Local service guide
Personal Assistant Services in Burnaby, BC
Arrange Personal Assistant Services in Burnaby by defining the tasks, agreeing on paid travel and expenses, and deciding whether you will buy services from a business or employ someone in your home. Check a service business’s municipal licence and plan legal parking before the visit. For recurring household work, review WorkSafeBC and employment requirements before agreeing to a schedule. [1] [2] [4] [5]
Define the work before comparing offers
Write a short brief that names the result you need. For scheduling, specify which appointments the assistant may book and which require your approval. For errands, list pickup locations, purchase limits, acceptable substitutions and delivery instructions. For household coordination, name the visitors they will meet and the decisions you will keep.
Separate remote work from visits. Ask each provider to quote the same task list and explain when the paid clock starts and stops. Include waiting for deliveries, shopping queues and travel between stops in that discussion. Agree that the assistant will seek your approval before exceeding the budget or adding work.
Keep health care, child care and household employment questions explicit. If you need those duties, describe them before hiring and ask about the provider’s qualifications and scope. B.C. describes domestic workers as people working in private homes who provide services such as child care, cooking and cleaning; employing a qualifying domestic worker brings specific obligations. [5]
Compare the full bill
Request a written quote for your task list, including minimum bookings, travel and expenses. Ask about cancellation charges, recurring commitments and whether the provider includes applicable taxes in the total. For a recurring arrangement, agree on how you can change the task list or end the service.
Choose how you will approve expenses. You might authorize a fixed purchase budget, reimburse receipts or pay the retailer yourself. Agree on who pays transit fares, parking and mileage, and whether the assistant charges time while travelling. Ask how the provider handles returns and refunds.
For errands by transit, TransLink charges a one-zone fare for all bus trips. SkyTrain fares depend on zone boundaries, time and day. Bus, SkyTrain and SeaBus trips starting after 6:30 pm on weekdays, and travel on weekends and provincial statutory holidays, use a one-zone fare. Use the chart to discuss reimbursable travel. West Coast Express has separate pricing and zones. [3]
Check the business and protect access
Ask a service business for its legal name and the licence covering its Burnaby work. The City requires valid licences for commercial and home-based businesses, including personal-service businesses. It also identifies a non-resident category for temporary operations and mobile companies without a fixed city location. [1]
Request references relevant to the duties you are assigning and ask about insurance for the agreed work. If driving forms part of the job, discuss whose vehicle the assistant will use and ask for confirmation that its insurance covers that use. Agree on key custody and a procedure for lost keys before handing over access.
Share only the access the assistant needs. Use calendar invitations or delegated access where possible, and keep account recovery details under your control. Put purchase authority, confidentiality expectations and the return or deletion of your information in writing. For a first booking, choose a bounded task and review the result before expanding the role.
Review responsibilities for recurring household support
WorkSafeBC distinguishes customers of independent businesses from employers hiring their own workers. For someone you employ to provide ongoing home services, its guidance requires coverage at eight or more hours a week; below eight hours, it says you can purchase voluntary coverage. Confirm how your assistant’s duties fit this category before using that threshold. WorkSafeBC sets different thresholds for before- or after-school child care and one-time home projects. [4]
For an independent business, ask about WorkSafeBC registration and obtain a clearance letter where applicable. WorkSafeBC says coverage is optional for a proprietor who does the work without hiring workers. Discuss that situation before the booking rather than assuming every solo provider must carry coverage. [4]
If you employ a qualifying domestic worker, B.C. requires registration with the Employment Standards Branch within 30 days of hiring. Both parties must sign a written employment contract covering duties, hours, wages and payment schedule, plus room and board charges if allowed. Employers must follow employment standards and make required federal payroll deductions. [5]
Confirm the worker’s classification if the role includes care duties. B.C.’s domestic-worker guidance excludes live-in home support workers, night attendants, residential care workers and sitters from that category. Describe the duties when seeking guidance so you can identify the requirements for your arrangement. [5]
Adult Compass Stored Value zone fares for transit errands
Local details that affect your job
Confirm licence coverage for an out-of-city assistant
Do not assume an inter-municipal business licence covers ordinary assistant errands. Burnaby lists eligibility for construction or trade-related businesses and health care professionals or providers visiting clients at home. Ask the provider which licence applies to your task list. For an unclear category, contact City Licensing at 604-294-7320 before booking. [1]
Arrange parking before a long home visit
Burnaby treats residential street parking as public, first come, first served unless signs say otherwise. You cannot reserve a street space with cones or other objects. Visitors and non-residents face a three-hour limit between 8 am and 6 pm in legal spaces. For a longer visit, arrange authorized off-street parking and give the assistant the entry instructions before arrival. [2]
Choose an arrangement for your task list
| Your need | Arrangement to discuss | Point to settle |
|---|---|---|
| Calendar and booking help | Remote support | Approval rules and account access |
| Shopping and pickups | In-person errand booking | Paid travel, spending limits and receipts |
| A home visit exceeding three hours | A visit with authorized off-street parking | Residential visitor parking limits between 8 am and 6 pm |
| Recurring work by someone you employ | A household employment arrangement | WorkSafeBC classification and coverage requirements |
| Cooking, cleaning or child care by a qualifying domestic worker | A written employment contract | Employment Standards registration within 30 days |
Your hiring checklist
- List the tasks, deadlines and decisions that need your approval.
- Request a written quote covering paid time, minimum bookings, travel, expenses and cancellation terms.
- Ask the provider to identify the municipal business licence covering the proposed work.
- Agree on purchase limits, substitutions, receipts and refunds.
- Provide entry instructions and arrange parking for the planned visit length.
- Discuss insurance, key custody and any driving arrangements.
- Clarify whether you will be a customer or employer before recurring household support begins.
- Agree on a completion report showing tasks finished, expenses incurred and work still outstanding.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does a personal assistant business need a Burnaby licence?
Burnaby requires a valid licence for businesses providing personal services, including home-based businesses. Ask the provider which licence covers its operations here. An ordinary assistant should not assume eligibility for the inter-municipal licence, which the City limits to specified business categories. [1]
Can the assistant use transit for errands?
Discuss transit as part of the task plan, including how they will carry purchases and meet deadlines. TransLink makes all bus trips one-zone fares. Compass Card, Compass Ticket and contactless fares permit transfers across bus, SkyTrain and SeaBus for up to 90 minutes. Cash paid on a bus permits transfers between buses only. [3]
Does hiring weekly help make me an employer?
WorkSafeBC says the answer depends on whether you employ the person or purchase services as a customer of an independent business. Check the actual arrangement. For someone you employ for ongoing home services, its coverage guidance uses an eight-hour weekly threshold; qualifying domestic work also brings B.C. employment requirements. Confirm the duties before applying either category. [4] [5]
What should I give the assistant before the first visit?
Provide a prioritized task list, contact numbers, access instructions and a purchase budget. Explain which changes need approval and how you want receipts and completion notes delivered. Agree on parking and a finish time, then choose a manageable first assignment.
Sources and scope
This guide combines the sources below with practical planning guidance. Figures apply to the stated geography and period; request a written quote for your property.