Ask most cleaners what their insurance covers and they will say: "If I break something, it pays for it."
That is not always true.
Many standard public liability policies contain an exclusion for damage to property being worked upon. Cover for that gap is often provided by an extension known as treatment risks.
The standard cover
Standard public liability is designed mainly for injury to third parties and accidental damage to surrounding property.
- Usually covered: you are cleaning a window, step back and knock over a vase on a table behind you. You were not working on the vase.
- Often excluded: you are cleaning the vase itself and it slips out of your hands. Because you were working on it, a standard policy may exclude the claim.
Why this matters for cleaners
As a cleaner, your whole job is working on property. You scrub floors, wipe worktops, polish mirrors and dust electronics.
If your policy excludes damage to property worked upon, you may have little or no cover for the very task you are paid to do. Scratching a stainless steel hob while scrubbing it, or shrinking a carpet while steam cleaning it, could lead to a declined claim. This is especially important for carpet and upholstery cleaners and oven cleaners.
Check your policy wording
Look through your current insurance documents for exclusions relating to property being worked upon, or for a treatment risks extension. If the exclusion is there and the extension is not, you may be more exposed than you think.
Getting the right cover
A broker who specialises in cleaning insurance will know to ask about treatment risks and can arrange cover that reflects the work you actually do. Do not wait for a claim to be declined: request a quote and tell us what you clean.