People searching for how to legally hire a house cleaner in Czechia usually want three practical answers: who sends the paperwork, who pays if something breaks, and whether the household itself becomes an employer. The answer changes depending on whether the cleaner is self-employed, works for you under a Czech DPP or DPČ agreement, or is sent by a cleaning company.
Payment method tells you very little. Cash does not automatically mean illegal work, and an app does not automatically make the platform your supplier. What matters is the real working arrangement and the name on the contract. This guide reflects Czech law and official guidance available on 6 November 2026. It is practical information, not individual legal or tax advice.
Three working models, three sets of roles
A self-employed cleaner
A genuine independent cleaner runs her own service. She agrees the scope and price, performs the job in her own name, decides how to organise it and carries business risk. The household buys a service. It does not run payroll.
An independent cleaner contract cannot hide what is really employment. Section 2 of the Czech Labour Code defines dependent work through subordination, personal performance, work in the employer's name and work under the employer's instructions. A regular Thursday visit does not by itself turn a sole trader into an employee. The risk rises when the household fixes shifts, supervises the method throughout, requires personal attendance and leaves the cleaner with no real commercial independence.
A DPP or DPČ signed by the household
With a Czech house cleaner employment agreement, the household or individual signing it becomes the employer. Both DPP and DPČ must be in writing. A DPP is capped at 300 hours per calendar year with the same employer. A DPČ suits more regular work within its statutory working-time limit. The agreement must identify the work, duration and pay.
That brings normal employer duties. Working time has to be scheduled and recorded. Minimum pay, rest, supplements for certain shifts and, when the conditions are met, holiday entitlement apply to agreement workers too.
The reporting side changed in 2026. The Czech Social Security Administration says every employer with at least one employee must file the unified monthly employer report. Employer and employee registrations now run through the JMHZ system, with a pre-registration regime applying to new starters from 1 July 2026. Whether insurance contributions arise from a particular payment is a separate question. For example, the official 2026 DPP threshold for sickness insurance is CZK 12,000 in a month. Tax and health-insurance rules still need checking. For a household using its first DPP, a payroll accountant is money well spent.
A cleaning company or platform
If a cleaning company is the named supplier, the company organises and pays its worker. You pay the company, receive its document and direct complaints to it. Under Section 2914 of the Czech Civil Code, a business using an employee or another helper generally answers for damage that helper causes in the course of the assigned work. Czech Supreme Court decisions also protect an ordinary employee who acts within the employer's instructions by placing the external claim on the employer.
A platform may operate differently. It might merely connect the household with an independent provider. ČistýKout, for example, describes itself in its terms as a space for cleaning offers and requests, rather than the provider of the cleaning itself. Other platforms sell the service directly. Read the booking confirmation: it should tell you who supplies the clean, who receives the money and who handles a complaint.
Documents to request before the first visit
For a sole trader, check the name, company identification number (IČO), current authorisation and business activity in the public Czech Trade Register. An IČO does not prove insurance or skill. It does tell you who the contracting party is.
Confirm these points in writing:
- supplier or employer identity;
- address, date and expected duration;
- included tasks and chargeable extras;
- price, due date and payment method;
- cancellation, keys and the damage-reporting route.
An email or message is enough to prevent many ordinary disputes. I once saw a Prague household argue for a week about a scratched induction hob because nobody could show whether hob cleaning had been included or what the surface looked like beforehand. Three photos and one sentence in the booking would have changed the conversation.
Czech consumer law requires a business to issue proof of the service when the consumer asks. Under Section 16 of the Consumer Protection Act, it should show the date, service, price and supplier identification, including IČO. This ordinary service receipt is not automatically a VAT invoice. A VAT document has the statutory details set out in the VAT Act, and the duty to issue one depends on the transaction and recipient. You can check VAT registration in the Czech Financial Administration register. A non-VAT business may still issue a perfectly valid invoice; it simply must not charge VAT.
Under a DPP or DPČ, the cleaner does not invoice the household for the hours as a business. She receives employment income. The household, as employer, handles pay records, deductions and reporting.
Who deals with cleaning service property damage
A broken object does not prove liability on its own. A claim needs evidence of the damage, its value, the cause and the link to the work. A pre-existing hairline crack in a basin cannot simply be blamed on the last visitor. A time-stamped photograph of a new chip, a prompt message and a repair assessment are far more useful.
