Household Staffing Agency
in New York City (NYC)
We specialize in placing domestic staff with families and professionals in New York City.
The private household staff in NYC we recruit bring skill, discretion, and genuine dedication to their roles.
The staff we place already know the service and privacy standards ultra-high-net-worth families expect.
Our recruitment team in our office on Madison Avenue handpicks individuals with a high level of prior, proven, verifiable experience in a household similar to yours.
Morgan & Mallet was founded by Morgan Richez and Laurine Mallet, both of whom worked in luxury household service before building the agency.
They understand what principals looking to hire household staff in NYC need because they have delivered it themselves.
Contact us today to hire the domestic staff in NYC you need.
Household Staffing in New York City (NYC) Tailored to Your Home
New York Client Loyalty
91% of New York City nanny clients return for additional staff or refer the agency to other families within 18 months.
Confidentiality
The agency is built on discretion, trust and confidentiality. We ensure all candidates we place follow this without fail.
Professional Experience
We handpick proven, experienced candidates who know how to work in high-net-worth homes and have strong references from past employers.
Three-Month Guarantee
Written into every placement contract, protecting your investment. If the placement isn't right we will replace the candidate.
What Happens After You Contact Our Domestic Staffing Agency in New York?
When you contact Morgan & Mallet about staff for your New York home, a recruiter from our New York office calls you the same day wherever possible.
New York clients move fast and we match that pace. “Here the pace is faster. Clients like to interview candidates quicker,” says Jonathan de Vanderbilt, recruiter in our New York office.
We also know that hiring in New York rarely goes through one person. “The family office interviews them first, then the estate manager or the chief of staff, then the house manager, and then they meet the principal,” Jonathan says.
We coordinate every one of those steps, confirm every interview, and keep the search moving on so a good candidate doesn’t take another offer while you are thinking about it.
The brief we build for the role is normally based around how New York households actually run. Most Manhattan apartments and townhouses have no staff quarters, so we’ll ask early whether you need live-out staff who know the city, can do the school run, and can move with you to the Hamptons or Connecticut for the summer.
Then we search our database of thousands of candidates and send you profiles in a way that is easy to browse and choose who you think would suit you.
What Checks Does a Candidate Pass Before You See Their Profile?
Every profile that we give to you has had a 90-minute structured interview, and reference checks made directly with past employers.
For every four people who apply to join our database, around one gets in.
We are highly selective and filter candidates in our database based on your needs. So we can find someone with the right experience for your particular role.
The interview we do is designed to get past the rehearsed answers. “You need to make the candidate comfortable first. If they’re scared of you, they won’t tell you anything,” says Laurine Mallet, co-founder of Morgan & Mallet. “By the end, if the candidate feels like it was a conversation with a friend rather than an interview, that’s when you’ve done it right.”
For New York roles we do more checks. A nanny taking your child across the city or a housekeeper running errands in Manhattan needs to genuinely know New York, so we check if they have that.
Local knowledge, how well a candidate knows the city, and whether their references confirm they’ve done it before all get checked before their profile gets sent to you.
What Our New York Recruiters Say
Have you ever handled a placement with a very unique request?
“Yes, we had a client who asked for something unusual. They wanted a butler from outside New York, somewhere like California or Palm Beach.
The reason was simple but important. They didn’t want someone who’d worked for their business contacts or friends before.
Butlers hear everything that happens in a household. In New York’s tight social circles, hiring someone who’s already worked for people you know creates privacy risks.
The client wanted fresh talent from outside their network to keep household matters completely confidential.”
New York City Communities We Serve
From doorman penthouses and townhomes to estates with many properties, New York City’s wealthiest neighborhoods need the very best staff who understand how to be discreet, and can work under pressure. The different areas can favor different types of staff:
- Upper East Side – nannies are employed here for school runs to Dalton and Spence. Formally trained housekeepers, and estate managers run Manhattan homes with Hamptons properties.
- Tribeca – nannies and housekeeper-nannies for young finance, tech and creative families in its lofts and waterfront buildings.
- Soho – house managers and personal assistants for families, plus housekeepers who know how to look after luxury textiles.
- West Village – live-out housekeepers, nannies and pet-care staff. Smaller properties here so fewer staff and normally not live-in.
- Brooklyn Heights – estate managers and domestic couples for larger brownstones.
We also place staff in Greenwich Village, Sutton Place, Park Slope, Midtown’s luxury towers, the Hamptons, Long Island’s Gold Coast, and across the greater New York region.
Household Staff Roles We Place Across NYC
Families in New York City are often interested in bilingual nannies as well as someone who can do school runs and who can deal with New York traffic.
Being clear about what you want from a nanny when you first speak to us is how you help us find one that has the qualities and experience you need.
The New York City property will probably be one of many for an estate manager. These roles are becoming more popular for us as our clients need expertise to deal with their growing estates.
We find that private chefs in NYC today need to be able to be flexible with the menus they create. We’re often asked for chefs with experience in wellness food, or for a certain diet.
It’s a popular role to hire for here.
For housekeepers in New York we see that formal household experience is very important.
Live-in arrangements are common in larger properties. But often space doesn’t allow for it in the city.
One of our most popular roles to recruit for in the area.
We place butlers in New York that have wine knowledge, formal service training, and good skills coordinating with external suppliers and services.
Butlers here need to be able to take on lots of roles and multi-task. This isn’t actually just New York we see this, it’s true of butlers in most areas now.
Household Staff Salaries in New York City (2026)
The competition for good full-time household staff in New York is intense, especially for personal assistants and housekeepers.
You need to offer competitive pay and strong benefits packages to attract the best people.
