What Type of Insurance Does a Cleaning Company Need?

Whether you are hiring a professional cleaning team for a job or you are starting a cleaning business of your own, cleaning insurance is a must.

In this post, we will share some top cleaning insurance companies with you and explain the types of cleaning insurance and factors that impact costs.

But first, let’s explain what types of cleaning businesses need insurance, and why it is important for businesses and customers.

What Cleaning Businesses Need to Be Insured?

Every type of cleaning company should be bonded and insured. These include but are not limited to:

• House cleaners
• Office and commercial cleaners
• Carpet cleaners
• Window cleaners
• Dry cleaners and laundry businesses
• Pressure washers and outdoor cleaners
• Janitorial services
• Post-construction cleaners

Why Is It Important for a Cleaning Company to Be Bonded and Insured?

A surprising amount of risk is involved with even relatively simple cleaning jobs. Here are some examples of things that could go wrong on the job:

• A worker could use the wrong chemicals on a surface, damaging a client’s property.

• A cleaner trying to access a hard-to-reach spot could strain their back.

• A worker or client could trip on a slippery surface and fall.

• An employee could be injured in a car crash while driving to a client’s home or business.

• A cleaner could steal from a client.

Obviously, strict safety protocols, high standards for hiring, and excellent training can all help to prevent issues like those above. But there is no way to be 100% sure that no workplace problems occur, so it is best to play it safe and get insurance.

Top Insurance Companies for Cleaning Businesses

If you are shopping for insurance for your own cleaning business, here are a few recommended companies. You can scroll past these recommendations for a more detailed guide to cleaning insurance.

1. NEXT

NEXT is an insurance company that focuses exclusively on the needs of business owners. They offer specialized products just for cleaning companies. These include:

• Liability insurance for cleaning companies
• Workers’ comp
• Commercial auto
• Tools and equipment coverage

Why consider NEXT for your carpet cleaning business insurance needs or other cleaning insurance needs? This company has a rapid application process which you can complete online or in person. Once you are insured, you can download a certificate of insurance in seconds to your mobile device. NEXT says you can save up to 25% on policies thanks to their generous discounts.

2. The Hartford

For more than two hundred years, The Hartford has been covering the needs of businesses with competitive policies.

Cleaning businesses can purchase the following types of insurance through The Hartford:

• General liability insurance
• Commercial property insurance
• Business income insurance
• BOP
• Workers’ compensation
• Commercial auto insurance
• Umbrella insurance

Some reasons to consider The Hartford are their extensive experience working with cleaning businesses and the excellent ratings they receive.

3. Progressive

Progressive is one of the biggest insurance companies around, so it is no surprise that they cover cleaning businesses. You can take out these types of policies through Progressive:

• General liability insurance

• Commercial auto
• Workers’ comp
• BOP

Progressive may be an especially good choice if you already are using them for your other insurance needs.

Cleaners Insurance Requirements

According to The Hartford, “Generally, states don’t require businesses to carry general liability insurance.”

Nevertheless, it is recommended that all businesses voluntarily carry policies to protect themselves and their clients.

If you have employees, you also will need to purchase workers’ compensation to abide with the law.

Types of Cleaning Insurance

Here are some important types of cleaning insurance:

• General cleaning liability insurance: If a cleaning company’s negligence or mistakes lead to injury or property damage to a client or other third party, general cleaning liability insurance can help cover the costs. Every cleaning business should get general cleaning liability insurance.

• Professional liability cleaning insurance: Also known as “errors and omissions insurance,” this coverage applies in cases of misrepresentation, negligence, misinformation, and slander/libel. If a company mistakenly gives a client inaccurate information (i.e. recommending the wrong cleaning product) that leads to damage or injury, they might sue. This insurance helps offset legal costs.

• Commercial property insurance: This coverage protects your business premises and property.

• Business owner’s policy (BOP): If you want to roll together property insurance with general liability insurance, you can get a business owner’s policy. Business interruption coverage may be included in a BOP as well.

• Janitorial bonds: If an employee steals from a client on the job, a janitorial bond acts as a surety bond for reimbursement. Many cleaning clients will not work with a company that is not insured and bonded. So, cleaning businesses should all consider getting bonded.

• Umbrella coverage: Taking out commercial umbrella insurance is a way to cover more than the limits of your policies allow.

• Workers’ compensation: It is generally a legal mandate that you purchase workers’ compensation for your employees. If one of your employees is injured on the job, workers’ comp will help pay for it.

• Commercial auto insurance: Cleaning companies spend a good deal of time driving to and from jobs. Along the way, workers could get into accidents. If they do, commercial auto insurance will cover injuries and damage. Do not make the mistake of thinking that a personal auto insurance policy will cut it.

• Tools and equipment insurance: While commercial property insurance will help protect a cleaning company’s property, sometimes additional coverage for tools and equipment may be needed.

• Special property insurance coverage endorsement (SPICE): This is an endorsement that provides coverage for tools and equipment specifically when they are out of the office and in transit.

How Much Does Cleaning Insurance Cost?

For general liability coverage, we usually see a price range of about $25-$45 for cleaning companies.

Below, we go over some factors that can impact the costs for cleaning insurance.

• Types of policies: Along with general liability coverage, a cleaning company might choose to purchase some of the other types of insurance we just discussed. If so, costs will be higher.

• Coverage amounts: The higher the policy limits, the more expensive a policy will be. But that policy will also cover more in case of an expensive mishap.

• Deductibles: You can reduce the cost for commercial cleaning insurance by choosing a policy with a higher deductible. The downside is that should something go wrong, you will need to pay more out of pocket before your policy starts covering costs.

• Area of operation: The geographical area a company serves will have an impact on the cost of cleaning insurance. Some areas are inherently riskier to work in than others. For example, you might pay more for insurance if you operate in a bustling urban region than out in the country. A larger service area might also impose more risk since your workers are spending more time in transit where more could go wrong.

• Type of cleaning service: There are more risks involved with certain types of cleaning businesses than others. For example, a window washing service is probably going to pay significantly more for insurance than a simple maid service.

• Size of cleaning business: In general, larger businesses with more revenue receive higher insurance quotes than smaller businesses with less revenue.

• Number of employees: If you need to purchase workers’ compensation for a cleaning business, the more employees you need to cover, the more expensive it will be.

• Value of equipment: A cleaning business that is looking to cover equipment will find that policies are more expensive if the equipment in question is also more expensive to repair or replace.

• Claims history: If a cleaning business has ample experience and few or no claims, they may receive a break on their cleaning insurance costs in comparison to a company with significant claims on their record.

• Bundling: An additional way you can sometimes save money on commercial cleaning insurance is to bundle together multiple business policies.

Cleaning Insurance is Vital for Any Professional Cleaning Crew

Cleaning insurance and other types of business insurance are vital for residential and commercial cleaning businesses of every variety.

You now know more about the types of cleaning insurance, what factors impact the cost of cleaning insurance, and some top insurance companies for cleaners.

To find insurance for your own cleaning business, click any of the links in this post. To find a bonded and insured cleaning service to hire, explore companies.