In this section we give some guidance on how to run a home in the Cayman Islands. A lot of it is very straightforward and probably common sense but we do give inside information on the domestic helper/nanny scene (how much to pay them etc), we discuss how to maintain your property and garden and even suggest shade trees that are indigenous to Cayman. We give you the costs and details on how private property Government-run rubbish collection works. We discuss pest control and explain that in this humid and tropical environment quarterly pest spraying (particularly for ants and cockroaches) is essential and finally we give an overview of home security in Cayman - what to think about and what to consider. It will help you feel like setting up a home here is easier than you might think!
Domestic Help Many expatriate and local families employ domestic help either on a full-time, live-in or part-time basis. The affordable luxury of live-in help makes entertaining a pleasure, allows parents to spend more time with their children, or have precious quiet hours away from them! Helpers are employed primarily to do housework, cook and care for children and pets.
The domestic help network (of mostly Jamaican and Filipino helpers) flourishes in Cayman, and it is not difficult to secure help through word of mouth. Alternatively, there are domestic agencies that hire out help on an hourly basis. They charge approximately CI$12 per hour for a minimum of four hours if hired on a full-day or half-day regular weekly basis. If you hire them as a one-off, the hourly rate is CI$14 (more if they supply the cleaning products). The convenience of using an agency is that they train the staff, pay their health insurance, pension, drop off/collect the helper from your house and will replace them if they can’t work for any reason.
If you do not go through an agency then the going rate for a full time (five days a week) helper is approximately CI$1200 per month or CI$60–65 per day. Helpers cost more per day if you only have them part-time; for an eight hour day allow CI$75 to CI$80. For occasional babysitting you will find that almost everyone will ask for CI$10 per hour.
If you want to hire your own helper on a full-time basis you must apply for a work permit. Paperwork and instructions can be collected from the Department of Immigration or downloaded from their website: www.immigration.gov.ky. Both the employer and the employee must fill in separate parts of the application and such things as a police clearance and a full medical are required. They may be required to take an English test as well. It is worth noting that the Immigration Department does not usually grant expatriates a work permit for domestic help unless they show sufficient need – i.e. they have children who need looking after. You will also need to take care of their health insurance, give them at least two weeks paid vacation per year and pay them double time for working any public holidays. A good employer will also pay for one airline ticket home per year. At the time of going to press you are not required to pay a pension for them. Other things worth noting are: you cannot submit your domestic helper’s work permit paperwork until your own work permit has been approved, it is illegal to make them pay for their own work permit, helpers are not allowed to have dependants on their work permit and the absolute maximum time they will be allowed to stay on the Island is seven years. Please also note that non-Caymanian status holders are not allowed to hire, or more specifically get a work permit for, a Jamaican national. A Jamaican nanny, domestic helper or gardener is reserved for Caymanian status holders. If you want a part-time helper the following companies will organise it for you:
AAA Capable Caregivers Tel: (345) 945 5335
Reliable Cleaning Tel: (345) 949 9303
Roper’s Janitorial Service Tel: (345) 949 2511
Garden Maintenance If you live in a condominium or apartment complex, the strata generally has a garden maintenance company which will service the property regularly. This is the same if you have a pool. If you do find yourself having a garden to maintain, equipment such as lawnmowers and fertilizer are available from most home centres such as A.L. Thompson’s, Cox Lumber, Kirk Home Centre and Uncle Bill’s. For garden maintenance and landscaping, Power Flower and Vigoro Nursery will send a team to maintain and design your garden. They all also sell plants, herbs, trees, soil and have the knowledge to guide you as to what will work best in Cayman. Most garden centres carry an extensive array of plant pots and accessories. If you are renting, having potted plants on the porch is a really nice way of personalising your new home. Absolutely Fabulous sells teak garden furniture as well as woven all-weather outdoor furniture from Italy. Most of the home centres also sell inexpensive garden furniture.