Below are the current salary ranges:
Position | US Salary Range | Candidates in Database (approved) | Morgan & Mallet Agency Insight |
|---|---|---|---|
Nannies | $60,000 – $120,000 | 8444 | Certified Early Childhood Educators, used to traveling to the Hamptons – command 15–20% premiums in NYC. |
Housekeepers | $90,000 – $160,000 | 6466 | Executive Housekeepers in Manhattan penthouses now need expertise in smart-home technology. |
Private Chefs | $100,000 – $300,000 | 4500
(cooks and chefs) | Michelin-background chefs specializing in personalized wellness are on the rise. |
Estate Manager | $150,000 – $250,000 | 7889 (including property caretakers) | Ultra-High-Net-Worth (UHNW) families in NYC increasingly need EMs to hold Family Office or Project Management certifications. |
Chauffeur | $80,000 – $130,000 | 3322 | Security trained Chauffeurs have seen the highest demand. |
Security (Property and Personal) | $90,000 – $150,000 | 4180 | Discretion and experience with tech-sector or high-profile clients get a premium here. |
All data from the Morgan & Mallet Annual Salary Report 2025/2026.
One of the Leading Domestic Staffing Agencies in NYC
Our ability to recruit experienced full-time household staff in New York comes from the hands-on knowledge of our founders.
Before launching Morgan & Mallet, our co-founders worked in private households themselves. Morgan was a chauffeur and butler, and Laurine was a nanny.
This personal experience gives us insight into the demands that most household staffing agencies in NYC don’t have.
We are now the only domestic staffing agency with offices worldwide, including New York, Los Angeles and Miami.
What NYC Employers Must Know About Household Employment Law
- New York has some of the strongest domestic worker protections in the country, with requirements at both state and city level.
- The state’s Domestic Workers’ Bill of Rights sets out mandatory rest periods, overtime protections, and anti-discrimination safeguards that go further than federal law.
- As of 2026, minimum wage in New York City is $17 per hour.
- Live-in Overtime: Unlike live-out staff, live-in staff qualify for overtime after 44 hours a week versus 40 hours for live-in staff. Employers should avoid assuming “exempt” status, as most domestic roles do not meet the strict legal criteria for salary-only compensation.
- Paid Family Leave and state disability insurance often apply.
- Payroll obligations include withholding for both New York State and New York City taxes.
Note: This is general information, not legal advice. Families should consult legal or HR professionals for definitive guidance specific to their circumstances.
NYC Household Staffing: Frequently Asked
Questions
How to legally pay a housekeeper in New York?
To legally pay a housekeeper in New York, you need to register as a household employer and handle payroll taxes. This includes withholding federal and state income taxes, plus paying Social Security, Medicare, and unemployment insurance.
You’ll also need workers’ compensation insurance, which is required by New York State law for household employees. Most families add 8-9% to the base wage to cover these employment taxes.
Morgan & Mallet offers a payroll service that handles all of this for you. We manage the paperwork, tax filings, and compliance requirements so you can get started quickly.
Our recruiters also advise clients about employment law and can share draft employment contracts.
This guidance helps you understand your obligations without getting overwhelmed by New York’s complex requirements.
Is it free to use a NYC staffing agency?
Most reputable staffing agencies charge fees for their services. The cost normally covers candidate screening, background checks, and the expertise needed to make successful placements.
Some agencies work on a success fee basis, meaning you only pay when they place someone. However, many clients prefer paying upfront fees because it shows the agency’s commitment to finding the right match.
Morgan Richez, co-founder of Morgan & Mallet, believes working for free sends the wrong signal. When agencies invest time without compensation, they may rush placements or prioritize easier fills over finding the perfect candidate for your specific needs.
At Morgan & Mallet, our fee structure shows the thorough vetting process and personalized service we give. This makes sure we’re focused on quality matches that last, not just filling positions quickly.
How long does it typically take to find and place the right household staff member?
For common placements at expected times, such as nannies in September, we start recruiting ahead of demand and can fill roles within days.
In these cases, we can fill a role within a few days.
More specialized or remote roles may take between two and five weeks.
Speed depends on clarity. Families who give us lots of information about salary, schedule, rest days, live-in versus live-out arrangements, and reporting lines before the search starts see faster results.
What happens if a staff member doesn't work out after the placement?
Our support doesn’t stop once the contract is signed.
Our recruiters stay in touch during the first three months, checking in with you and your new hire regularly.
Some families need more support, others tell us everything is running smoothly after two weeks. Either way, we are available.
How do you handle situations where our household needs change and we need to adjust staff roles?
Role changes happen quite often in private households.
If a duty becomes regular, it should be added to the employment contract. That protects both sides by clarifying expectations, giving the right insurance coverage, and giving the staff member grounds to discuss compensation during their annual review.
We can help you assess whether a role change makes sense or whether you need an additional hire instead. For example, asking one person to manage housekeeping and full-time childcare only works in certain situations.
If your household grows or your needs shift a lot, we can return to recruitment mode and find the extra staff you need.
New York
office address
260 Madison Avenue, 8th Floor, 10016, New York, NY – United States
phone
+1 (646) 965-2308
opening hours
Monday - Thursday : 9AM - 6PM
Friday : 9AM - 5PM
Saturday & Sunday : Closed
Ready to Build Your New York Household Team?
Contact our US team to talk us through the staff you need.
We start with a detailed consultation to understand your lifestyle, property portfolio, and family culture before matching you with candidates.
Trust is the foundation. You’re inviting someone into your personal world, and that comes with risk.
Our recruiters understand this because many worked as household staff themselves. This is where our 11 years of experience counts.
Whether you’re staffing a Manhattan penthouse, managing a seasonal rotation between the city and the Hamptons, or building teams across multiple properties in Tribeca and the Upper East Side, Morgan & Mallet structures staffing solutions that work for you.