What the coverage terms mean and what to ask before signing a cleaning contract.
Most commercial cleaning buyers know they should verify insurance and bonding before hiring a contractor. Fewer know what to look for on the certificate or what questions to ask. This page covers the practical basics.
General liability insurance covers damage to your property caused by the cleaning crew during normal operations. A crew member breaks a piece of equipment, spills a chemical on a carpet, or damages a glass partition — general liability covers the repair or replacement.
What general liability does not cover: damage caused by a crew member's intentional act, damage that is discovered months after the fact and cannot be attributed to a specific incident, or damage to property the cleaning company does not have permission to access.
Ask for the certificate of insurance before the first crew enters the facility. The certificate names the insurer, the policy number, the coverage amounts and the policy expiration date. A contractor who cannot produce this document promptly is a contractor you should not allow on-site.
A janitorial bond covers theft by a cleaning crew member on your premises. It is distinct from liability insurance. A bond is not an insurance policy — it is a financial guarantee that the bonding company will pay a claim if an employee of the cleaning contractor steals from your facility and is convicted.
In practice, most janitorial bond claims are difficult to collect because they require a criminal conviction before the bond pays. The bond's real value is as a screening signal: a contractor who is bondable has employees who can pass the background check required to obtain the bond. An unbondable contractor tells you something about their hiring practices.
This is the coverage that most cleaning buyers overlook and that carries the most direct liability risk. If a cleaning crew member is injured on your premises and the cleaning contractor does not carry workers' compensation insurance, your facility may be liable for the medical costs and disability claim. Wisconsin requires workers' compensation for any employer with three or more employees.
Ask specifically whether the cleaning contractor carries workers' compensation. General liability insurance does not cover worker injuries — these are separate policies.
Before signing any cleaning contract, request: the certificate of insurance naming the insurer and coverage amounts for general liability, proof of janitorial bonding, and confirmation of workers' compensation coverage. Ask for these before the quote call ends, not after the contract is signed. A contractor who hesitates to provide documentation on request is a contractor who does not have the documentation.