How to Verify a Cleaning Company Is Actually Insured
"Fully insured" costs nothing to print on a website. Here is how to check it in about ten minutes, and what the certificate should say.
Every cleaning company in Austin says it is insured. The claim appears on the website, in the ad, on the van. Almost nobody checks, and checking takes about ten minutes.
Ask for the COI, not for reassurance
The document you want is a certificate of insurance — a COI. It is a one-page summary the insurer issues, and any genuinely insured business can produce one on request.
The correct request is: “Can you email me a certificate of insurance naming me as certificate holder?”
Two things matter in that sentence. Emailed means you have a copy, not a verbal claim. Naming you as certificate holder means the insurer sends it directly and confirms the policy is live — which a screenshot of an old certificate does not.
If a company hesitates at this, you have learned what you needed to know.
What the certificate should show
Read four lines:
General liability. Covers damage to your property. $1M per occurrence is the common floor for residential cleaning; $2M is better. This is what pays if someone puts a vacuum through a wall.
Workers’ compensation. Covers the cleaner if they are hurt in your home. Without it, an injured cleaner’s realistic route to compensation runs through your homeowner’s policy.
Bonding. A surety bond covers theft by an employee. Smaller than the liability figure and often misunderstood — bonding is not insurance and does not cover damage.
Policy dates. Check that today falls between them. An expired certificate is a common and easily missed problem.
Verify it independently
The certificate lists the insurance agency and a phone number. Call it and ask whether the policy is active. This is a normal request and agents field it routinely.
It matters because a COI is a PDF, and a PDF can be edited. A thirty-second call is the difference between a document and a verified fact.
What “bonded and insured” leaves out
The phrase is used loosely enough to be nearly meaningless on its own. Two specific gaps to watch:
Does the policy cover subcontractors? Many companies carry a policy that covers company operations while dispatching independent contractors who are not employees. If the person in your home is a 1099 contractor, the company’s policy may not cover their mistakes at all. Ask explicitly: does this policy cover the individuals who will be in my home?
Is there a deductible you would be exposed to? Rare in residential work, but worth a question on larger commercial contracts.
For commercial clients
If you are hiring for an office, retail unit or medical practice, the bar is higher:
- Your landlord or building management will usually require a COI naming them as additional insured before granting access
- Higher liability limits are standard for commercial contracts
- Ask about janitorial bonding specifically if crews work unsupervised after hours
- Confirm the certificate covers every location if you have more than one
Sort this before the first visit, not on the morning of it. Building approvals take days, not hours.
The ten-minute version
- Ask for a COI naming you as certificate holder
- Check general liability, workers’ comp, bonding and the dates
- Call the agency listed to confirm the policy is live
- Ask whether it covers the specific people entering your home
Any company that makes this difficult has told you something useful for free.
Why we send it before you ask
We will email the $2M certificate — naming you, your HOA or your property manager — before you book anything, and the background check for whoever is assigned to your address.
It is a low bar. It is also one most of this industry does not clear.