With a self-employed cleaner, the claim runs against that provider under the contract and the Civil Code. With a company, report it to the company even if its employee physically dropped the item. With a direct DPP or DPČ, the damaged household is also the employer. Czech labour law makes an employee responsible for loss caused by a culpable breach of work duties, but negligent damage is normally capped at four and a half times the employee's average monthly earnings. That cap does not apply to intentional damage, intoxication or misuse of other addictive substances. If the employer contributed through a poor instruction or unsafe product, recovery is reduced proportionately.
A simple incident routine
- Stop the work so the damage does not spread.
- Photograph the room and the detail, and record the time.
- Note the task, product used and people present.
- Keep the purchase receipt, technician's note or repair estimate.
- Notify the contractual counterparty, not automatically the person holding the cloth.
Cleaner liability insurance needs more than a yes or no. Ask for the insurer, evidence that cover is current, the limit, deductible, territory and exclusions. Personal liability insurance may exclude business activity. Business cover may exclude property in the cleaner's custody, lost keys, electronics or damage caused by an unsuitable chemical. If you book a firm, ask whether employees and subcontractors are both covered. You rarely need the entire policy, but a short certificate and a clear statement of scope are sensible.
Keys, alarms and privacy belong in the agreement
Record the number of keys, the handover date, the recipient, a ban on copying and the return date. Do not attach the full name and address to the key ring. The agreement should require immediate notice of loss and explain who may approve a cylinder replacement and who bears reasonable costs.
A temporary alarm code is better than the family's master code. Write down the call sequence for a false alarm and what the cleaner should do when the client cannot be reached. The same goes for pets. "Do not let the cat into the corridor" sounds trivial until the front door closes behind it.
Home cameras bring both security and privacy concerns. Tell the cleaner in advance about visible monitoring, particularly in an employment relationship. Never record a bathroom, changing area or another place where privacy is reasonably expected. Do not post footage to a neighbourhood group. If an incident occurs, retain only what is needed and provide it to the insurer, police or legal adviser where appropriate. Medicines, jewellery and sensitive documents are simpler: lock them away before the visit.
Checklist before signing or paying
Keep one page with:
- full name or company, IČO and contact details;
- the model: sole trader, DPP/DPČ, or company;
- scope, frequency, price and extras;
- who supplies products and controls the method;
- key, alarm, pet and camera rules;
- complaint, damage and insurance details;
- cancellation, termination and key return;
- the document you will receive after payment.
I would pause if a person sells regular business services but refuses to provide an IČO or receipt. The same applies to a platform whose terms do not identify the real supplier, or a company that says "insured" but will not disclose a limit or basic exclusions. Another warning sign is the claim that a low DPP payment removes all employer duties. It does not.
For an occasional service organised independently, a properly verified sole trader is often the simplest fit. If you intend to direct the cleaner personally and regularly, consider a DPP or DPČ honestly and budget for payroll administration. If you want one contractual counterparty for staffing, documents and complaints, choose a cleaning company. With any platform, first establish whether it supplies the service or only introduces both sides.
If contributions, pre-registration or the line between employment and contracting are unclear, ask a Czech payroll accountant or employment lawyer before the first payment. If you would rather start by comparing practical cleaning options, ČistýKout is a Prague-based place to post a request. Send a no-obligation enquiry through the ČistýKout contact form and state whether you prefer a sole trader, a company, or need help clarifying the arrangement.
Primary and official sources used
- Czech Labour Code, Act No. 262/2006, current text in e-Sbírka: particularly Sections 2, 74-77, 250 and 257.
- Czech Civil Code, Act No. 89/2012, current text in e-Sbírka: particularly Sections 2910 and 2914.
- Consumer Protection Act No. 634/1992 in e-Sbírka: particularly Sections 15 and 16.
- VAT Act No. 235/2004 in e-Sbírka: particularly Sections 26-30.
- Czech Ministry of Labour: sickness insurance in 2026 and its DPP guidance.
- Czech Social Security Administration: unified monthly employer report.
- Ministry of Industry and Trade: Trade Register and the Trade Licensing Portal.
