Here's something most cleaning business owners learn the hard way: one slip-and-fall accident can wipe out months of profit. A client trips on a wet floor right after your team finishes mopping, breaks their wrist, and suddenly you're facing a $15,000 medical bill. Or maybe your employee accidentally knocks over a valuable vase while dusting, and now you owe $3,000 for the damage. Without general liability insurance, these costs come straight out of your pocket.
General liability insurance is the financial safety net that protects your cleaning or janitorial business from bodily injury and property damage claims. It's not just smart business protection—it's often a requirement. Many commercial clients won't even consider hiring you without seeing a current certificate of insurance. Let's break down exactly what this coverage does, what it costs, and why it's essential for anyone in the cleaning industry.
What General Liability Insurance Covers for Cleaning Businesses
General liability insurance covers two main categories of claims: bodily injury and property damage that occur because of your business operations. For cleaning and janitorial services, these are the scenarios that happen more often than you'd think.
Bodily injury claims happen when someone gets hurt because of your business activities. The classic example is a slip-and-fall on a wet floor after your crew has cleaned. But it also covers situations where cleaning chemicals make someone sick, a client trips over your equipment in a hallway, or a visitor gets injured in an area you just serviced. Your policy pays for their medical bills, lost wages, and legal costs if they sue.
Property damage coverage protects you when your work damages someone else's belongings. This includes the obvious stuff—breaking a window, scratching hardwood floors, or damaging furniture while moving it to clean. But it also covers less obvious scenarios, like using the wrong cleaning product that ruins an expensive carpet or accidentally spilling chemicals that stain a client's upholstery. These mistakes happen even to experienced cleaning professionals, and the repair or replacement costs can be substantial.
Your general liability policy also includes legal defense costs, which is huge. Even if a claim against you is completely baseless, defending yourself in court costs money. Your insurance company pays for attorneys, court fees, and settlements or judgments up to your policy limits.
Understanding Coverage Limits: Occurrence vs. Aggregate
When you're shopping for general liability insurance, you'll see limits written as something like $1,000,000/$2,000,000 or $1M/$2M. Here's what those numbers actually mean and why they matter for your cleaning business.
The first number is your per-occurrence limit—the maximum your insurance will pay for any single incident. If someone sues you for a slip-and-fall accident and wins a $800,000 judgment, your $1 million per-occurrence limit covers it. The second number is your aggregate limit—the total maximum your policy will pay for all claims during your policy period, usually one year. If you have three separate claims totaling $2.5 million and your aggregate limit is $2 million, you're responsible for the remaining $500,000.
According to 2025 industry data, 89% of cleaning business owners choose $1 million per occurrence and $2 million aggregate limits. This has become the industry standard for good reason—it's what most commercial clients require in their contracts. Building managers, office complexes, and facility management companies typically won't hire a cleaning service without seeing proof of at least these minimum coverage amounts on your certificate of insurance.
Your coverage needs can change as your business grows. If you're just starting out with residential house cleaning, standard limits might be plenty. But when you land that contract to clean a corporate office tower or a medical facility, you may need to increase your limits. Higher-value properties and larger contracts often come with higher insurance requirements.
What General Liability Insurance Costs for Janitorial Services
The good news: general liability insurance for cleaning businesses is surprisingly affordable. Based on 2025-2026 data, cleaning businesses pay an average of $48 per month or about $580 per year for general liability coverage. Most cleaning business owners—about 55%—pay between $40 and $49 per month.
Your actual premium depends on several factors specific to your business. The size of your operation matters—a solo house cleaner pays less than a janitorial company with 20 employees. Your annual revenue affects pricing because higher revenue generally means more client interactions and more opportunities for claims. The types of properties you clean also factor in; residential cleaning typically costs less to insure than commercial or industrial facilities.
Your claims history impacts your rate too. If you've had multiple claims in the past, expect to pay more. Conversely, a clean claims record can qualify you for discounts. Some insurers also offer lower rates if you bundle general liability with other policies like commercial property or workers' compensation insurance in a Business Owner's Policy (BOP).
When you think about it, $40-50 per month is less than what most cleaning businesses charge for a single house cleaning or a few hours of commercial janitorial work. That's a pretty small investment for protection against claims that could cost tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Why Certificates of Insurance Matter
If you work with commercial clients, you'll quickly become familiar with certificates of insurance (COIs). A COI is a one-page document that proves you have active insurance coverage and shows your policy limits, coverage types, and expiration dates. Commercial clients use these to verify you're properly insured before letting you work on their property.
Here's why this matters: many commercial property managers, office buildings, and facility management companies won't even consider hiring a cleaning service without proof of general liability insurance. They're protecting themselves from liability if something goes wrong. If your uninsured employee injures someone or damages property, the building owner could be held responsible. By requiring you to carry insurance and name them as an additional insured, they transfer that risk to your policy.
Most commercial clients require minimum coverage of $1 million per occurrence and $2 million aggregate, written on an occurrence basis rather than claims-made. Some large facilities or high-value properties may require even higher limits. The good news is that once you have a policy, your insurance company or agent can generate certificates for you quickly, usually within a day.
Getting the Right Coverage for Your Cleaning Business
Shopping for general liability insurance doesn't have to be complicated. Start by getting quotes from at least three insurers to compare coverage and pricing. Many insurance companies specialize in small business coverage and can quote you online in minutes. Look for insurers that understand the cleaning industry—they'll know what coverage you need and won't waste your time with irrelevant options.
When comparing quotes, make sure you're looking at the same coverage limits. A policy with $500,000 limits will be cheaper than one with $1 million limits, but it might not meet your clients' requirements or adequately protect your business. Check what's included in each policy—some insurers include additional coverages like medical payments or advertising injury at no extra cost.
Consider bundling your general liability with other business insurance you need. If you have employees, you're legally required to carry workers' compensation insurance in most states. If you use vehicles for your business, you need commercial auto insurance. Many insurers offer Business Owner's Policies (BOPs) that bundle general liability and commercial property coverage at a discount compared to buying policies separately.
Once you have coverage, review it annually. As your business grows, your insurance needs change. Landing bigger contracts, hiring more employees, or expanding into new service areas all affect your risk profile. Make sure your coverage keeps pace with your business growth so you're never underinsured when a claim happens.
