A guide to background checks for hiring domestic help and staff in gated communities

A detailed explainer on when and how to conduct background checks and police verifications for hiring help, and the related challenges.

According to a recent news report, there has been a 20% increase in theft cases compared to 2023, linked to domestic help. This has naturally created apprehensions and flagged the need for safety checks around employment of household help and staff in gated communities and independent homes.

Background checks and police verification have been established as recommended procedures while hiring staff, following several untoward incidents in the city. These checks are advisable as they help both the employer and the staff build a relationship of trust and confidence towards each other.

Many Resident Welfare Associations (RWAs) and individuals are unaware of how to conduct background checks and police verification. For agency staff, contractors are responsible. However, for staff employed directly, the responsibility falls on the employers, whether RWAs or individuals. These are similar to checks done by organisations before hiring a resource. Identity and address proofs are especially beneficial during medical and other emergencies. 

  1. Ask for references of previous employers and speak to them. 
  2. Keep a copy of proof of identity and address such as voter ID card, ration card, educational certificates or CV (especially for skilled resources like electricians and plumbers) or rental agreement. Crosscheck the ID proofs with the originals of these documents. After hiring, ask your staff to inform you whenever they change residence and furnish proof of their most recent address. Copies of rental agreements should suffice.  
  3. Ask for the bank passbook/details. In addition to acting as proof of identity and address, this helps ensure that correct payments are made into the account and to the right person, especially in case of agency staff.
  4. Consider posting a letter to the address given by your staff and ask them to bring the letter on receipt. You could visit them or drop them off at their homes occasionally. Post offices also provide address verification services.
  5. Ask for emergency contact details of the employees (relatives or friends).
  6. If you live in an apartment, keep your association informed about the staff you employ. RWAs should conduct regular background checks on staff employed directly by them, through agencies, and by individual residents every two years, and ensure records are updated.
  7. Communication is essential to know more about your staff, including their background, residence, family details and personal situations.  
  8. Keep photos of your staff in your records.  
  9. For agency staff, ensure that the agency conducts police verification. Request proof of the application for verification and the certificate upon completion.
Sweeper
House cleaning staff in apartments. Pic: Uma Mani

Read more: Behind closed doors, domestic workers continue to face discrimination and abuse


Police verification process 

For Indian citizens

 There are two types of verification processes done by the police for citizens. 

  • Antecedents check — which is done to check for criminal records, if any. The cost for this is ₹375.
  • Antecedents check along with address verification — which is a more thorough check of antecedents along with verification of address. The cost for this is ₹750.

When I checked at the local police station for the current procedure, I was told the first procedure (antecedent check only) was enough. The police would still visit the homes of prospective staff members to confirm they lived at the given address. In addition to proof of address and ID, they would need two references with whom they could talk, for additional verification. 

RWAs and apartment owners can apply and pay for police verification online for staff who are Indian citizens, through the Seva Sindhu website. The police recommend choosing “job application” for all categories of staff and selecting the nature of the job from the drop-down menu, even though there is an option to directly choose “police verification certificate for domestic servants and housekeeping staff or security guards.”

Keep soft copies of proof of address and identity, and passport-size photos of your staff handy for uploading them, and follow the simple steps here to fill out the form. In the case of first-time users, you have to register them first. The entire verification process takes about 21 days. Inform the staff to expect a call and/or visit from the police, and not be too worried. You can follow up on the progress by logging in later.

For foreigners who have valid passport and visa

Foreign nationals, who have the necessary permits to work in India must be registered with the Foreigners Regional Registration Offices (FRRO). Any further police verifications can be done by applying for police clearance certificate either on the Seva Sindhu website or e-FRRO portal. The fee for obtaining the certificate is ₹1,000. While the normal processing time would be 21 days, it could take longer for the verification process to be completed for foreign nationals. 


Read more: A guide to employing foreign nationals in Bengaluru apartments


For citizens of Nepal and Bhutan 

Following a treaty signed with these countries by the Government of India in 1950 allowing free movement of people, citizens of Nepal and Bhutan don’t need passports and visas to live and work in India. They would however need to carry a national citizenship card issued to them in their home country. 

There seem to be no proper processes in place, however, regarding antecedent checks for Nepali citizens. When we checked, different police stations gave us conflicting information and followed their own methods of verification. 

Shylaja, who hired live-in Nepali domestic help, shared her experience with the local police and the FRRO. The jurisdictional police informed her that they would conduct regular checks, similar to those done for citizens, to verify that the staff resides in her house. The police also advised her to sign a rental agreement with her domestic help for address verification purposes. When she spoke with the FRRO, they mentioned that the verification process for citizens, based on Aadhaar cards, could be followed in this case. 

I approached two police stations and received two different responses. One informed me that the staff would require a police clearance certificate, for which they would have to apply online through e-FRRO or approach the FRRO personally. 

Officials in another police station explained their process with a little more clarity. They said that citizens of Nepal are free to work here without restrictions. Hence, the verifications would be done in the same way as those for Indian citizens. However, having Aadhaar, Nepali citizenship card/passport and proof of address was necessary. 

If your Nepali staff does not have a passport, you could guide them to apply for one.  You could also help them with applying for an Aadhaar card. This helps in creating valid identity documents for them.

Security and domestic help
Security and housekeeping staff in apartments. Pic: Uma Mani

Form C for live-in foreign domestic help and staff

If you have a foreign live-in help or staff, your local police station may ask you to complete Form C (hosting a foreigner in an individual house) on the FRRO website to provide them accommodation.

Once this form is completed online, it is automatically forwarded to the local police for verification. This form is only meant to be filled by owners renting their properties to foreigners, hotels, guesthouses and service apartments and receiving a remuneration for it. There’s no mention anywhere that it is necessary to be completed by employers hiring staff and providing them accommodation to stay for free, without a rental agreement. 

But the police seem to insist on employers signing rental agreements with their staff for the purposes of proof of address. The purpose of the form is to track the movement of foreigners staying in the country, especially those overstaying their visa. This submission of form C is a requirement in addition to the registration of foreigners with FRRO. Employers must understand the potential long-term implications of agreeing to sign a rental agreement with your live-in foreign domestic help, and the necessity to submit Form C.

The process of background checks and police verification may look cumbersome, especially if you feel your staff may not be employed with you for long. Further, we must accept the staff’s reluctance to agree to police verification as it involves police personnel visiting their homes or enquiring about them with the neighbours. 

Some of the domestic help I spoke to expressed genuine apprehensions about police visits and checks not just because of fear of harassment, but also because of the curiosity that is aroused among neighbours when police visit their homes or make enquiries. They explained that rumours and fears about their involvement in thefts could quickly spread because they work in apartments.

Background checks alone, done properly and discreetly, and not necessarily police verifications, could go a long way in building trust and reducing unwarranted accusations of wrongdoing. In all this, it will also help if the stigma attached to police visits and fears of police harassment during the verification process are addressed by the police.

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