whole — is the most common reason households bring in a house manager. The snapshot below walks you through it properly, area by area, so you can see where the pressure actually sits.
The Household Needs Snapshot
A short guided assessment across the areas of household life — daily operations, upkeep, organization, logistics and hosting. It helps you see where you need help most, and what kind, before you ever speak to a candidate.
What to look for when you're hiring
Experience alone is a rough guide. Plenty of capable people have run households for years without ever being taught the parts of the job that fail quietly — documentation, handover, inventory control, boundaries, and what to do when something goes wrong.
Four things are worth probing in any conversation, whatever someone's background:
Ask how they'd spend their first two weeks in your home. A trained candidate will describe observing and assessing before changing anything.
Ask what would happen in your home if they were away for two weeks. The answer tells you whether they create dependence or structure.
Ask how they'd respond to a question about a previous employer. You're listening for someone who declines gracefully — in front of you, about someone else.
Ask for examples of household documentation they've built. Anyone can describe competence; far fewer can evidence it.
What our certification confirms
If a candidate holds the Professional House Manager Certification, they have completed eight modules of structured training across every area above, built a professional portfolio reviewed at the end of the program, passed a final examination, and committed in writing to a code of ethics built around discretion, reliability, proactivity, alignment and communication.
What it doesn't replace: your own background checks, reference calls, and your judgment about whether someone fits your family. It tells you they've been properly trained. You still decide whether they're right for your home — and you should.
What to Look For When Hiring a House Manager
A printable checklist you can take into interviews — the competencies that matter, questions worth asking, what to request in a portfolio, and the things worth pausing on.
Already have someone you trust?
Two things households ask us about most often.
If you have a house manager who runs your home well, you can enroll them in the program yourself. They gain formal training across all eight competency areas and a professional certification; your household gains better systems and someone invested in staying. Tuition is $399, one time, with lifetime access for them.
If someone has told you they hold the Professional House Manager Certification, email [email protected] with their name and we'll confirm their status. There's no charge, and we expect to be asked.
Still not sure where to start?
Write to [email protected] and tell us a little about your household. We'll tell you honestly what kind of help we think you're describing — even when the answer isn't a house manager.
