The home services industry is booming, and cleaners are a big part of that growth.
Many cleaners are required to have public liability insurance, especially if they are doing work for real estate agencies or commercial clients.
What Does It Cover Me For?
Cleaners public liability insurance is designed to cover you for any personal injury or property damage that your cause whilst engaged in cleaning activities.
If your cleaning activities cause damage to someone else’s property (including your client’s property) or personal injury to someone (including your client) you would normally be liable for any financial costs resulting from the incident.
With a public liability policy in place, the financial responsibility moves from you and your business over to the insurance company, provided that the incident is covered by the policy.
Do I Need Public Liability?
Almost all cleaners, domestic or commercial, can benefit from holding public liability insurance. There is always a risk that you could cause property damage or personal injury, and financial costs can often be extremely high.
Some cleaners will need to have public liability cover due to the locations they work in or the people they work for.
For example cleaners working for real estate agents will almost always be required to hold insurance, and those cleaning in shopping centres will also be required to hold a high level of cover, often as high as $20 million.
It is important to remember that public liability is designed for self-employed cleaners (including subcontractors) and is not required by cleaners who work for someone else on wages.
If you are unsure of your insurance requirements, speak with the people who are hiring you to see what they require.
How Much Does It Cost?
The cost of public liability insurance is generally based on the potential risk that you pose to the insurance companies.
A cleaner doing residential and light commercial cleaning will always pay a lower premium than someone cleaning shopping centres or other major public places.
The type of cleaning you do can also impact upon your public liability insurance cost. For example a high rise window cleaner will pay a lot more than most other cleaners.
The quickest and easiest way to find out your public liability cost is to request a quote. Insurance brokers can provide you quotes from multiple insurance companies, and can also provide advice and recommendations.
Insurance For Cleaners
Whilst public liability is one of the most important forms of insurance for cleaners, there are a number of other covers worth considering.
For self-employed cleaners who don’t have access to sick leave, income protection insurance is very important as it can replace the majority of your income if you cannot work for a period of time due to illness or injury.
An insurance specialist will be able to discuss these covers with you, and they should also be able to advise which covers are most beneficial and offer the best value for workers in the cleaning industry.