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reliefkey

Guy painting home after someone nervous hired him

What do I if I feel nervous about letting a professional into my house?

It was a Tuesday evening, she heard a knock at the door. Nervously, she went to answer it and….


It was the plumber. 


They greeted each other, she invited him in and he pulled out…


His wrench to get started working on the leaking sink in the kitchen. 


After he was done, the plumber startled her when he…


Approached her from behind…


And asked her to sign and pay the invoice. The plumber said goodbye, left, and she was happy that her sink was fixed. 


More often than not there are no issues when you invite a professional into your lovely home. Nonetheless, it’s understandable how it can be uncomfortable and concerning at times. You don’t know this person, they enter your home and are in your very personal space with all your valuable and invaluable items. I’m about to give you some ways to feel more at ease when inviting a pro into your home to work on it.


Fear

Before we dive in let’s talk about why the fear of letting a stranger in exists. For women, a lot of the fear is most definitely, hands done, everyone must agree that it’s warranted. They get catcalled, groped, and ogled every day, so letting someone into their safe place can be alarming, it’s the space where they can really hide away and be themselves. When they are in their house, however, they at least have home-court advantage. On top of that, the media constantly shoves fear down everyone’s throats. Most of the content the media produces is about break-ins, murders, and rapes. Which without a doubt happen, but nowhere near as much or as often as the media portrays it. The probability of this happening to you is quite low, which doesn’t mean you shouldn’t play it safe, but it also doesn’t warrant being overly anxious about it either. Nonetheless, let’s go over some ways to keep yourself safe at home when a professional comes to do some work.


To help ease your mind, here are some suggestions on how to help ensure your safety when letting a pro into your home: 

  1. 1. Get a home security system – This one is a bit expensive in terms of cost, but there are off the shelf cameras you can install from nest or other home automation companies which can at least document any mishaps that may occur. Being on the more expensive side it will be well worth it if you need help and have a system that can contact help quickly and easily should anything nefarious happen.

  2. 2. Have someone on standby – Tell a friend or loved one what times the professional is coming over such as between 10am-2pm ect. Let them know you will contact them when the pro arrives and leaves and that if you don’t contact them then they should call you if they can’t get ahold of you, if that comes to be the case then they need to come help or call the cops immediately. The best option, however, is to have someone there with you, it’s much less likely for a negative event to happen when a second person is in the house with you. 

  3. 3. Know your pro – You’ve likely done this, but be sure to read reviews about the pro before they come. Check yelp, Facebook, and Google to get the optimal triangulation on them. However, this is difficult if it’s a business that sends over random employees. If that’s the case, call in and ask more about the person they are sending over, then try to see if you can find any reviews about that specific person. If you find negative ones that show they displayed iffy behavior, then call back and request a new person or use a different company. 

  4. 4. Dig deeper – If you find some negative or 1-star reviews with no write up reach out to that reviewer to learn more about their story and the professional’s behavior. If it was only work-related, you’ll likely be okay, but if it was their behavior toward the individual then cancel your appointment asap and find someone else. 

  5. 5. For the greatest peace of mind and honestly, the more reliable safety measure, the best thing to do is to keep either 1) keep a concealed firearm on you, 2) a taser, or 3) mase while the professional is in the home. This way you have some direct line of defense should they make an unwanted advance towards you. 

  6. 6. The wipe down – During times of a pandemic like COVID-19 wear a mask with eye protection while the professional is there and then thoroughly wipe down any areas the pro was in. If you hire us we personally will do it for you, but for an extra line of defense, it’s safe for you to go back over it yourself just in case a small area was missed.

  7. 7. Get an I.D. – Check with the company to get the first and last name of the person that will be coming to the home. Ask for a code word if you’re really concerned about someone posing as the professional. Then, when the pro arrives ask to check their I.D. and give you the code word that only they should know. This measure may be a little too much, however, it’s just another layer of precaution to add on. It’s all dependent upon your anxiety level.


What We Do To Keep You Safe

So what do we do here at reliefkey to ensure your safety? Well, to start off at the moment it’s just me, JP and I’ve been background checked, I’ve also only ever hurt 2 flys (and they were really really annoying), with that, I have 0 desire to steal anything. I’d be very happy to connect you with references before I come over if that would help ease your mind. On top of that, I’m going to do everything in #6 to help protect you against COVID-19. I’ll wipe down all surfaces, wear gloves and a protective mask. 


As my business grows and I hire people to help take on the extra load I am going to do as much due diligence as possible to ensure they have no history of violence, theft, or sexual misconduct. We have 0 tolerance for that, and I pledge never to risk the safety and wellbeing of any of my clients. Even if I’m talking to someone who hasn’t done it, but I get a slight feeling it could happen, I’ll pass on that candidate. 


Upon request, we will happily show you an I.D when arriving at your home. I personally am also not squeamish about firearms or mase so you’re more than welcome to have one of those on you when I arrive.


Conclusion

Anything can happen, the world is a crazy place, and people have urges they can’t resist. That being the case, remind yourself that a vast majority of the time everything will work out fine and, more often than not, there’s nothing to worry about. Now, of course, it is always smart to play it safe, and we highly recommend you do so. Just don’t go overboard by creating a whole room made out of 20in steel with five 10in deadbolts to hide away in while someone is working on your house. Get the work done you need, take reasonable precautions, and enjoy the peace of mind.