10 Questions to Ask Before Hiring a Home Management Service
Home management is a young industry, and that is mostly good news for homeowners. It means services like ours exist because families genuinely need them. But it also means there is no established playbook for choosing one. When you hire an electrician, you know what to check. When you hire a company to be your trusted point of contact for your entire home, the stakes are higher and the questions are less obvious.
So here they are. These are the ten questions we believe every family should ask before signing with any home management or concierge service, including ours. We have included our own answers, because if a company is not willing to answer these directly, that tells you something too.
1. Are you insured?
Any company sending people to your home should carry general liability insurance and be willing to say so plainly. WholeHome Concierge maintains general liability coverage, and every vendor in our network is verified for appropriate licensing and insurance before they ever visit a member's home.
2. What exactly do you do, and what do you not do?
Clear boundaries are a sign of a well-run service. We handle the home: maintenance coordination, vendor management, errands, safety checks, regular visits, and keeping families informed. We do not provide medical care, nursing, or any licensed personal care. We handle the home, not the person, and we work happily alongside the care providers who handle the rest.
3. Who will actually be in my home?
You deserve a name, not a rotation. Our model is built around one dedicated home manager who learns your home, your routines, and your preferences. That continuity is the entire point. Ask any service how many different people you should expect to see in a year, and whether you will know them.
4. How do vendor payments work, and do you take referral fees?
This is where hidden costs live in this industry, so ask directly. We pay vendors on your behalf and consolidate everything into one clear month-end statement with line-item detail. On our Essentials plan, coordinated vendor work carries a 10% coordination fee. On Signature, it is billed at cost. And we do not accept kickbacks or referral fees from vendors, which means a vendor earns a place in our network by doing good work, not by paying for access.
5. What happens after hours or in an urgent situation?
Homes do not keep business hours. Ask what happens when the water heater fails on a Saturday night. Our Signature members have 24/7 phone and text access for coordination. For urgent non-medical issues, members pre-authorize a spending threshold so we can act quickly, and we notify the family right away. Ask any service where the line is between what they handle and when they call you.
6. How do you keep family in the loop?
For adult children coordinating a parent's home, this may be the most important question on the list. We provide a consolidated monthly statement, a look-ahead of scheduled items, and updates to the contacts you authorize. You decide who is informed and how much. The goal is that nobody in the family is ever surprised.
7. What does it cost, and what is included?
Straightforward pricing is rarer in this industry than it should be. Our memberships are $249 per month for Home Essentials and $429 per month for Home Signature, each starting with a $99 Home Planning Visit where we walk the home and build a plan around your priorities. Both plans include dedicated support and some handyman time. If a service cannot give you a clear number without a lengthy consultation, ask why.
8. Is there a contract, and how do I leave?
Commitment terms reveal how confident a company is in its own service. We ask for a 90-day minimum, and after that membership continues month to month with 30 days' notice to cancel. No long lock-ins. A service that requires a year up front is asking you to trust them before they have earned it.
9. How do you handle keys, codes, and my information?
Anyone with access to your home should be able to answer this without hesitation. We hold keys and codes solely for service coordination, we do not sell or share member information, and when a membership ends, credentials are returned or destroyed with written confirmation. Ask for the specifics, and expect them in writing.
10. Why does your company exist?
This one is not a trick question. Home management is trust work, and motivation matters. WholeHome Concierge started with our founder's grandmother, who wanted to stay in the home she loved while the details of keeping it running slowly overwhelmed the family helping her. The service that did not exist then is the one we built. Every company in this space has a story. It is worth hearing, because you are not just hiring a vendor. You are choosing someone to stand behind your home.
The bottom line
A good home management service should welcome every question on this list. If you ask them and get clear answers, you have found a company worth considering. If you get vagueness, pressure, or a pitch instead of an answer, keep looking.
And if you would like to hear our answers in person, that is exactly what a Discovery Call is for. It is free, it is relaxed, and there is no commitment. Schedule Your Free Discovery Call at wholehomemanager.com.