House Cleaning And Maid Insurance Policy Information
House Cleaning And Maid Insurance. House cleaners provide basic cleaning services to the interior of residences. Some provide exclusive services to one client only, while others have a number of regular clients or offer services to the public on an "as needed" basis.
Typical services include the removal of trash from all areas of the premises, cleaning bathrooms and kitchens, dusting, and regular vacuuming, mopping or sweeping of floors.
Other services may include cleaning of carpets or draperies, polishing floors, and window washing. Some provide cleaning services for properties up for sale or after criminal activity.
Housecleaning maid insurance protects your janitorial from lawsuits with rates as low as $27/mo. Get a fast quote and your certificate of insurance now.
Below are some answers to commonly asked house cleaners and maids insurance questions:
- What Is House Cleaning And Maid Insurance?
- How Much Does House Cleaning And Maid Insurance Cost?
- Why Do House Cleaners And Maids Need Insurance?
- What Type Of Insurance Do House Cleaning Businesses Need?
- What Does House Cleaning And Maid Insurance Cover & Pay For?
What Is House Cleaning And Maid Insurance?
House cleaning and maid insurance is a type of insurance coverage specifically designed for house cleaners, maids, and housekeeping services. It provides protection for individuals and companies offering cleaning services against various risks, such as liability for property damage, theft, or injury to others while on the job.
This insurance may also cover lost wages or medical expenses in case of injury to the cleaner while on the job. This type of insurance is important for house cleaning and maid businesses to have in order to protect themselves and their clients from potential financial losses.
How Much Does House Cleaning And Maid Insurance Cost?
The average price of a standard $1,000,000/$2,000,000 General Liability Insurance policy for small house cleaners and maids ranges from $27 to $49 per month based on location, size, payroll, sales and experience.
Why Do House Cleaners And Maids Need Insurance?
If you offer your services as a house cleaner, you need to know the risks involved and protect yourself from potential liability.
Lawsuits in the home cleaning industry are fairly common. For instance, a cleaning business was on the receiving end of a lawsuit when one customer claimed that glass became scratched during cleaning, leading to a lawsuit for $300K against the company.
Serious legal trouble can befall your business if you're oblivious to the risks you face and do not take action to mitigate them - and that is where house cleaning and maid insurance come in.
Many of the aspects of insurance for cleaning businesses are similar to those that all businesses need, but there are also special house cleaning and maid insurance coverages that are specific to the cleaning industry. Since your job involves going out to people's homes and providing a service in their homes, the exposures that you face are unlike those of most other businesses.
For instance, if you or someone working for you causes extensive damage to the property of a client while working for your business, you are liable in most instances. The risk can be hidden; as an example, a laptop might be damaged that's worth a several hundred dollars, but the data on the laptop may be worth much more or even be irreplaceable.
Employee theft is also a big concern for cleaning businesses. If an employee is accused of theft by the property owner, then you may be held liable for the cost of whatever items are stolen. A comprehensive house cleaning and maid insurance policy can put these risks in a mitigatable format so that your business doesn't suffer due to the actions of those working for you.
What Type Of Insurance Do House Cleaning Businesses Need?
Housecleaning is a huge industry, and Americans spend millions of dollars each year on hired help to clean their homes. Most home cleaning businesses are smaller operations - which represents huge potential for liability claims from customers.
As the owner of a cleaning business, there are a number of different perils that you need to insure your business against. Any comprehensive house cleaning and maid insurance policy should contain:
- General liability coverage for property damage or bodily injury to others.
- Auto coverage for damages resulting from the business use of vehicles.
- Worker's compensation insurance for work-related illness or injury caused to your employees.
- Fidelity bonding to cover employee theft from the business or customers.
In addition, your business may need an house cleaning and maid insurance umbrella liability policy with additional limits for substantial claims.
