We have non-Jewish help living with us. Can he keep his chametz in our house on Pesach? Can we leave our chametz in his room?
A Jew is not allowed to maintain chametz in his possession, i.e., ownership, on Pesach — bal yei’ra’eh — whether it is in his physical premises or not.
If a Jew entrusted chametz with another Jew, or even a non-Jew, who accepted responsibility, the owner still violates bal yei’ra’eh, because the chametz remains in his ownership (O.C. 440:4).
Conversely, there is no prohibition regarding chametz that belongs to a non-Jew, even if located on the Jew’s premises, unless the Jew accepted responsibility for it as a guardian, in which case he may not maintain the chametz. However, the non-Jew’s chametz should be covered so that you do not come to eat it (C.M. 440:1-3).
Thus, the non-Jewish help may keep his chametz in your house, but you may not accept responsibility for it; you may not keep your chametz in his room.
Poskim discuss whether a Jew may insure chametz of a non-Jew on Pesach. Many maintain that this is allowed, because the insurer does not carry responsibility as a guardian for the chametz itself, but only financial liability for its value if lost.
