What a commercial cleaning vendor's insurance actually covers, what to ask for, and what happens when a vendor is underinsured.
General liability covers property damage and bodily injury caused by the vendor's operations. If a crew member breaks a window, damages a piece of equipment, or is the proximate cause of a slip-and-fall, the vendor's general liability policy is the coverage that responds. Without it, the claim runs to the building owner's or tenant's policy — which is not what either party intended.
The coverage limit matters. A cleaning company carrying a $300,000 general liability policy is not adequately insured for a facility with significant equipment, inventory, or property values. Standard coverage for a commercial cleaning vendor working in mid-sized commercial facilities runs at $1 million per occurrence and $2 million aggregate. Ask for the certificate, not just confirmation that coverage exists.
Workers' compensation covers crew members injured while working in your facility. This is not optional in Minnesota — it is a legal requirement for employers — but the coverage requirement applies to the vendor, not to the building owner. The risk for a building owner using an uninsured or under-covered vendor is that an injured worker may bring a claim against the facility owner if the vendor's coverage is absent or insufficient.
When you request a certificate of insurance, confirm that workers' comp coverage is listed. A vendor who provides a general liability certificate but omits workers' comp is showing you half the picture.
A janitorial bond (also called a commercial cleaning bond or service bond) provides coverage for loss due to theft or dishonest acts by the vendor's employees while on your premises. The bond covers losses that general liability does not — specifically, deliberate acts by employees rather than accidental damage.
For building owners and facility managers, the bond is the coverage that matters most when a cleaning crew has after-hours access. It is not a substitute for a careful hiring and screening process, but it is the financial backstop when a screening process fails.
The most common problem is not an absent policy — it is coverage that is technically present but insufficient. A vendor carrying a $100,000 general liability policy and no workers' comp has coverage that will not respond adequately in a real claim. The building owner or property manager who approved an underinsured vendor as a contractor may face exposure that they did not anticipate.
This is not a theoretical concern. It is the specific reason that most commercial real estate leases and building management agreements require vendors to maintain minimum insurance levels and to provide certificates of insurance before beginning work.
We carry general liability insurance, workers' compensation, and bonding appropriate for commercial cleaning operations. A certificate of insurance is provided with every written quote. If your building or lease requires specific minimum coverage levels or requires you to be listed as an additional insured, let us know during the intake call and we will coordinate with our insurer before the first visit.