Trees & Shade If you buy a house, planting shade trees on your property can make a huge difference to how cool your house will stay, even in the heat of the summer months. Choosing trees that are indigenous to the Island, or ones that support the local wildlife (birds in particular), is something that the National Trust, the Cayman Islands Garden Club and many long time Cayman residents would love us all to consider. A good example is the Wild Fig, which is an incredible tree that grows tall and wide. The fruit is eaten by birds and bats, and the trunk is also a shelter for lizards and geckos. It is a native tree, gives wonderful shade, and can be found growing in any wild, rocky spot. A Popnut tree is another great choice. It is salt tolerant, grows fast if you water it, and makes lots of lovely shade. Sea Grape trees have large round leaves, grow near the seashore and are native. Mahogany trees are nice but slow growing, though they do grow faster if watered. The Royal Palm is not a particularly good shade tree, but it is important to birds and the agouti (same family as the rabbit). The Tamarind tree isn’t native (it has been naturalized), but birds love it for nesting because it is so twiggy and dense, and it’s highly wind and salt tolerant. The Indian Almond, also naturalized, grows fast and is tough, but makes a lot of leaf debris. Fruit bats love the almond fruit.
A tree to avoid planting is the Casuarina which is not native and very invasive. Fallen needles inhibit the growth of indigenous plants and it does not support any wildlife. It also offers little or no shade. Top of the list of scrubs/bushes to be discouraged is the Scaevola which is highly invasive. It crowds out other vegetation and its small white fruit are inedible to birds or other animals.
For more information on indigenous plants and shade trees, you can read Fred Burton’s "Wild Trees" book available at The National Trust or you can also see Anne Stafford’s well researched list posted on the Cayman Wildlife website: www.caymanwildlife.org. A great place to buy plants, in addition to all of the nurseries on Island, is the Department of Agriculture (Tel: (345) 947 3090), located in Lower Valley.
Pool Maintenance If you rent or buy in an apartment complex then the strata will take care of the cost of pool maintenance. If you buy a house with a pool, expect to pay a minimum of CI$250 per month to have a service technician come around once a week to add chemicals and vacuum the pool. Salt water pools, as an alternative to chlorine, are also now available in Cayman. Another alternative is an environmentally friendly treatment that utilizes the sanitation and disinfection properties of metals such as gold, silver and copper.
The Dump, Garbage Disposal & Illegal Dumping The Department of Environmental Health (Tel: (345) 949 6696) is in charge of house-hold waste and the landfill.
Grand Cayman’s garbage is collected weekly and taken to the George Town Landfill, known locally as Mount Trashmore. There is a plan in the works to cap and close the dump, which has been an issue of national concern for years. There are no garbage collection fees for private residences. Apartment complexes and businesses are charged an annual fee which is based on the type and category of business. Garbage is collected in each area of Grand Cayman two days per week as follows:
George Town: Tuesdays and Fridays.
SMB, Eastern Avenue west to North Church Street, and West Bay: Mondays and Thursdays.
Savannah, Newlands, Bodden Town, North Side, East End: Wednesdays and Saturdays.
Bulky and hazardous waste items such as used motor oil, cooking oil, household batteries and car batteries should be taken to the landfill drop off area. Someone will assist you from 7am-6pm, but you can drop off the items 24 hours a day. There is no disposal fee and the hazardous waste will then be recycled by the Department of Environmental Health.
Bulky items are also collected by DEH during November and December at roadsides. Please listen to the media for dates. During other times of the year, you can pay the DEH to collect items or you can call a private disposal company. Real Christmas trees are recycled in January – look out for the skips on the side of the road with a very obvious ‘Christmas Tree Disposal’ sign on them.
Dumping (or fly tipping as it is known locally) is illegal and if caught can lead to a hefty fine, as can public littering. Please do not litter or allow your children to litter. Cayman is very proud of the fact that the streets are not lined with litter as they are in many other Caribbean islands, and we would like to keep it that way!
Most apartment complexes have skips for waste disposal. It is frowned upon if you are dumping waste in other complexes’ skips and building construction skips. Either obtain permission or drive to the dump.
