Cleaning and janitorial companies face risks like employees damaging client property and suffering injuries. Customers who leave your workers unsupervised in their homes may worry about theft as well.
To offer them peace of mind — and protect your company’s finances — cleaning businesses should have:
- General liability insurance.
- Workers’ comp.
- Fidelity bonds.
Your business may need additional coverage, based on its operations. Here’s what to know about buying business insurance and bonds for cleaning companies, and where to start shopping.
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Best cleaning business insurance companies
NerdWallet’s editorial team chooses the best business insurance companies based on:
- Relative number of complaints to state insurance regulators.
- Insurance companies’ financial strength, according to credit rating agencies.
- How easily you can get a quote and buy a policy.
To make our picks for cleaning businesses, we reviewed our selections for those with tailored coverage for that industry. If they offer bonds as well (not all do), that’s a plus. Here are some of the top options.
Every insurer will give you a slightly different business insurance quote since they all calculate premiums differently. We recommend getting multiple quotes to compare costs and coverage.
The Hartford
For cleaning businesses just starting out or looking to grow, The Hartford is worth a look. It has coverage for home-based cleaning businesses and international ones alike, sold through independent agents. You can get a bond as well.
You can’t buy a policy online, but you can get a quote. If you become a customer you can also print your certificate of insurance online. Read NerdWallet’s review of The Hartford small-business insurance.
Ergo Next
You can get a quote and buy an insurance policy online from Ergo Next in a matter of minutes. Once you have a policy, you can add an additional insured for free and access your certificate of insurance anytime. And when you file claims online or over the phone, Ergo Next aims to respond within 24 hours.
Ergo Next offers tools and equipment coverage and workers’ compensation in addition to liability and commercial auto. However, Ergo Next does not sell janitorial service bonds. Read NerdWallet’s review of Ergo Next small-business insurance.
Nationwide
Nationwide offers just about every type of commercial insurance policy, including fidelity bonds. Its business owner’s policy includes equipment breakdown insurance to cover items like industrial vacuums if they malfunction.
The company sells insurance through independent agents, so you'll have hands-on support as you buy the coverage you need. However, you can’t buy a policy online. Read NerdWallet’s review of Nationwide business insurance.
What does cleaning business insurance cover?
Cleaning insurance protects your business and assets in case of the unexpected. Most companies need several policies, which you can buy separately or all at once.
Cleaning companies face risks including, but not limited to:
- Employees getting hurt or sick on the job.
- Employees accidentally breaking or damaging client possessions.
- Employees stealing from clients.
- Company vehicles getting involved in traffic accidents.
What types of coverage do cleaning businesses need?
Here are some common coverages that your cleaning business may need.
General liability insurance
This coverage pays out to clients, vendors and other non-employees who claim your company caused property damage or bodily injury. It also covers legal costs in case of accusations of advertising injury, such as libel or slander against a competitor.
For example, say a customer slips on a wet floor left by your employee, and needs medical care. General liability insurance would cover the costs.
Or perhaps your employee accidentally breaks a delicate piece of artwork while cleaning a customer’s home. General liability would cover the costs to replace it, and in both cases it would cover any costs from a lawsuit.
Workers’ compensation insurance
Workers’ comp covers medical bills for employees who get injured or sick while on the job. It also covers a portion of lost wages and physical or occupational therapy.
Most states require business owners with employees to have workers' comp. (Find your state's rules here.) Even if you’re a sole proprietor, workers’ compensation coverage might be a good idea since cleaning requires physical labor. Health insurance typically won’t cover job-related illness or injury.
For example, say you switch cleaning products and an employee has an allergic reaction to the new disinfectant. Workers’ compensation would pay for their medical costs and some of the wages they lost from missing work.
Fidelity bonds
Fidelity bonds repay clients who suffer property loss as a result of theft or negligence by your employees. These can go by other names: employee dishonesty bonds, business service bonds, janitorial service bonds. They all cover dishonest acts, but make sure you get one that covers third-party losses.
