Maids and Maid-rooms..

B

baguette

Registered User
Ohhhhhhh

I've been looking for apartments online but the maid rooms look reallyunacceptable to me, most of them with no windows or very small one, very small, look like closets...

But if someone is not willing to have the maid sleeping there he should rend a bigger house that might mean much more money.

And, for example, having a 3 bedrooms apartment with one room for me and husband, one for my baby and one for the maid I'd spend a big amount of money and in case someone come end visit us I don't even have a guest room.

How do you deal with it? Is your maid sleeping in the kid's room, maid's room, third room????
 
helper's are used to having a tiny shoebox (not that i agree with it) to live in while they are here. there are ways to maximise the small space. my friend had a custom bed on stilts made so that the helper could have some space under the bed for a chair & bookshelf.

it really is pathetic what they consider to be acceptable living conditions for helpers.

we have always been lucky. we only hired a helper when our first was born. at the time we had a 3 bedroom, so she just got a regular bedroom. the next place we moved was also a 3 bed...then baby came along. baby stayed with us.

then we moved to our current house, which is 5 bedrooms (one of which is the "helper's room). we are very lucky becuase her room is about 110' and the same size as 2 of the other bedrooms. she's more than happy with it... even moreso since we hired her husband to come work for us, too! LOL!
 
unfortunately that is Hong Kong...just as long as you can fit a single bed in there, there are ways to maximize the space, as carang suggests. my mother in-law has a bunk bed kind of thing but instead of chairs and bookself or a bed, the bottom section was converted into closet space...you can also utilize the ceiling space (if your apartment is older and has high ceilings) to making hanging closer space. it'd be easiest to have the bed etc. custom made so you don't waste any unnecessary space. it's possible - not the best, but i think as long as they get a window (which many places don't have) then they are very fortunate because they can actually get some fresh air in their room!
 
I don't have a maid myself but I can tell you some maids here are living literally in a wardrobe!! I remember been to a friend's house and her maid sleeps inside a wooden cupboard in the kitchen! The cupboard I am told is specially built for the maid. HOW Pathetic!

I've another friend who cannot spare a bedroom for the maid so the maid sleeps on a sandbed in the living room. Every morning when she wakes she folds up the sandbed and lays it out at night.

As far as I know, the general practice of the local families is to let the maid share a room with the kid(s).
 
it's totally the norm. We lived on southside in a 5 block condo and our maid had what basically is a closet with no window - they all did the huge blding we lived in. It maybe a shock when you are first looking and don't have a helper, but after you see about 5 - 8 flats, you quickly realize it's the norm and they are used to it. The room did not even fit a standard bed, so we had to have it made for her. I think that as long as they have privacy (own room), they are happy..... some don't even get their own room and sleep on the floor or in the baby's room on the floor.
 
I don't know..I don't think I can get used to this.
I am not sure that they are happy with it.

I knew this all maid's matter would drive me crazy.
 
again, baguette, it will completely depend on where you end up living.

you may be lucky and find a place similar to ours instead of ending up in a highrise with tiny helper's quarters.
 
yes carang.

I am putting all these information together to make a decision.

when we come to HK we will not be able to see everything, we have to make a first choice.

we are so considering pollution, education and also the "maid situation".
 
yep, carang is right. many of the larger condos will have similar set-ups - small maids room with no a/c, likely no window, but with a small bathroom and handheld shower.

Coming from the US, we were shocked at the conditions, but we looked at about 20-25 properties in HK prior to signing our lease and in every mid-rise and high-rise, it was basically the same maids room set-up. Our relocation consultant assured us this was the norm and that the maids expect it.

if you can afford to give up a regular bedroom for your helper, i am sure she will love you for it and will be one of the lucky few who gets one!
 
Where I live in a middle-class HK apt complex, I meet lots of helpers (almost no SAHMs or expats) and I am always curious about their working conditions as I have befriended a couple with terrible conditions. Anyway, one of my first questions is always 'Where do you sleep?'. Mind you, here they don't have helper's rooms, but I have not met a single person here who has their own room. Most sleep with 1-2 children, in the kitchen, or in the living room(one slept in the kitchen while the grandmother slept in the living room!).
As the above posters said, the newer highrise apartment rooms are generally smaller, esp the maids room if there is one. Older buildings have larger rooms. My friend lives in a 30 year old complex and her maid's room is very decent with one small window. Another friend has 2 floors of a village house and the maid simply gets one of those rooms.
 
It might help to consider that the alternative living condition for some helpers would be back in home country in remote village, living in a one room shack with six family members.
 
A window and aircon was a minimum for us - it's pretty small though. Clever purpose made storage, ability for them to store stuff elsewhere in the house, a TV mounted on the wall - yes we felt bad, but these things all combined to make us feel we were doing as much as we could. We actually have 2 helpers in bunk beds, so it's even worse!

But... I know they appreciate the way we treat them with respect, reasonable hours and so many other little advantages they might not get in a different household, even with a bigger bedroom.

Small as it is, it is definitely preferable for them to sleeping in with the kids.

Think of it this way, they have to be here to work and get money. Very few get large living spaces - many have pretty deplorable working conditions (or would be deplorable by our home country standards).

They will probably consider themselves lucky to work for someone that actually considered their living space.
 
We felt the same way and didn't want our helper to have a tiny, dark room if we could help it. We gave our helper her own room and she's extremely proud of it and likes to show it off to my friend's helpers when they come over.

As we bought, we were able to remodel the flat and gave her a slightly smaller room but she has a normal sized window with a nice view, a custom made bed which gives her lots of storage space on the bottom (hanging & drawers) and a comfortable bed. We also made sure she had an air conditioner, even though she doesn't use it very often (The Philippines is extremely hot and humid and they are use to this and don't feel comfortable in aircon). We also made her a table that folds out from the wall so she can pull it down if she wants more space. She's very happy with the room and told me because it was big (for a maid's room), it had a huge window, she had a nice bed, she had storage space, she had a table and most importantly, she had privacy. They don't care so much about the surroundings, so long as they have their own space. It is a luxury in Hong Kong and so many helpers have to share rooms with the children or other family members, that even if you give them a small room to the side of the kitchen, they are OK.

I encourage you to look around at places and tell your agent what it is you are looking for. There are flats where the helper's rooms aren't that bad and a little more spacious. Unfortunately, in Hong Kong, space = $.

Good luck!
 
helpers rooms/closets!

I remember looking at apartments when we moved here and walking straight out of them as soon as I took a look at the maids room! Some had linen cupboards to sleep in and no hot water for them to shower? Horrific.

Our apartment now has a small maids room with a window and small bathroom. I was still horrified at the size. To my surprise, my helper said it's the best room she has ever had. I built in a bed with a desk and area for TV and clothes cupboard underneath, purchased new sheets and quilts, and a chair to watch tv on - just jazzed it up a bit basically. It has an airconditioner, but she never uses it. She hates the cold air (as do I a lot of the helpers I have found) and we bought her a fan instead.

I could justify the small room in my head as we have a ground floor apartment and hence a garden, so she loves to spend time outside pottering and I encourage that so she doesnt feel couped up.

It is a big adjustment for most of us that have come from countries where we have large rooms and space, but for many helpers this is just a way of life. My maid told me she had no bed at home in the phillipines, just the floor with six siblings! So I guess, having a small room all to herself is a plus for her!

Good luck
 
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