British American Household Staffing
British American Household Staffing offers home assessments in California to help families accurately understand their unique needs. This includes an overall household assessment to evaluate the current staffing structure. We provide a restructuring plan and/or training plan to implement the highest level of service. To help meet requests from our varied corporate and private clients, BAHS is able to provide a concierge service. For an hourly fee, our consultant estate managers are equipped to handle all facets of estate management. This can include property visits, opening and closing of seasonal properties, assistance in all aspects of hiring, structuring a luxury home or estate, screening staff for the principals, creating household manuals, training housekeepers to work at an estate level and more. We view discretion and confidentiality as key attributes of how we do business. We handle client and candidate information with the utmost care; we are approved by the DCA and are bonded in the states that are governed by the DCA. We hold business licenses in each of our home states and countries. How do we staff an estate successfully? What domestic staff are needed in an estate? In the state of California, we have been fortunate to staff many estates from ground-up. This means we started with the principals from scratch and found the experienced staff to manage and care for the entire home. The technology boom on the West Coast has created many young new estate owners who need advice on how to set up their new life correctly. This is the ideal situation for our firm as we can handpick the best estate managers and house managers for the principals to ensure they are starting with an expert. Once an estate manager is hired, we work directly with them on hiring housekeepers, a personal chef, a domestic couple if there are large grounds to maintain, and other staff depending on the needs of the principals. If the principals are starting a new family, we provide Newborn Care Specialists and nannies. Generally, one should start with less and add more domestic staff as needed. This allows the principals to adjust to private help in the home, which can take time. The most common first hires after the estate manager are a personal chef and housekeepers. Take the time to sit down and hash out the type of staff you are looking for and the job duties those people should be able to fulfill – this can be used by the agency as a job description or by yourself as a summary of expectations for your new employee(s). Hiring is a team sport. Make sure all-important household members are involved in the process – what you might prefer a partner, child, or other staff member might not – this can lead to future issues. Always ask questions – to your agency, to your candidate, etc. Remain open minded, some people present better in person than they do on paper. Consult with your accountant, lawyer, or a household payment service to ensure you are meeting all legalities for your area. Go with your gut! If you connect with a person but they might not fit exactly what you need on paper chances are it could still work out. And vice versa, if a person looks great on paper and interviews well but just doesn’t feel right, it likely will not work in the long run. Our estate consultants travel to the estates and properties to structure the residences in-person, whether for short-term consulting or for more permanent estate management. We specialize in residences in California including but not limited to: Kristen started her career as an accountant and chief operations officer. She then moved into high-level estate and property management, which she has been doing for the past fifteen years. Kristen has traveled around the world studying the staffing industry in both high-level domestic staffing spheres and high-end exclusive hotels and off-the-grid luxury resorts including the Aman Resorts. She brings this level of five-star service to the homes and estates she structures and staffs. Kristen’s background in accountancy and operations and her experience in the hospitality industry has enabled her to be an expert in all levels of estate and property management, domestic staffing placements and assist with yachts and aviation, charter or purchase.
SERVICES
Estate Management Consultant Services In California
Concierge Services
Estate Staffing with BAHS
Depending on the size of an estate, the domestic staff needed are usually hired in the following order:
Expert Tips To Hire Correctly For Your Luxury Home And Needs
Locations in CA
About Kristen Reyes, Our Estate Management Consultant