For example, a customer claims one of your workers stole jewelry while cleaning their house. If that proves to be the case, the bonding company will pay to replace the item up to your agreement’s limit.
🤓 Nerdy Tip
Janitorial service bonds protect your clients, not your business. You may need to reimburse the bond company for its costs if the employee responsible for the theft can’t. To safeguard your finances, look for commercial crime coverage that extends to third-party losses. Do I need a bond for a cleaning business?
If you clean commercial properties, your contract will likely require a bond. For residential cleaners, a bond isn’t a strict requirement. But it can still make sense to get.
Bonding offers a measure of credibility and builds trust with customers. Without out, potential clients might otherwise be concerned about having strangers in their home.
Additional business insurance for cleaners
There's no shortage of types of business insurance. Here are a few options a cleaning business may benefit from. Consult an insurance agent to confirm your risks are fully covered, though.
| Insurance type | What it covers | Who needs it |
|---|---|---|
| Covers repairs or replacements for your business building, equipment and other assets after a fire and smoke, certain natural disasters or burglary. | Cleaning businesses that provide employees with office or retail space and valuable equipment within it. | |
| Pays for property repairs or replacement and some medical expenses when company vehicles are involved in a road accident. | Businesses that have company vehicles for employees drive to job sites. | |
| Hired and non-owned auto insurance | Pays for accidents when employees use their personal vehicles for work. Their personal auto policies likely won’t pay for accidents on the job. | Businesses whose employees drive their personal vehicles to job sites. |
| Tools and equipment coverage | Covers repair or replacement of cleaning equipment if it’s stolen or damaged. | Cleaning businesses with expensive equipment, such as scaffolding or power washers. |
| Equipment breakdown coverage | Covers repair or replacement of cleaning equipment if it breaks due to mechanical or electrical failure (not normal wear and tear). | Cleaning businesses with expensive equipment, such as scaffolding or power washers. |
| Replaces employee wages, lost revenue and other bills associated with being unable to operate your business for reasons covered under the policy, such as a fire. | Businesses that would be unable to operate if their property was damaged or destroyed. |
A business owner’s policy is a good starting point if you need property coverage. These policies combine that with general liability insurance and business interruption insurance coverage. You can customize these further with endorsements, or add-on coverages, your cleaning business may need.
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NerdWallet Small Business helps you get real-time quotes from 30+ insurers, and instant access to your Certificate of Insurance (COI) through our partner, Coverdash.
What cleaning businesses should watch for in policies
A handful of exclusions and policy details could leave your cleaning or janitorial business underinsured. Pay particular attention to the following when you shop.
- Care, custody and control exclusions. Standard general liability policies exclude property damaged while in your physical care. That means a policy won’t cover an accident while an employee is handling a client’s property — like holding a vase to clean it. A tailored policy may fill this gap. But be sure to ask about a CCC add-on (also called a "Bailee’s" endorsement) if you’re unsure.
- Employee conviction clauses. This is a portion of your bond agreement. It may require an employee to be convicted of a crime for your client to be paid. A “proof of loss” clause is the more favorable alternative — no court trial required.
- Mold and bacteria exclusions. General liability may not pay out in cases where your work caused mold or bacterial infections. For example, if you disturb a moldy surface while cleaning and it sickens a client. Check if your policy for this exclusion. Strike it, if you can. If mold is covered, look at the policy limits. They may be less than your overall policy. Umbrella coverage may help if you want extra protection.
How much does cleaning business insurance cost?
A general liability policy for janitorial businesses costs about $750 per year, according to data provided to NerdWallet by online brokerage Coverdash. It costs about $2,500 per year for workers’ compensation.
The cost of business insurance varies based on the size of your cleaning business and the type of work it does. Window cleaning for high-rise buildings, for instance, is likely to be riskier than house cleaning.
Bond costs vary, but you'll typically pay less than you will for insurance. That's because bonds offer less protection for your business. While insurance pays you for covered losses, bonds pay your customers. You then are likely to be ultimately responsible for repaying the bonding company.