Considerations For Cleaning And Janitorial Business Insurance
There are unique insurance and bonding requirements for cleaning and janitorial businesses. A commercial insurance agent can discuss your business' needs for:
- General liability insurance. Not all businesses are created equally, and your business has unique needs that your agent can help you address. For instance, businesses that carry only the minimum amount of liability insurance may not be fully protected, but some may be. Work with an agent to discuss the policy you need and the limits your business requires.
- Bonds. Janitorial insurance bonding for your business must be adequate. Standard fidelity bonds may cover theft from employers, but the bond must have a special endorsement stating such. This is due to the difficulty in measuring risk. Work with a seasoned insurance agent to handle bonding and ensure your bond is adequate for your situation.
- Commercial auto insurance. Getting to the job site requires commercial insurance on your business' vehicles. Even if you are using a personal vehicle, your personal auto may not cover damages to your vehicle or others when you are on the job.
House Cleaner's Risks & Exposures
Premises liability exposures are slight at the house cleaner's premises due to lack of public access, but moderate away from the premises due to hazards at the job site. When cleaning residential interiors, there is some potential for slip and fall injuries to the client or their family members due to wet, slippery floors, spills and equipment and supplies impeding access.
The absence of basic controls (e.g., proper caution signs, the use of non-slip finishes, etc.) may indicate a morale hazard. There is also the risk of injury or damage to customers' property from spills, marring, scratched surfaces, and the upset or dropping of breakables. Many of these fall under the care, custody and control exclusion, and should be covered under inland marine bailees' forms.
All agreements regarding responsibility for the property in the insured's care need careful review and evaluation. House cleaning services typically employ casual labor and have high turnover, with minimal time or budget for training, which can increase the loss potential. Pre employment background checks and reference checks should be a part of the hiring process in order to protect clients.
A major concern is failure to secure the premises during cleaning and especially upon completion of the work. This hazard increases with high employee turnover. The cleaning service should have specific procedures addressing lockup and key control that include a final checklist by the supervisor of a particular client when the job is completed. Some areas of a customer's home may need to remain closed because they contain property susceptible to damage or contamination, dangerous pets, or confidential information.
Personal injury exposures include invasion of privacy and even assault to the customers. Failure to run background checks and review references on employees increases the hazard and reduces available defenses.
Workers compensation exposure can be high. Casual labor, high turnover and minimal training time are all factors affecting losses. Work is frequently performed under time constraints which can encourage workers to cut corners. Lung, eye, or skin irritations and reactions can result from cleaning chemicals.
Slips and falls can occur during cleaning operations. Back injuries, hernias, sprains and strains can result from lifting. Employees can be assaulted while working in empty residences. Pets owned by the client may attack. Close supervision is needed. Workers may be injured in auto accidents during transportation to and from job sites.
Property exposures at the cleaner's premises are usually limited to an office and storage of equipment and supplies. Cleaning supplies may contain flammable chemicals that require proper labeling, separation, and storage in approved containers and cabinets to reduce the potential to fire. There may be a garage area for vehicles transporting equipment and crew to job sites.
Crime exposure is from employee dishonesty, including theft of clients' property. Background checks, including criminal history, should be performed on all employees handling money. All ordering, billing and disbursement should be handled as separate duties with reconciliations occurring regularly. Supervision and monitoring are important to control losses.
Inland marine exposure includes accounts receivable if the house cleaner offers credit to customers, and valuable papers and records for customers' and suppliers' information. Contractors' equipment is limited to cleaning supplies and equipment, such as vacuum cleaners, taken to the customers' premises. Some cleaners may store some of their equipment on the customers' premises; others do their work with equipment provided by the client.
There may be a bailee's exposure for customers' property in the house cleaner's care, custody and control. Damage to high-valued items like carpeting and drapery could result in a sizable loss since a small spill or other damage could result in the entire item being unusable.
