limiting Admin capabilities

Probably he doesn´t have control over sliders as editor.
You can give him administrator user and then delete it.

After giving him that access he will be able to delete your user.

But if he has only access to WordPress Admin, and you can access to PHPmyAdmin, you will be able to delete his user and create a new one for you.

Do you have access to cPanel, right?

Robynj,

Unless you have client/customer information or payment information on the site there really is nothing there that can be stolen or damaged beyond repair. I would be sure to back up the site’s database with an export first and if something goes wrong you can delete the entire install and re-install with the backup and be back in business in an hour.

Honestly the best defense you have from the contractor is the reviews you leave of his work. If a contractor did anything as irresponsible as violate the admin trust the blowback from your responses online would sink him.

I am currently at odds with a developer of a plug in who I was able to get back in line with a dozen or so bad reviews left in various places. He is now begging me to delete them but until he solves the problems he caused I’m not going to do anything to help him recover his online reputation.

You are not at the mercy of those you hire and the teaspoon of trust you are affording him is far less than the heaping table spoon of kick ass you can unleash should he give you a reason.

Another option is to have him access the admin of your site via your computer in a screen sharing session like Teamviewer. This way you can sit back and watch as he does his work, trust but supervise?

Totally up to you but I would create the admin for him, let him do the work, them delete the user. If anything comes of it you don’t like you do have recourse.

Sometimes I will create a role named Administrator 1 then give the person access to everything but deleting users. It is just a way to keep people honest.