For Rent: Good man with no problems... if price is right
Larry Hoffing wants a lot of wives with no strings attached. And he’s put together a marketing campaign to make sure he gets them.
Hoffing is available to cook, clean, shop and do whatever husbandly chores his so-called wives want him to do. But like all husbands, Hoffing comes at a price — $25 an hour.
Hoffing been advertising to lease himself out, believing there’s a market for women who need — well — a husband, but don’t want the headaches and commitment that come with them.
“I think a lot of women need someone to do the chores,” he said. “And this way, they don’t have anyone to yell at for leaving the cap off the toothpaste.”
Hoffing, 48, has been married to Deborah Cohen for 14 years. They have four boys together and Hoffing is the primary caregiver while Cohen goes to work each day as a health researcher for the Rand Corporation.
She welcomes more women in Hoffing’s life. “The more the merrier,” she said. “I would love to lend him out.”
Hoffing said he and Deborah talked about his new venture and she’s willing to give him up for other needy women.
“She was somewhat surprised at first that I wanted to do this,” he said. “But she really wants me to get a job.”
Being a house husband with four children in school, Hoffing has a lot of time on his hands. After moving his family here from New Orleans a few months ago, Hoffing noticed a market ripe for husbands. He observed that Californians have learned the art of having other people do their errands. A good percentage of residents here hire people to cook, clean, walk their dogs, do yard work and other annoying and time-consuming errands.
Expanding on the idea from a man who started a handyman service on the East Coast, Hoffing plans to take his business beyond home repair.
“I read about this guy and I got the idea that this would be a way for me to still be close to the kids,” he said. “My vision is rent a husband, plus.”
Not that Hoffing hasn’t gotten around. He’s worked in the aerospace industry, and is a former attorney and stockbroker. Now he thinks he has found his true calling.
“I’m much more than a handyman. I can shop, help with homework, walk the dog, change light bulbs, take the trash out, do yard work, clean, do the laundry,” he said. “I wash dishes, too.”
And he’s had extensive on-the-job training, with references to go with it.
“My wife is really high maintenance, she’s very assertive and very demanding,” Hoffing said. “I’ve never met anyone that can top her.”
Hoffing will even serve as an escort if a woman needs a date — and more. “I’ll do foot massages, but that’s about all.”
In a place where women are high powered executives in the entertainment and tech industries, Hoffing thinks there are plenty of women out there that need a “husband.” He says his rate, at $25 hourly, is competitive. His market research produced dog walkers who charge $30 an hour and handymen at $35-$65 an hour.
He’ll take calls from husbands, too. If they want Hoffing to take over their responsibilities, he’ll be happy to oblige. “They can be married to husbands who don’t lift a finger,” Hoffing said.
He hopes to expand the business once the idea catches on. But growth will require more husbands for the harem.
“I looked forward to my wives calling me,” he said. Cohen is hoping the business takes off as well. “I hope he makes enough so we can hire someone to do all that for us too,” she said.
“I looked forward to my wives calling me.” — — LARRY HOFFING Rent-a-husband
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on December 3, 2001. Read the original PDF.