The ensuite bathroom is marble-lined and the bath a perfect oval limestone egg. The flat may only have two bedrooms, but the trimmings are Zoffany, and on the hall table’s silver tray sit an exclusive gym membership and a set of keys to a Range Rover Autobiography. No, this is not the Belgravia pied-à-terre of a pampered minigarch, but instead the private live-in quarters of any nanny, housekeeper or butler considered worth their salt — and all on top of a hefty salary. The mobcap has been replaced by the Prada scarf, and the days of the poky Downton garret and Carson’s dingy pantry are, it seems, truly relics of the past. “Things have certainly changed since I was working as an au pair,” says the Swedish-born Sara Vestin Rahmani, founder of Bespoke Bureau (bespokebureau.com), a London-based agency that recruits some of the world’s most highly trained domestic staff for clients who include Middle Eastern royalty, Russian oligarchs and a smattering of celebrities. “Interestingly, it is the British clientele, who historically have lived in country houses, who need, shall we say, re-educating,” she says. “Life is not like Upstairs Downstairs any more.” These days, families with multiple staff are expected to provide them with their own premises on the grounds, and often not merely a flat above the garage, but a separate cottage, Vestin Rahmani says. Homes should be of a decorative standard up there with the family’s own house, and they should have all the high-tech gadgets they need to do their job effectively, as well as run their own personal lives. They should also be allowed to travel with the family in the private jet and not be shoved into cattle class. More: The ABCs of the Private Tutor Industry “It sounds incredibly luxurious,” Vestin Rahmani says, “but don’t forget that when you are a live-in, you are compromising your own freedom to a great extent, and are on someone’s else’s clock. Staff do a demanding and professional job across what is often several international households.” With about 10,000 of the world’s ultra-high-net-worth individuals — people with assets of $30m or more — based in Britain, the clamour for an impeccably qualified Jeeves (or two), and nannies who could make Mary Poppins seem negligent, is deafening. “There are more domestic staff working in Mayfair property now than at the height of the Georgian era,” says Nicholas Austin, sales manager at Jackson-Stops & Staff estate agency in Mayfair. More: The Privileges of a Private Port “Good, reliable staff are hard to come by, so it is in the homeowner’s interests to make sure they are as comfortable as the people they are working for. Affluent people often lead private lives, and consider trust, loyalty and discretion of paramount importance, so they may employ the same staff for upwards of 30 years.” Providing a covetable home, then, is one of the ways to avoid that most heinous of upper-class betrayals: not stealing someone’s husband, but poaching their nanny. “A decade ago, we had clients putting up their nannies in underground vaults, but nowadays it is far from uncommon for families purchasing top-end flats and penthouses in luxury developments to buy a separate unit within the same block for the nanny or carer,” says Simon Hedley, a director of Druce estate agency in Marylebone. “These units will carry the premium commanded by Marylebone’s most exclusive new schemes, with the studio or one-bedroom ‘nanny flat’ costing anything between £700,000 and £1m.
“Beautifully finished staff accommodation helps encourage loyalty, an important factor in prime central London, where holding on to the best nannies and housekeepers is a key priority for those with young children.” As a result, top-end housebuilders and developers have had to get in on the act. Trevor Abrahmsohn, managing director of Glentree Estates, is a veteran of the Bishops Avenue, that exclusive patch of north London where homeowners have included the House of Saud, the Sultan of Brunei and Lakshmi Mittal. “If you are designing a property with more than 4,500 sq ft, you would have to include dedicated staff quarters or it would impede a sale,” he says. At 20,000 sq ft, a lack of separate accommodation would make it unsellable. The same goes for refurbished houses: “The ideal newly built home, of about 10,000 sq ft, would have separate staff access, with two bedrooms, a kitchen and bathroom.” The developer Octagon’s “mini mansions”, which cost about £10m, incorporate separate wings for household staff, with luxury kitchens, bedrooms and bathrooms — encouraging loyal retainers to be available at all hours. More: The Value of Stowing Valuables at Home “One of our Octagon Bespoke purchasers actually insisted that his housekeeper and family had a Bulthaup kitchen and swish Italian fitted wardrobes in their wing, not dissimilar to his own,” says David Smith, the group’s head of marketing. “He obviously valued his staff highly.” Others, of course, go even further in the hopes of snaring the perfect employee: before their “conscious uncoupling”, Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin were reported to have advertised for a tutor for their children with a knowledge of Japanese, chess, sailing and tennis. In return for this, they would get a £60,000-plus annual salary and several perks, including free travel and use of a west London flat. If you are tempted by a life of service — albeit in the lap of luxury — there is a point of etiquette to bear in mind. No matter how qualified and well catered-for you are, don’t expect to have access to your employer’s basement lap pool or spa area. Letting the help share the hot tub really is a luxury too far.