Cleaning insurance, bonding, and COIs explained

General liability insurance: what it covers

Commercial general liability (CGL) insurance covers third-party property damage and bodily injury that a business causes in the course of its work. For a cleaning company, that means coverage if a cleaner knocks over and shatters a display case, floods a floor and ruins equipment, or leaves a wet floor that causes someone to slip and get hurt.

Why this protects you: without the cleaner's coverage, a claim arising from their work on your premises can land on your business and your own insurance. Requiring a properly insured vendor shifts that risk to the party that caused the loss. Pay attention to the policy limits - a common structure is a per-occurrence limit and a higher aggregate limit - and make sure they are reasonable for the value of your space and contents.

Janitorial bonds: protection against employee theft

A janitorial bond is a type of fidelity bond that covers losses if a cleaning company's employee steals money or property from your business. Because cleaners often work after hours with access to your entire space, this is a meaningful protection that liability insurance does not provide - liability covers accidents and damage, while a bond covers dishonest acts like theft.

Bonding is especially worth asking about for medical offices, retail spaces with inventory, and any environment where staff work unsupervised. It is a sign a vendor takes accountability seriously. Note that bonding and insurance are different instruments; a cleaner can carry one without the other, so ask about both by name.

What a Certificate of Insurance (COI) actually is

A Certificate of Insurance is a standardized one-page document, issued by the cleaner's insurance provider or agent, that summarizes their coverage: the insurer, the policy numbers, the types of coverage, the limits, and the policy effective and expiration dates. It is the proof that the insurance a vendor claims to have actually exists and is in force.

A COI is not the policy itself - it is a snapshot. That is why the dates matter: a certificate from last year tells you nothing about whether coverage is current today. Always request a fresh COI before work starts, and for ongoing contracts, ask for an updated one each renewal period.

What to look for on the COI

• Current effective and expiration dates that cover the period the cleaner will be working for you.
• Commercial general liability listed with reasonable per-occurrence and aggregate limits.
• Workers' compensation coverage for the cleaner's own staff.
• Your business listed as an additional insured (often shown in the description or certificate holder area).
• The name of the insurer and a contact, so you can verify directly if needed.

Why 'additional insured' status matters

Being named as an additional insured on the cleaner's general liability policy extends that policy's protection to you for claims arising out of the cleaner's work on your premises. Without it, you have proof the cleaner is insured, but you are not actually a beneficiary of the coverage in a dispute.

This is a simple request that a legitimate, properly insured company handles routinely - their agent adds you and issues a COI reflecting it. Hesitation or confusion when you ask is itself a useful signal. Property managers and landlords should require this for every vendor working on a managed property, and many leases already mandate it.

How to verify coverage instead of trusting a claim

A logo on a website or a line in a proposal that says 'fully insured' is a claim, not proof. Treat verification as a standard step, not an insult.

• Request the COI directly from the cleaner and confirm it is current, not expired.
• Ask to be named as an additional insured and confirm it appears on the certificate.
• If anything looks off, call the insurance agent or carrier listed on the COI to confirm the policy is active.
• For ongoing service, set a reminder to collect an updated COI at each policy renewal.
• Keep a copy on file with your vendor records.

Doing this once at the start of a relationship takes a few minutes and protects you for the life of the contract. Any reputable commercial cleaning company expects these questions and answers them without friction. When you are evaluating vendors, fold this into the broader set of questions to ask before hiring a cleaning company so insurance is verified alongside scope, references, and pricing.

Frequently asked questions