House Cleaning Business Insurance: A Solo Cleaner's Guide

Do you need house cleaning business insurance?

In most places, the law doesn’t force a solo house cleaner to buy insurance. But there are a few big exceptions, and clients often expect it anyway.

• Once you hire help. The insurance marketplace Insureon notes that most states require workers’ compensation for house cleaning businesses with employees. Rules are set by each state, and the U.S. Department of Labor keeps a list of state workers’ compensation offices where you can check yours.
• If you use a vehicle for business. Commercial auto coverage may be required for a business vehicle, and your personal car policy may not cover work trips (more on that below).
• When a client asks for proof. Some clients, property managers and contracts won’t hire you until you show a certificate of insurance (often called a COI).

The U.S. Small Business Administration gives a simple rule of thumb in its guide to business insurance: after you buy what the law requires, insure against things you wouldn’t be able to pay for on your own. For a solo cleaner, that usually means damage to a client’s home or an injury you cause.

If you are still setting up, our guide on how to start a house cleaning business covers registration, taxes and other first steps.

The main types of insurance for house cleaners

Here are the policies that come up most often for insurance for house cleaners, and who actually needs each one.

General liability insurance

This is the core of insurance for a house cleaning business. The SBA describes general liability as protection against money lost from bodily injury, property damage, medical expenses and defending lawsuits. Insurer ERGO NEXT gives cleaning examples on its house cleaning insurance page: a client who slips on a mopped floor, or accidental damage to furniture, artwork or breakables.

One detail to ask your agent about: Insureon explains that most general liability policies exclude property while it is in your “care, custody, and control.” Some cleaners add bailee coverage to fill that gap. Ask how your policy treats an item you are holding when it breaks.

Janitorial bonds (what “bonded and insured” means)

People search for insurance and bonding for cleaning business owners together, but a bond is not the same as insurance. Insureon describes a janitorial bond as a type of surety bond that reimburses your clients if one of your employees steals their money or belongings. It covers theft, not damage. It is also not required by law, but some homeowners and hosts will only hire a cleaner who is bonded and insured.

If you work alone, read the fine print. Many bonds are written to cover theft by employees. One bonding company, Merchants Bonding, notes that when the owners are the only workers, it can consider a rider that covers the owners as employees. Ask any bond company the same question before you pay.

Workers’ compensation

If you hire even one helper, check your state’s workers’ comp rules first. Insureon also points out that a sole proprietor’s own health insurance may not cover a work injury, and that workers’ comp can be bought by a self-employed cleaner to cover medical costs and part of lost wages. Whether that makes sense depends on your state and your health plan.

Auto and equipment coverage

You drive to every job, so this matters. Insureon says your personal auto insurance is unlikely to cover a work-related accident, such as driving to a client’s home or carrying supplies between jobs, and suggests hired and non-owned auto coverage if you use a personal car. Tools and equipment coverage (also called inland marine) can pay if your vacuum is stolen from your car.

Insureon also mentions lost key coverage, which can help pay to replace locks if a client’s keys are lost or stolen. If you hold keys for several homes, it’s worth asking about.

How much does house cleaner insurance cost?

Prices depend on your state, your limits, your deductible, your claims history and the policies you buy. To give you a real starting point, at the time of writing Insureon reports that house cleaning businesses buying through its site pay an average of $51 per month for general liability. That is one company’s average, not a quote for you.

Here is how that number works out over a year:

• $51 per month × 12 months = $612 per year

Now spread it across your cleans. Say you do 10 cleans a week and work 50 weeks a year (this is an example, so use your own numbers):

• 10 cleans × 50 weeks = 500 cleans per year
• $612 ÷ 500 cleans = about $1.22 per clean

So in this example, general liability adds a little over a dollar to each job. Add up every policy you buy and do the same math. That per-clean cost belongs in your prices, the same as supplies and gas. Our guide on how to price house cleaning shows where costs like this fit, and the cost to start a cleaning business guide shows how insurance fits into your startup budget.

How a deductible works

Your deductible is the part of a covered claim you pay yourself. Here is a made-up example to show the math:

• You break a client’s glass table, and the repair costs $1,200.
• Your policy covers it, and your deductible is $500.
• You pay $500. The insurer pays $1,200 − $500 = $700.

A higher deductible usually lowers your monthly cost, as Insureon notes, but make sure you could pay that amount tomorrow without stress.

How to get insured, step by step

1. List your real risks. Do you hold keys? Drive between jobs? Clean homes with expensive things? Have a helper, even part time?
2. Check your state’s rules. Look up workers’ comp and any local license or bond rules for your city and county.
3. Get several quotes. The SBA suggests finding a licensed agent and comparing rates, terms and benefits from more than one offer.
4. Ask the hard questions. Does the policy cover items you are holding when they break? Does a bond cover you as the owner? Is lost key coverage an option?
5. Save your certificate of insurance. Keep a PDF on your phone so you can send it the moment a new client asks.

Habits that make claims less likely

Insurance is the backup plan. Good habits keep you from needing it.

• Write down what to avoid in each home. In CleanPal, each line of a client’s notes shows as its own tag, so “No bleach on marble” or “Don’t move the vase in the hall” stands out before you start.
• Take a photo when something looks off. On a client’s page in CleanPal you can tap Take photo to add one, and photos are stored privately so only your account can open them. A quick photo of a crack that was already there can save an awkward talk later. See a client’s page: notes, gate code and photos.
• Ask about fragile items before your first clean. A two-minute walk-through with the client sets clear limits.
• Wet-floor caution. Tell people in the home when floors are wet, and keep pets and kids out of the room until it dries.

Quick recap

• Solo cleaners usually aren’t required to carry insurance, but clients often ask, and one claim can be costly.
• General liability is the core policy for most house cleaners.
• A janitorial bond covers theft by employees, not damage, so check how it treats a solo owner.
• Workers’ comp is required in most states once you have employees.
• Work the yearly cost into your prices: in our example, $612 ÷ 500 cleans is about $1.22 per clean.

Once you know your insurance cost, plug your homes into our free cleaning price calculator to make sure every quote covers it. When you’re ready to keep every client’s notes, gate code and photos in one place, start your free CleanPal trial.