Contract cleaning companies carry more risk than most people realise. Your staff work unsupervised in other people's premises, often out of hours, with access keys, alarm codes and expensive equipment. One slip on a wet floor, a flooded server room or a lost master key can turn into a claim that runs into tens of thousands of pounds.
We arrange insurance specifically for contract cleaners, from growing teams with a handful of contracts to established companies with hundreds of staff across multiple sites.
What cover does a contract cleaning company need?
Most contract cleaners build their policy around these core sections:
- Public liability: protects you if your work injures a member of the public or damages a client's property. Commercial contracts commonly require a limit of £5 million or £10 million.
- Employers' liability: a legal requirement for most businesses with employees, with a minimum limit of £5 million. Policies are usually written at £10 million.
- Loss of keys: pays for replacement locks and keys if a key or fob you hold for a client is lost or stolen.
- Damage to property worked upon: covers damage to the surface or item you are actually cleaning, which a standard liability policy may exclude.
- Tools and equipment: protects scrubber driers, vacuums, carpet machines and pressure washers against theft and accidental damage.
- Fidelity guarantee: covers theft by your employees from your clients, often requested in tenders for banks, offices and schools.
Meeting the insurance terms in your cleaning contracts
Before you sign a contract, check the insurance clause. Facilities managers, local authorities and large corporates often specify minimum limits, ask to be named as an interested party, and require evidence of cover every year. Some also require cover for work in specific environments such as hospitals, airports or food production.
Tell us what your contracts require and we will make sure the policy matches, so you are not caught out when a client asks for your certificate.