Bend home’s owner recounts house-cleaner nightmare

(Correction: Licenses are through Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries)

Many homes in and around Bend are vacation rentals and second homes. One family with a second home in the Awbrey Butte area recently had a very bad experience with the woman who had been cleaning their home for just over a year.

An out-of-state resident said Tuesday she’d hired the woman to clean her second home, in Bend, after guests left. Earlier this month, pleased with her work to that time, she allowed the cleaner and her young daughter to stay there while their new place was being prepared to move into.

But just two days after the cleaner moved in, she called police because her boyfriend had found her and was outside the home, banging on the door.

Neighbors reported a couple of other incidents, so the homeowner called police to clear the home out. Neighbors then went in and took photos for the homeowner, and what they found shocked them.

The homeowner, who asked to remain anonymous, told us Tuesday, “I saw these photos and she had actually used this as a storage area too – every surface that could be covered with her stuff was covered, the garage was absolutely packed.”

“There was an oil stain on our immaculate garage floor. It was a mess. There were drugs in my freezer and a torch for drugs in our bedroom.”

She said she now wished she had done more research before hiring and ultimately trusting the cleaner.

“Here’s the lesson to be learned,” said the homeowner. “No. 1, obviously check references when you’re hiring someone that’s going to have access to your home, and if they say they’re licensed and bonded ask to see the information.”

She also said it’s a good idea to know your neighbors. If her observant neighbors had not told her about suspicious activity at her Bend home, it could have been worse.

Other things you can do are check out the business and employees on social media, check names on the state public access records online, and verify the license is valid and in good standing with the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries.

Check a license here:

https://www.ccb.state.or.us/search/default.aspx

Information about license changes:

https://www.oregon.gov/boli/WHD/PSC/Pages/PSC-FAQs.aspx

Check criminal/civil history here:

https://publicaccess.courts.oregon.gov/PublicAccessLogin/Login.aspx (subscription required)