Commercial auto exposures are generally limited to driving to and from clients' premises with crew, equipment, and supplies. All drivers must be well trained and have valid licenses for the type of vehicle being driven. MVRs must be run on a regular basis. Random drug and alcohol testing should be conducted. Vehicles must be well maintained with records kept in a central location.
If employees provide their own transportation to job sites, the exposure is limited to non-owned for workers running work-related errands. If workers transport coworkers in personal autos, the cleaning service should verify that personal automobile insurance has been purchased.
What Does House Cleaning And Maid Insurance Cover & Pay For?
House cleaners can be sued for a variety of reasons, such as damage to property, theft, or injury to a person while cleaning. Insurance can protect house cleaners from financial loss resulting from such lawsuits.
Here are some examples of how insurance can help pay for a lawsuit:
Property damage: A house cleaner accidentally spills bleach on a client's expensive rug, causing permanent damage. The client sues the cleaner for the cost of the rug. If the cleaner has liability insurance, the insurance company can pay for the cost of the lawsuit and any settlement or judgment up to the policy limit.
Theft: A house cleaner is accused of stealing jewelry from a client's home. The client files a lawsuit against the cleaner. If the cleaner has a commercial crime insurance policy, the insurance company can pay for the cost of the lawsuit and any settlement or judgment up to the policy limit.
Injury to a person: A house cleaner is cleaning a client's bathroom when a guest slips on a wet floor and is injured. The guest sues both the client and the house cleaner. If the cleaner has general liability insurance, the insurance company can pay for the cost of the lawsuit and any settlement or judgment up to the policy limit.
In all of these cases, insurance can provide financial protection to the house cleaner. Without insurance, the cleaner could be personally liable for the cost of the lawsuit, which could result in financial ruin.
Commercial Insurance And Business Industry Classification
- SIC CODE: 7349 Building Cleaning and Maintenance Services, Not Elsewhere Classified
- NAICS CODE: 561720 Janitorial Services
- Suggested Workers Compensation Code(s): 9014 Janitorial Services by Contractors - No Window Cleaning Above Ground Level & Drivers
Description for 7349: Building Cleaning and Maintenance Services, Not Elsewhere Classified
Division I: Services | Major Group 73: Business Services | Industry Group 734: Services To Dwellings And Other Buildings
7349 Building Cleaning and Maintenance Services, Not Elsewhere Classified: Establishments primarily engaged in furnishing building cleaning and maintenance services, not elsewhere classified, such as window cleaning, janitorial service, floor waxing, and office cleaning. General contractors and special trade contractors primarily engaged in building repair work are classified in Division C, Construction.
- Acoustical tile cleaning service
- Building cleaning service, interior
- Chimney cleaning service
- Custodians of schools on a contract or fee basis
- Floor waxing service
- Housekeeping (cleaning service) on a contract or fee basis
- Janitorial services on a contract or fee basis
- Lighting maintenance service (bulb replacement and cleaning)
- Maid service on a contract or fee basis
- Maintenance, building: except repairs
- Office cleaning service
- Service station cleaning and degreasing service
- Telephone booths, cleaning and maintenance of
- Venetian blind cleaning, including work done on owners'premises
- Window cleaning service
7389: Business Services, Not Elsewhere Classified
Division I: Services | Major Group 73: Business Services | Industry Group 738: Miscellaneous Business Services
7389 Business Services, Not Elsewhere Classified: Establishments primarily engaged in furnishing business services, not elsewhere classified, such as bondspersons, drafting services, lecture bureaus, notaries public, sign painting, speakers' bureaus, water softening services, and auctioneering services, on a commission or fee basis. Auctions of used cars and agricultural commodities, such as livestock and produce, are classified in Wholesale Trade.
- Agents and brokers for authors and nonperforming artist
House Cleaning And Maid Insurance - The Bottom Line
Your particular needs is the best way to get the right house cleaning and maid insurance policy in force - one that works for you and your business and that protects you from the unexpected.