How to shop for cleaning business insurance
To get the right combination of policies at the right price, you’ll want to compare multiple provider quotes. Follow these steps to shop.
1. Prepare for the quote process
Determine the policies you need and gather the associated documentation. For instance:
- To buy liability insurance you’ll need all your business information, including revenue, address and established date.
- For workers’ comp, you’ll need employee payroll and roster information.
- If you have business vehicles, you’ll need their VINs, approximate value, make and model.
2. Compare business insurance quotes
To compare multiple cleaning business insurance quotes, you have three main options.
- Use an online marketplace. You can go online to a brokerage like Coverdash or Insureon and compare multiple quotes for the insurance package you need. You only have to enter your business info once and can often buy coverage online, making this typically the quickest option. However, you’re limited to the insurers in the website’s network.
- Contact providers directly. You can get quotes directly from a few providers you’re interested in. You’ll enter your business information separately, making it more time consuming. But you have more control over this process.
- Work with an agent or broker. You can contact an insurance professional to walk you through policy options and provide multiple quotes. They can typically help you tailor a policy to your business’ needs, but you’re limited to their network of insurers.
3. Examine policies and insurers
Each policy has slightly different coverage details so you’ll want to compare them to determine which have the best coverage.
- Check the exclusions of each policy, or what they won’t cover.
- Look at policy limits, or the max they will pay out, per incident and overall.
- Check which policies include extras, like a BOP with equipment breakdown coverage.
Also check up on any potential insurer you’re considering. Read online reviews, both independent and publicly sourced, such as on the Better Business Bureau. You can find their complaint trends online, either at your state’s insurance board website or at the National Association of Insurance Commissioners.
4. Buy and review policies regularly
Once you’re satisfied with the policy and company you’ve chosen, it’s time to buy your insurance. Be sure and familiarize yourself with their online portal, including accessing your certificate of insurance.
At minimum, review your coverage each year to ensure you’re not underinsured. Additionally, each time you hire employees, buy business vehicles or expand your cleaning company, you should update your insurance policies. These steps will help you remain properly insured, so one bad lawsuit doesn’t follow your business for years.
Methodology
Business insurance ratings methodology
NerdWallet rewards business insurance companies for reliability and good service. We calculate star ratings based on scores in about a dozen categories. These include:
- Each company's financial strength.
- How many complaints customers made relative to its market share.
- How easy it is to get coverage.
- How accessible customer service is.
Learn more about how we rate small-business insurance companies.
Our editorial team routinely fact-checks and updates these data points. We also adjust our scoring on an ongoing basis. This helps our star ratings reflect changing industry norms. For instance, in 2026, we began evaluating how easy insurers make it to add an additional insured.
Our ratings are a guide. But insurance policy details and prices can vary widely. We encourage you to shop around and compare several insurance quotes.NerdWallet does not receive compensation for any reviews. Read our editorial guidelines.
Insurer complaints methodology
One key factor in our star ratings is how many complaints insurance companies get. Here's how we arrive at that score.
Disappointed customers can file a complaint with their state's insurance department. The National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) collects, analyzes and groups complaints by business line and insurance company every year. A business line is a specific type of coverage, like workers’ comp.
Then, the NAIC calculates a complaint ratio for each company. It divides the company's share of complaints by its share of total premiums for each line of business. It then adds these ratio values to their official complaint index.
- A complaint ratio of 1 means a company received about the expected number of complaints relative to its size.
- A ratio of 2 means it received twice as many complaints as expected.
- A ratio of 0 means it received half as many complaints as expected.
NerdWallet obtains the raw NAIC data every year. We aggregate results at the company level and fact-check these results. Then we calculate a three-year average of each insurer's complaint ratio and convert it to a score for our star ratings.
Business insurance star ratings consider complaints about two lines of business: commercial liability and commercial property. We analyze complaint data on commercial auto and workers' comp policies too. But we don't currently incorporate these into our ratings since they're less universal.
