The Hamptons

A house that is ready before you are

Seasonal teams, year-round caretakers, and the estate managers who make an East End summer look effortless.

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The East End runs on a calendar. Houses open in May, fill from Memorial Day through Labor Day, and settle into quiet by October. The best summers are staffed by March — the strongest seasonal housekeepers, chefs, and house managers are committed months before the season starts. If you're beginning a search in June, you're choosing from what's left.

The other half of the year matters just as much. A Sagaponack property left alone from October to April is a liability — storms, pipes, contractors, deliveries. Year-round caretakers and domestic couples hold the house through winter, manage the trades, and open it properly in spring. For many families, that hire outlasts every seasonal one.

Staff housing is the quiet constraint out here. Candidates who live west of the canal face a long summer commute; on-property accommodation changes who you can hire and how long they stay. It's the first question we ask about any East End property, and we'll tell you plainly how the answer shapes your search — before it shapes your summer.

Most requested

The roles The Hamptons households hire.

Estate Manager

The operational lead for a significant property — staff, vendors, budgets, and projects, so your home simply works.

Hiring guide

Property Caretaker

Eyes and hands on a property you're not always at — systems checked, grounds kept, and the house ready whenever you are.

Hiring guide

Domestic Couple

Two trusted people, one household — a couple covering housekeeping, cooking, grounds, and caretaking between them.

Hiring guide

House Manager

A hands-on manager for a single residence — part organizer, part doer, keeping one home running smoothly day to day.

Hiring guide

Private Chef

A dedicated chef for your household — daily menus built around your tastes, your health, and the way you actually eat.

Hiring guide

Housekeeper

Daily, devoted care of your home — rooms reset, laundry done properly, and fine things handled by someone who knows how.

Hiring guide

Houseman

The strong, steady support every large home relies on — heavy cleaning, moving, maintenance help, and a hundred daily tasks.

Hiring guide

Questions

Staffing in The Hamptons, answered.

When should we start hiring for the summer season?

January through March. Strong seasonal candidates — housekeepers, chefs, house managers — commit early, often returning to families they've worked with before. Starting in the first quarter means choosing from the full field; starting in May means choosing from whoever remains. For year-round roles like caretakers, timing matters less than fit, and we search whenever the need arises.

Do we need year-round staff for a house we use seasonally?

Usually, yes — at minimum a caretaker or domestic couple who lives locally, checks the property through winter, manages contractors, and handles storm prep and spring opening. A house that sits empty for six months develops problems quietly. The caretaker is often the hire that protects everything else, including the value of the property itself.

Does staff housing really change the search?

Considerably. Local housing is scarce and summer traffic makes long commutes difficult, so on-property accommodation opens the search to candidates from well beyond the East End — and tends to lengthen tenure. Without it, we focus on candidates already living locally, a smaller field. We'll assess your situation honestly at the start rather than discover it mid-search.

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Hiring in The Hamptons?

Tell us about the household and the role. A senior advisor will be in touch within one business day.