Your broker can help you understand the commercial insurance and the needs that your company has, while helping you find the right level of coverage for you specific business' risks.
Additional Resources For Contractors & Home Improvement Insurance
Learn about small business contractor's insurance, including what it covers, how much it costs - and how commercial insurance can help protect your contracting business from lawsuits.
- Air Conditioning Systems Installation Repair
- Appliance Repair & Service
- Blacksmith & Metal Workers
- Boat Repair & Dry Docks
- Boiler Contractors
- Builders Risk
- Building Cleaning & Maintenance Services
- Cabinet Installer
- Cable And Satellite TV Installer
- Carpentry
- Chimney Sweep
- Cistern Contractors
- Contractor Liability
- Curtain Cleaners
- Deck Builders
- Door And Window Installers
- Dryer Vent Cleaning
- Drywall Contractor
- Electrical Contractors
- Environmental Remediation Contractors
- Fence Installation
- Fire Sprinkler Contractors
- Fire & Water Restoration Contractors
- Flooring Contractor
- Furniture Repair
- Garage Door Installer And Repair
- General Contractors
- Glass Contractor
- Glazier Insurance
- Gutter Installation And Repair
- Handyman
- House Cleaning
- HVAC Contractor
- Insulation Contractor
- Janitorial Cleaning Services
- Landscaping
- Lawn Care
- Lawn Irrigation Sprinkler System Installation
- Locksmith
- Oil And Gas Well Drilling Contractors
- Painters
- Paperhanging Contractors
- Plastering And Stucco Contractor
- Plumbing
- Pressure Washing Contractors
- Propane And Fuel Dealers
- Rug, Upholstery & Carpet Cleaning
- Sandblasting Contractors
- Security Alarm
- Septic Tank Cleaning
- Siding Contractor
- Sign Installation & Repair
- Solar Panel Installers
- Snow Plow
- Stone And Tile Installer
- Subcontractor
- Surety Bonds
- Swimming Pool Contractor
- Swimming Pool Service And Maintenance
- Tank Cleaners
- Tool Grinding And Repair
- Tree Surgeon
- Tree Trimming
- Upholstery Shop
- Waste Haulers & Garbage Collection
- Water Well Drilling
- Welding Contractor
- Wildlife & Pest Control
- Window Cleaning
- Specialty Contractors
The contracting industry is a field that involves a lot of risks, both for the contractor and for the clients they work for. This is why commercial insurance is so important for contractors. Insurance can protect contractors from a variety of potential losses, such as:
Liability: If a contractor causes damage to a client's property or if a client is injured while on a job site, the contractor could be held legally responsible. Liability insurance can cover legal fees and any settlements or judgments that may be awarded.
Property damage: Contractors often use a lot of expensive equipment and tools, and there is always a risk that this equipment could be damaged or stolen. Commercial property insurance can help cover the cost of replacing damaged or stolen equipment.
Business interruption: If a contractor is unable to work due to an unforeseen event, such as a natural disaster, insurance can help cover their lost income during this time.
Workers compensation: If a contractor or one of their employees is injured on the job, worker's comp can help cover medical expenses and lost wages.
Overall, commercial insurance is an important risk management tool for contractors. It can provide financial protection against a wide range of potential losses, helping contractors to stay in business and continue serving their clients.
Minimum recommended small business insurance coverage: Business Personal Property, Employee Dishonesty, Contractors' Equipment and Tools, General Liability, Employee Benefits Liability, Umbrella Liability, Automobile Liability and Physical Damage, Hired and Non-owned Auto & Workers Compensation.
Other commercial insurance policies to consider: Building, Business Income with Extra Expense, Earthquake, Flood, Leasehold Interest, Real Property Legal Liability, Accounts Receivable, Builders Risk, Computers, Goods in Transit, Installation Floater, Valuable Papers and Records, Cyber Liability, Employment-related Practicesand Stop Gap Liability.
