The moment someone else is cleaning under your name, their mistakes are your business's problem.
Growing from a solo cleaner into a business with staff or subcontractors changes what your cover actually needs to do. It's not just about your own work anymore, it's about every person you send into a client's building under your name, and the commercial contracts that now name you specifically as the insured party.
Where a cleaning business actually gets exposed
The exposure scales with the team. Every cleaner you send out, whether employed or subcontracted, carries your business's liability with them, and commercial clients expect that to be reflected in your cover.
A subcontractor's mistake becomes your claim
A subcontracted cleaner working under your business's contract with an office building damages expensive equipment during a routine clean. The client's contract is with your business, not the individual cleaner, so the claim comes to you first.
The commercial client's Named Client requirement
You've landed a contract with an office building or retail chain, but their insurer requires your business to specifically name them on your policy before the contract can be signed.
The building left unsecured after hours
A team member responsible for locking up a commercial building overnight forgets, and the building is broken into before the client discovers the door was left open.
What this actually covers
Public liability for a cleaning business
Public liability protects you if:
- Your employees or subcontractors cause injury or property damage while working under your business
- A client's premises or contents are damaged during a clean
- Someone sues your business over injury or damage linked to a job it was contracted for
Who's going to ask you for it
Commercial contracts are the gate, not the landlord
Unlike a retail shop, a cleaning business's cover requirement usually comes from its clients rather than its own premises:
- Commercial property managers and office buildings typically require $10M+ public liability, often with a Named Client endorsement.
- Shopping centres want proof of cover before common-area cleaning contracts.
- Government and larger corporate tenders often set specific minimum cover as a condition of bidding.
Common questions
I've started using subcontractors. Does my existing cover still work?
It's worth checking specifically, since cover written for a solo operator doesn't always extend automatically to work performed by subcontractors or employees. Tell us as your team grows.
If a subcontractor causes damage, does my policy mean they don't need their own insurance?
No. Your policy protects your business when a client's claim is directed at you, but most insurers still expect subcontractors to hold their own current public liability. It's standard practice to ask for a subcontractor's certificate of currency before engaging them, partly so a claim doesn't fall entirely on your policy, and partly so your insurer doesn't ask why an uninsured subcontractor was on the job.
What's a Named Client endorsement?
It's a request from a commercial client to be specifically named on your policy, common in office and retail cleaning contracts. It's usually a straightforward addition once requested.
Do I need higher cover once I win a larger corporate contract?
Often, yes. Larger clients and larger sites typically come with higher minimum cover requirements written into the contract, so it's worth reviewing your limit as you win bigger work.
My cleaners are responsible for locking up buildings overnight. Does that matter for cover?
Yes, it's worth flagging this specifically. It's a distinct liability from the cleaning work itself, and one that scales with the number of sites and staff involved.
I'm still mostly doing the cleaning myself with one part-time helper. Do I need business-level cover already?
It's worth starting to think about it as soon as you're not the only person doing the work, since that's when your liability stops being purely about your own actions.