An insured cleaning company should hold public liability insurance, which pays out if a cleaner accidentally damages your property or injures someone. If it employs staff, it should also hold employers' liability insurance. "Insured" is only useful if you know which policy, what it covers and whether it is current. This guide explains each of those in plain terms. It is written for tenants, landlords, homeowners and property managers hiring cleaners in London.
TL;DR
- Public liability covers accidental damage to your property and injury to third parties. It is not a legal requirement, but clients often expect it.
- Employers' liability is a legal requirement once people work for a cleaning business.
- A company with staff and an independent cleaner can look similar on a listing but carry different cover, so ask which policies apply.
- Check the insured name, cover types, limits and dates on the certificate, and look for exclusions on the work you need done.
- Insurance is not a cleaning guarantee. For quality, look for a written re-clean promise as well.
Table of Contents
- What "insured" should mean for a cleaning company
- Insured company or independent cleaner: what changes
- What public liability does and does not pay for
- How to check a cleaning company's insurance
- Insurance for end of tenancy and changeover cleans
- Booking an insured clean in London
- Choosing well: a quick decision guide
- FAQ
- Sources
What "insured" should mean for a cleaning company
Most companies use the word "insured" loosely. In practice it points to a few separate policies, each protecting against a different risk.
Public liability is the one most customers care about. FSB explains that it covers legal costs and compensation when a business causes injury or property damage to a member of the public or a client. Simply Business gives typical examples: a cleaner spilling coffee on a designer handbag, or someone tripping and breaking a wrist on site. AXA calls it the backbone of most cleaners' policies and ties it to common claims such as slips and trips.
Employers' liability covers illness or injury to the people who work for the cleaning business. Business.gov.uk states that it is legally required if people work for you. AXA notes that a growing business taking on more people falls under the Employers' Liability Act 1969.
Other covers can sit alongside these. Simply Business lists contents cover for equipment, business legal insurance, personal accident, stock, tools and excess insurance. These matter to the business owner more than to you, but they show how seriously a company treats risk.
Is public liability a legal requirement?
No, not on its own. FSB says it is not compulsory, though a client or contract may require it. That is why a professional company that works in other people's homes and offices carries it as standard. The legal duty applies to employers' liability.
Insured company or independent cleaner: what changes
This is the question behind most searches for hiring insured cleaners. The honest answer is that the label on the advert does not tell you which policies sit behind the person at your door.
| Point | Cleaning company with employed staff | Independent, self-employed cleaner |
|---|---|---|
| Public liability | Normally held by the company for all its cleaners | Optional for a sole trader, so it may or may not be in place |
| Employers' liability | Required by law if people work for the business | Not needed for a true sole trader, but needed if they take on helpers |
| Who you deal with if something breaks | The company, which handles the claim and any re-clean | The individual, directly |
| Cover for substitutes or helpers | Part of how the company runs | Depends on the individual's policy |
| Paperwork you can ask for | A certificate in the company's name | A certificate in the individual's name |
The legal position shows up in the sources above. AXA says business insurance is not a legal requirement for self-employed cleaners but is highly recommended. Meshed adds that for many sole traders public liability is not required by law, yet it is what pays for accidental damage to a floor, furniture or belongings. CoverTrade explains that domestic cleaning insurance usually starts with public liability, with employers' liability following once you take on staff, even part-time.
So a good independent can be well covered, and a company can be too. The point is that with a company, one organisation is accountable for the people it sends, and the insurance is built around a team rather than one person.
What public liability does and does not pay for
Knowing the limits of a policy is more useful than knowing it exists.
Typically covered: a cleaner scratching a worktop, breaking a lamp, leaving a wet floor that someone slips on, or damaging a surface with the wrong product.
Where policies can differ: Meshed points out that some public liability policies exclude damage to property in the cleaner's "care, custody or control" or property "being worked upon". Without an extension for this, a claim for the exact surface the cleaner damaged may not be covered. For a cleaner, the surface being cleaned is the thing being worked upon, so it is worth knowing how a policy treats it.
Not what insurance is for: insurance does not make a cleaner do a better job. A missed oven door or a streaky bathroom is a quality issue, not a claim. That is where a re-clean promise matters, not a certificate.
How to check a cleaning company's insurance
A short check takes a few minutes and applies to any provider.
- Ask which policies the company holds. You are looking for public liability, plus employers' liability if it has staff. The Estates Gazette advises that owners and managing agents should ensure contractors have adequate insurance and request evidence of the cover.
- Ask for the certificate. Fraser Bond describes a certificate of liability insurance as an official document from an insurer or broker. It typically lists the insured party, insurer and policy number, types of cover, limits and effective and expiry dates.
- Match the name. The insured party should be the company you are booking, not a different business.
- Check the dates. The policy should be in force on the day of the job, not expiring the week before.
- Compare the limit with the risk. A flat in Chelsea with expensive furnishings is a different exposure from a small studio. Fraser Bond recommends checking limits against minimum contractual standards, which is exactly what a managing agent with a contract requirement should do.
- Look for exclusions. The Estates Gazette suggests checking policy limits and exclusions to see whether they suit the work and the potential scale of damage.
