Downtown Abbey habits for families on £28,000 a year

THE Upstairs, Downstairs way of life is no longer the preserve of the privileged few. A study has found that more than one in four households hires domestic help.

With more women returning to work after having children, hiring a cleaner, nanny or gardener has become an integral part of family life.

The trend has triggered recently proposed government initiatives — including the possibility of tax breaks for people who hire domestic staff — as a way of generating jobs and freeing women to join the work force

In a survey of more than 2,000 people, 28 per cent said they employed help. Many cited longer working hours that meant they did not have enough time to get all their chores done.

Almost a third who hired help failed to check references and a similar number have given out keys to their home. They pay out £40 a month “cash in hand” on average to domestic help, according to the study for LV= home insurance.

The trend to use domestic help is strongest among households with children, with 31 per cent of families regularly hiring help.

Twenty-eight per cent of those living alone say they regularly pay people to help around the house while juggling a busy career and social life.

Among those who hire help about one in six has a gardener and one in eight has a cleaner.

However, those employing help are a far cry from the lavish way of life of the families in the television period dramas Downton Abbey and Upstairs, Downstairs, as the survey found that 40 per cent have a household income of £28,000 a year or less.