General liability insurance for cleaning businesses

When buying insurance for a cleaning business, general liability insurance is the policy most business owners buy first. It covers basic business risks, such as third-party injuries and property damage.

This policy provides liability coverage related to:

• Customer bodily injuries
• Customer property damage
• Advertising injuries

A general liability insurance policy can often be required to secure a commercial lease, loan, or client contract. Not only does it help you meet these requirements, general liability coverage can provide instant peace of mind by offering protection to your cleaning business on the most common third-party risks.

A general liability policy protects your cleaning business from common third-party liability risks.

This includes:

If a delivery person, vendor, or client slips on a wet floor at your office, or trips over your mop, you could be held liable for the injury. If the person sues, your business will need to pay for legal bills, such as hiring a lawyer. You might also have to pay the injured person’s medical expenses.

General liability insurance can cover:

• Third-party medical bills
• Attorney's fees
• Court-ordered judgments
• Settlements arranged outside of court

Note that this policy does not cover employee injuries. For that, you’ll need workers’ compensation insurance.

If a house cleaner or janitor causes accidental damage to a client's floor with their industrial floor cleaner, the third-party property coverage included in your general liability insurance could help pay for the cost of repairing or replacing the floor.

If there is a disagreement about the cost of a repair, public liability insurance for cleaners can cover attorney’s fees, judgments, and other legal costs if a client takes you to court.

If you copy another cleaning company’s logo or slogan, it could lead to a lawsuit. Accidental advertising injuries are covered by general liability insurance, including:

• Defamation, both libel (written) and slander (spoken)
• Copyright infringement

If you advertise or promote your cleaning business in print, online, or on television or radio, you’ll want to make sure your insurance includes this protection.

Because cleaning companies work at clients' homes and businesses, you face unique challenges that may require additions to your general liability policy. All of these policies can be added as an endorsement to a general liability policy to ensure your company has sufficient coverage.

If an employee dusting a flat-screen TV knocks it off the wall and it breaks, your general liability policy probably won’t cover the cost. That’s because it excludes coverage for any personal property that is in your care, custody, or control.

Adding a care, custody, or control endorsement will ensure you are covered for accidental damage to customer property.

A business personal property endorsement covers items owned by your business that are kept at a designated location.

A contractor’s tools and equipment endorsement protects your carpet cleaners, vacuums, and floor polishers while they're used at jobsites or in transit.

Janitors and house cleaners may want to purchase lost key coverage, which covers the cost of replacing locks if you lose customers' keys.

Small cleaning businesses that have an office or building may be able to bundle general liability insurance with commercial property insurance in a business owner’s policy (BOP). This typically costs less than purchasing each policy separately.

Cleaning businesses that are eligible to purchase a BOP typically:

• Have fewer than 100 employees
• Have a small office or workplace
• Make less than $1 million in annual revenue
• Operate in a low-risk industry, such as house cleaning or pool cleaning
• Need less than 12 months of business interruption insurance

Talk to Insureon's licensed insurance agents who specialize in the cleaning services industry to help you find out if you qualify for a BOP, or if you need to add any endorsements based on your business needs.

General liability offers protection against the most common risks for cleaning companies, but it doesn’t provide business insurance coverage for your employees or your vehicles.

For full protection, cleaning service small business owners should also consider the following types of insurance:

Workers’ compensation insurance: This policy is required in most states for businesses with employees. If a pool cleaner hurts their back while loading equipment, or a commercial cleaning professional develops an illness from prolonged exposure to cleaning chemicals, workers’ comp can pay for medical bills as well as partial lost wages.

Commercial auto insurance: Required in most states, commercial auto insurance covers vehicles owned by your business. It can pay for injuries and property damage in an accident, along with vehicle theft, weather damage, and vandalism.

Commercial umbrella insurance: This small business insurance policy boosts the limits on your general liability, commercial auto, and employer's liability insurance to help you meet requests for higher amounts of coverage.

Janitorial bonds: A client’s contract may require you to purchase a janitorial bond, which provides protection when one of your employees steals from a client. These bonds are also called employee dishonesty bonds and are a type of surety bond.

Are you ready to safeguard your carpet cleaning, house cleaning, window cleaning, or other cleaning business with general liability insurance? Complete Insureon’s easy online application to compare quotes from top U.S. insurance companies.

Once you find the cleaning business insurance policies that fit your needs, you can begin coverage and get a certificate of insurance in less than 24 hours.