Why Cleaning Services Need Insurance
These establishments mainly provide cleaning and dyeing services to customers' carpets, rugs, and upholstery.
Running a cleaning services business is a valuable service. You help customers increase the life of their carpet, rugs, and upholstery, and help keep families healthy by removing unwanted dirt, pollen, and germs from high traffic areas. It also takes you on the road traveling to many different locations. Constant travel makes it easy to forget an important component of running a successful cleaning service business.
What Risks Do Cleaning Businesses Face?
Buying insurance is necessary to protect your business from potential lawsuits, mistakes, and damage to customer’s property. Take a look at the many risks you need insurance protection from:
- Auto Accidents. The majority of your work is completed at a customer’s location which requires traveling. If you or your employees are involved in an auto accident and held responsible, your business can be responsible for damages to property and injury to other parties involved.
- Damage to Customer’s Property. Every home is different, and some require unique maneuvering from room to room. What happens if an antique clock is knocked over or chemicals spill staining the carpet or upholstery? You will be expected to replace it.
- Employee Theft. Employee vetting procedures are not iron clad. It is possible to hire a new employee, send them on a job, only to receive a call from an angry customer with theft allegations.
- Employee Injury. Cleaning carpets and upholstery requires heavy lifting of equipment as well as a lot of kneeling and bending. When an employee moves the wrong way, they can end up seriously injured. Your business is responsible for any medical expenses and lost wages.
- Dissatisfied Customers. Even though you strive to deliver quality cleaning services every time, it is not always possible. Sometimes customers are not satisfied with the outcome and expect you to reimburse them.
There are more risks you need protection against including third party injuries, employment-related claims like discrimination, or allegations that your work caused serious damage to a home or business.
What Types of Coverage Do Cleaning Services Need?
It’s a good decision to buy insurance for your cleaning service. Figuring out what types you need is difficult. All cleaning services need a general liability and commercial property policy. Cleaning services with business vehicles also need commercial auto insurance and those with employees need work comp.
- General Liability: Pays expenses resulting from injury to third parties or damage to other’s property. It also pays the costs to defend lawsuits arising from these claims.
- Business Auto: Pays for damage to your business vehicles and other’s property if you are responsible for the accident. If employees use their personal vehicles, you can also add non-owned and hired auto liability.
- Commercial Property: Pays to replace damaged business property including cleaning equipment as well as costs to rebuild your building if it is damaged by a covered peril.
- Worker’s Compensation: Also known as work comp, this coverage is mandatory in many states once you hire a certain number of employees. It pays expenses resulting from employee injury.
- Surety Bonds. Surety bonds cover the costs of refunding money to unhappy customers or when a contract cannot be carried out.
Cost of Cleaning Services Insurance
Not every carrier charges the same premium and they all look at different details to calculate how much cleaning services insurance will cost. A few common details include your experience, length of time in business, whether your hire or contract employees, and what safety measures are in place to prevent claims. Complete the form below to receive an insurance quote for your cleaning services business today.