Do Cleaners Need To Have Insurance?

Are you thinking of starting your own cleaning business and are wondering whether you need insurance?

This is a crucial question and we’re glad you asked!

After all, cleaning activities come with some risks, and not holding the right type of insurance could quickly turn your business dream into a nightmare. Whether you’re an independent contractor or a small business owner, you need to hold public liability insurance if you operate in Australia.

In this blog post, we’ll tell you everything you need to know about public liability insurance and we’ll also highlight a few other types of insurance that might be worth considering too.

What is Public Liability Insurance?

Public liability insurance is the most important insurance cleaning businesses need. Indeed, as mentioned before, whether you’re a small business owner with a few employees or an independent contractor working on your own, you’re required to hold public liability insurance.

That’s because cleaning activities can be risky. Slip, trip, and fall injuries and unintentional property damage are common occurrences in this industry. And the average slip and trip claim in Australia sits between a staggering $40,000 and $100,000 depending on the severity of the person’s injuries!

Public liability insurance is designed to protect you, and your business, against costly claims.

More specifically, public liability insurance protects you against two main risks:

• The risk of damaging your clients’ property
• The risk of injuring or causing death to another person

Holding this type of insurance means that in the event of a third party (a client, a supplier, or a member of the public) making an injury or property damage claim against your business, may it be you or one of your employees, all legal and compensation-related costs will be covered (up to your policy maximum) saving you from serious financial stress.

Other Types Of Insurance For Cleaners

Here are three types of insurance that aren’t compulsory, but can also save you from financial stress down the road:

Cyber & Privacy Liability

You're probably storing your clients' and employees' information on the cloud, on your laptop, or on your phone. After all, gone are the days when we used to write everything on paper and store kilos of documents in an office!

But with the world going digital, the risk of a cyber attack is increasing every day. In fact, 65% of Australian small and medium-sized businesses reported being the victim of a cyber attack over the past year.

Cyber & privacy liability insurance is designed to protect your business against any potential losses caused by a data breach or any other form of cybercrime.

Equipment Insurance

If you've invested in high-quality and expensive cleaning equipment, insuring it should be a no-brainer. That's because from pressure washers and industrial-grade carpet extractors to wide-area vacuums, damaging or losing a piece of equipment could cost you thousands to repair or replace.

Vehicle Insurance

As a professional cleaner, you most likely need a vehicle to carry your equipment and travel from one client to another. So, whether you use a car, a van, or a truck, it might be worth insuring your vehicle in case it gets damaged or stolen.

If you’re looking for the best public liability and cyber & privacy insurance, don’t hesitate to use our instant quote generator. It was designed to give you instant access to market-leading insurance for cleaning businesses and allow you to receive your quote within seconds.