Over the years there has been much talk about what can be done with our unlined and uncapped dump and Cayman’s solid waste management practices (there is no household recycling initiative). Only very recently (2010) have a group of concerned citizens started a conversation about the problem and the possible solutions. WISE Cayman (Waste Initiatives & Sustainable Environments) is a not-for-profit community action group that is comprised of residents and business leaders who are concerned for the long-term picture and for generations to come. WISE believes that our dump is an issue of national importance and wants to ensure that a holistic, sustainable and cost effective solution to managing our solid waste issue is achieved. The end goal is to determine, as a country, how best to rectify the current landfill practice and to identify sustainable solutions for the future. All Cayman residents and businesses are encouraged to get involved – particularly if you believe there is a better solution! WISE Cayman is challenging all citizens to conserve our natural resources by committing to reduce, reuse, and recycle at home, in your community and at the office. They welcome your feedback, comments and ideas - contact WISE Cayman at info@wise.ky.
Recycling Shockingly little is recycled in Cayman. Unlike most other (larger) countries, there is no household collection of paper, plastic, aluminium or glass for recycling. There are a few spots where you can drop off aluminium cans. For more information about how you can recycle or get involved in green initiatives, please see the Being Green chapter.
Pest Control Services Since we live in a warm and humid climate here in the Cayman Islands, we do get insects and thus on occasion we have to deal with uninvited guests. These guests range from ants, cockroaches, termites and weevils to centipedes and non-venomous scorpions. Rodents can also be a problem, and people with pets will likely encounter ticks and fleas. There are no venomous snakes in Cayman, but we do suffer the discomfort of fire ants, mosquitoes and sand flies from time to time.
There is an indigenous black bird nicknamed "ching-ching" that may be a nuisance – especially during spring nesting time when they become increasingly aggressive. They may try to attack anybody who approaches the vicinity of their nests, so you may want to consider moving the nest to another location. However, this should only be done once the chicks have flown the nest or the ching chings are no longer using it.
If you feel the chickens and roosters are interfering with your garden or are waking you at all times of the night, you may request a trap be set by the Department of Agriculture who will then come and take them away. The service is done free of charge and you can call them on (345) 947 3090.
Non-indigenous green iguanas are also a problem, and must not be mistaken with the indigenous blue iguana which is a protected species. The green iguana is a pest that breeds in large numbers and has no predators (other than Hondurans who love to eat them!). Some parts of Cayman are overrun with green iguanas, and though they will scurry out of your way if approached, they will eat the plants in your garden and poop all over your property. (Even in your pool which they love to swim in!) You can buy a natural organic pesticide (from PestKil) which repels the iguanas by odor and taste; and it will not harm humans, pets or birds. Many people feel that green iguanas are pests, and should be caught and permanently removed wherever possible.
Quarterly Spraying As mentioned previously, if you are buying a property you will want to know if the property is being sprayed regularly. If you are renting, ask your landlord if they have a pest control company carry out quarterly spraying to control ants and cockroaches. Most property owners will do this as a matter of course to protect their investment. If your landlord doesn’t arrange this, it might be worth organising it yourself to keep these pests at bay. A typical house, depending on size, costs between CI$125–$160 per quarter to treat. To treat a two-bedroom apartment costs approximately CI$95-$105 per quarter.
Pestkil Ltd. Abacus House, 311 Walkers Road, George Town Tel: (345) 949 9145 or www.pestkil.com Services include the control of rodents, fire ants, termites and more, plus complete pest maintenance for lawns, shrubs and trees.
Sewage Treatment Residents of Grand Cayman that live along West Bay Road and connecting neighbourhoods are served by the Island’s only sewage collection system operated by the Water Authority. The collected sewage is treated at the Water Authority’s wastewater treatment plant.
Residents not located in the West Bay Road area will have their sewage collected in a concrete or fibreglass two-compartment holding tank and connecting drain well called a septic tank. Others, particularly those that live in large (more than eight unit) apartment complexes, will have their wastewater collected into a sewage treatment plant located on the premises. In a properly sized system, pumping of the sludge tank can be done every two to five years. Some systems require more frequent pumping because there are more people using the system than was intended, the water table in the area is high and prevents proper drainage, or there are products being introduced to the system that it was not intended to collect. Because septic tanks use ‘friendly bacteria’ to break down natural waste products, introducing harsh chemicals will do a very effective job of killing these bacteria. Most complaints of odours from sewage treatment plants and septic tanks can be attributed to the system not working properly. This can be caused by the wrong things being flushed down the toilet or poured down the kitchen sink. For example excessive bleach and cleaning agents, grease from cooking, used coffee grains, disposable wipes, feminine products, condoms, pesticides, paint thinner, paints, motor oil or any petroleum based product.