- Check employers' liability if staff are used. Fraser Bond lists this for contractors who employ staff, apprentices or subcontractors.
Property managers who book regularly can ask once for a certificate and diarise the expiry date, rather than rechecking on each job.
Insurance for end of tenancy and changeover cleans
Tenants, landlords and property managers use cleaners at moments when disputes are most likely, so a few facts help.
Tenants. Alan Boswell Group states that under the Tenant Fees Act 2019 landlords generally cannot require tenants to pay for professional cleaning as a blanket condition. The tenant must return the property in the same condition, minus fair wear and tear. Many tenants still choose a professional clean because it is the simplest way to leave the property to a standard a landlord or agent will accept. If you do, insurance protects the property during that clean. It does not decide your deposit.
Landlords. The same source says cleaning costs can be deducted from a deposit only to restore the property to its condition at the start of the tenancy, and that photographs and a start-and-end comparison matter. A thorough inventory is your strongest tool.
Deposit disputes. The Tenancy Deposit Scheme guide explains that disputes go to an independent adjudicator, with the landlord submitting evidence and the tenant responding. It also says the burden of proof sits with the landlord, and the deposit stays the tenant's money until a claim is proved. Hiring an insured cleaner therefore does not guarantee a deposit outcome either way. Keep dated photographs of the finished clean and any receipt.
Property managers and hosts. For changeovers between guests or tenants, you are the one passing the risk to a contractor, so the certificate checks above apply to every provider on your books.
What we think
We built Book My Cleaners around a simple idea: you should not have to take a cleaner's word for anything. Our cleaners are vetted and insured, prices are fixed and visible before you book, and each service has a written checklist that our trained cleaners follow.
Insurance answers the question of what happens if something goes wrong. We think a good cleaning service should also reduce the chance of anything going wrong. That is why a checklist matters for an end of tenancy clean, where the oven, the bathroom grout and the skirting boards are what a letting agent looks at first.
It is also why we stand behind the work with a 72-hour re-clean guarantee. If something has been missed, we put it right at no extra cost. Insurance covers accidents, and the guarantee covers the standard of the clean. Together they give landlords, tenants and property managers a service they can plan around.
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Booking an insured clean in London
If you want the insurance question settled and the price known before you commit, our cleaners are vetted and insured, and every job is booked at a fixed price. You can see the price and book online in under a minute, whether it is an end of tenancy clean, a deep clean or a regular visit.
We cover all 33 London boroughs. Book online or browse the full list of cleaning services. Offices can request a quote on our office cleaning page.
Our published starting prices
These are the prices published on our site when this article was written. They are fixed, one-off prices shown before you book.
| Service | Price |
|---|---|
| Domestic cleaning | From £38 |
| Airbnb cleaning | From £55 |
| Move in cleaning | From £115 |
| Deep cleaning | From £125 |
| End of tenancy cleaning | From £135 |
| After builders cleaning | From £160 |
| Carpet cleaning | From £35 |
| Oven cleaning | From £65 |
Add-ons on the booking page include an extra bathroom at £25, carpet cleaning at £30 per room, a sofa or upholstery clean at £45, a balcony or patio sweep and wash at £20, and key collection from your agent at £20.
Choosing well: a quick decision guide
- You are a tenant leaving a flat: choose a company that follows a checklist for end of tenancy work and offers a re-clean window. Keep photographs for any deposit discussion.
- You are a landlord between lets: look for a company with employed, insured staff, and keep its certificate with the property file.
- You are a homeowner wanting regular help: public liability is the minimum. Ask whether the cleaner is covered while using your equipment and products.
- You manage short lets or offices: diarise the policy expiry date and confirm the limit against any contract you hold.
FAQ
What insurance should a cleaning company have?
At minimum, public liability, which covers accidental damage to a client's property and injury to others. If the company has employees, employers' liability is a legal requirement under government guidance. Some companies add cover for equipment and other risks.
Is a cleaner without insurance a problem?
It depends on the cleaner. Public liability is not a legal requirement for many sole traders, but it is what pays when something is damaged or someone is hurt. Without it, you may have to resolve any damage directly with the individual.
Does insurance mean my damage will always be paid?
Not automatically. Policies have limits and exclusions, including some for property being worked upon. That is why the certificate and its terms matter, and why a company that fixes problems promptly is valuable.
Does hiring an insured cleaner protect my deposit?
No. Insurance covers accidents, not deposit outcomes. Deposit disputes are decided on evidence, and the burden of proof sits with the landlord, so keep dated photographs of the property after the clean.
Sources
- Insuring your business, Business.gov.uk
- What you need to know about Public Liability insurance, FSB
- Insurance for cleaning business, Simply Business
- Cleaners insurance, AXA UK
- Domestic cleaning insurance, CoverTrade
- Cleaning contractor and cleaning company insurance, Meshed
- Liability for contractors, Estates Gazette
- Certificate of liability insurance, Fraser Bond
- Guide to end-of-tenancy cleaning laws, Alan Boswell Group
- Disputes and damages guide, Tenancy Deposit Scheme