You're often the last person in the building. That comes with its own liability.
Cleaning work carries a quieter kind of risk than most trades: it's not about power tools or heights, it's about wet floors, chemicals, and being trusted to lock up and secure the premises when everyone else has gone home. Cover built around that specific kind of exposure.
Where a cleaning contractor actually gets exposed
The risk sits in three places: the floors and surfaces you work on, the chemicals you use on them, and the building itself, which you're often the last person responsible for each day.
The slip on a wet floor
Cleaning a shopping centre common area during trading hours, a wet floor sign is knocked over or removed, and a shopper slips before the surface has dried.
Chemical damage to flooring or fixtures
A cleaning chemical used on a commercial job reacts badly with a client's flooring or a particular surface, leaving visible damage that wasn't the intended result.
The building left unsecured
As the last person in a commercial building each night, part of the job is locking up and setting the alarm. One night it's missed, and the building is broken into overnight.
Who's going to ask you for it
Commercial contracts almost always require it
Cleaning contracts, especially commercial ones, are one of the more consistent places cover is contractually required:
- Commercial property managers for office and retail cleaning contracts typically require $10M+ public liability, often with a Named Client endorsement.
- Shopping centres want proof of cover before cleaning contractors work in common trading areas.
- Food premises clients may have their own specific requirements around chemical use near food preparation areas.
The exclusion cleaners don't expect
Cleaners tend to think of their risk purely in terms of the cleaning itself. The overlooked exposure is being trusted with a building's security, locking up, setting alarms, being the last one out, which is a genuine liability if it's not done properly and something goes wrong afterward. It's worth confirming your cover accounts for this, not just the physical cleaning risk.
Common questions
A shopper slipped on a floor I'd just cleaned. Am I liable?
It depends on whether adequate warning was in place at the time. Public liability responds to the claim either way, and the investigation establishes whether proper process was followed.
What's a Named Client endorsement, and do I need one?
It's a request from a commercial client to be specifically named on your policy, often required before a cleaning contract is signed. Check your contracts and let us know if this is being asked for.
I'm responsible for locking up a building overnight. Does that matter for my cover?
Yes, it's worth telling us this is part of your role. It's a distinct exposure from the cleaning work itself, and one that's easy to overlook when arranging cover.
Does this cover damage from cleaning chemicals?
Yes, damage to a client's property from chemicals used during your work is a standard public liability claim.
I employ a small cleaning crew. Do I need anything beyond public liability?
Yes, workers compensation becomes a legal requirement once you have employees, on top of your public liability. Tell us if you're taking on staff.