Incidentally, do not allow your cleaner to mix bleach with household cleaners. It releases a toxic gas called chlorine that causes lung damage and is extremely poisonous.
Air Conditioning Air conditioning your home can have the biggest impact on your electric bill and can be very expensive. Keeping the temperature at the highest setting you feel comfortable with will help, but you can also save electricity by closing your window treatments during the day, making sure your filters are clean and by making sure your air conditioning unit is working efficiently.
Otis Air 36 Kingbird Drive, off North Sound Road Tel: (345) 945 7167 or 916 1992 www.otisair.ky Service and repair all makes and models of air conditioning equipment. Authorised dealer for RUDD and Classic units.
Home Security
Although Cayman does enjoy a low crime rate in comparison to its Caribbeanneighbours and the world in general, burglaries do occur from time to time and are often crimes of opportunity. The majority of burglaries occur at a residence where no one is home and entry is both easy and concealed. Here are some simple suggestions for reducing or limiting the chances of your home being burgled:
1) Closing and locking windows and doors is the first step. It is important to lock both the top lock (deadbolt) and the bottom lock (the lockset). Burglars often rely on the fact that the deadbolt is not locked.
2) One can also check that locks on both windows and sliding doors are secure. In older style sliding doors and windows fitted locks may be insufficient. Devices such as security bars and pins can be installed to prevent both doors and windows from being opened should the lock fail.
3) A home security system is a great deterrent. Nothing tells a burglar to "get out quick" like a home alarm system!
4) Consider installing lighting with motion sensors. As well as illuminating the burglar's activity they will also ensure the burglar doesn't feel comfortable enough to stick around. Unfortunately, these motion sensors may malfunction due to heavy rains and winds, especially during the rainy season. Video cameras are also an option, and police will review them if there is a burglary.
5) Get to know your neighbours and create a 'Neighbourhood Watch' scheme. You can do this by calling the police to get in touch with the police officer assigned to your area. A twitching curtain can always be an effective deterrent to any burglar 'sizing up' a neighbouring property. Remember never to leave keys by the door or in the lock. Suspicious behaviour should be reported to the police as well as your neighbours.For more information on home security systems contact The Security Centre on (345) 949 0004.
Although Cayman does enjoy a low crime rate in comparison to its Caribbeanneighbours and the world in general, burglaries do occur from time to time and are often crimes of opportunity. The majority of burglaries occur at a residence where no one is home and entry is both easy and concealed. Here are some simple suggestions for reducing or limiting the chances of your home being burgled:
1) Closing and locking windows and doors is the first step. It is important to lock both the top lock (deadbolt) and the bottom lock (the lockset). Burglars often rely on the fact that the deadbolt is not locked.
2) One can also check that locks on both windows and sliding doors are secure. In older style sliding doors and windows fitted locks may be insufficient. Devices such as security bars and pins can be installed to prevent both doors and windows from being opened should the lock fail.
3) A home security system is a great deterrent. Nothing tells a burglar to "get out quick" like a home alarm system!
4) Consider installing lighting with motion sensors. As well as illuminating the burglar's activity they will also ensure the burglar doesn't feel comfortable enough to stick around. Unfortunately, these motion sensors may malfunction due to heavy rains and winds, especially during the rainy season. Video cameras are also an option, and police will review them if there is a burglary.
5) Get to know your neighbours and create a 'Neighbourhood Watch' scheme. You can do this by calling the police to get in touch with the police officer assigned to your area. A twitching curtain can always be an effective deterrent to any burglar 'sizing up' a neighbouring property. Remember never to leave keys by the door or in the lock. Suspicious behaviour should be reported to the police as well as your neighbours.For more information on home security systems contact The Security Centre on (345) 949 0004.

Copyright 2011 The Resident Magazine 2012. All rights reserved. Acorn Publishing Co, PO Box 31403, Grand Cayman KY1-1206, Cayman Islands, Tel: (345) 946 3200 Fax: (345) 946 2830 Email:info@acorn.ky
