Starting a cleaning business is an exciting venture. You have your equipment, your first few clients, and you are ready to make spaces sparkle. But one question nags at many new business owners: do I actually need insurance?
The short answer
For most sole traders, public liability insurance is not a legal requirement in the UK. Employers' liability insurance is different: it is compulsory for most businesses as soon as they employ anyone. You can read more about that in our guide to employers' liability insurance for cleaning companies.
Operating without public liability cover is still widely considered a serious gamble. Many commercial clients and letting agents will not use a cleaner who cannot show a certificate, and a single claim could cost far more than a year's premiums.
Why take the risk?
Cleaning is physical work involving chemicals, water and other people's property. Over time, accidents are likely to happen, however careful you are:
- Bleach spilt on a client's expensive wool carpet.
- A visitor tripping over a trailing vacuum cable.
- Damage to a valuable ornament while dusting.
Without insurance, you are personally responsible for these costs. A single claim for a ruined designer sofa or an injury could cost thousands of pounds, paid directly from your own pocket.
What should a cleaner's policy include?
Not every public liability policy is written with cleaners in mind. When you compare cover, check whether it includes:
- Damage to property worked upon, sometimes called treatment risks, which covers the item you are actually cleaning. See our guide to treatment risk insurance.
- Loss of keys, if you hold keys for clients. Our loss of keys cover page explains how it works.
- A limit of indemnity that matches what your clients ask for, commonly £1 million to £5 million.
What does it cost?
The price depends on your type of cleaning, turnover, staff, the limit you choose and your claims history. For many small cleaning businesses it is a modest annual cost compared with the potential size of a claim.
If you would like cover that fits the way your business works, request a public liability quote and we will send you a short questionnaire to complete online.