Cleaning is important if homeowner’s want to avoid buying carpets from the carpet shop again and again. Cleaning contractors are the professionals ensuring that dirty carpets become sparkling clean without damage. And just like window cleaning companies, carpet cleaning companies face risks during their operations.
Think of the income losses if these things happen. Cleaning agents might spill on a client's carpet, leaving permanent stains. You might also damage their belongings; not to mention your client or employee might sustain injuries from slip-and-fall incidents. No one expects such occurrences, but they can affect your income significantly if a claim is filed against your business. Getting comprehensive carpet cleaning insurance cushions you from incurring losses
Think of insurance for carpet cleaning business as proper risk management and proof to clients that you are committed to quality service. Let’s discuss the most common insurance policies needed when managing or starting a carpet cleaning business.
Liability insurance is very important. Specifically, you must have a $1 million-$2 million public liability or general liability insurance. You need one of these policies to bid for projects, close contracts easily, and comply with project terms.
You might also need bonds to comply with carpet cleaning insurance requirements. For example, you’ll need surety bonds to assure clients that they can get reimbursement for financial losses in case you need to bail out of the project halfway.
If you have employees, then don’t forget workers compensation insurance. Employers not covered by workers comp insurance will face heavy fines and penalties.
A comprehensive insurance package should include carpet cleaning liability insurance, specifically general liability, public liability, or professional liability. These latter will protect your business from the cost of third-party claims.
| CoverWallet | NEXT (Best) | Thimble | Hiscox | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Per occurrence limit | $1,000,000 | $1,000,000 | $1,000,000/$2,000,000 | $300,000/$2,000,000 |
| Aggregate limit | $2,000,000 | $1,000,000/$2,000,000 | $1,000,000/$2,000,000 | $300,000/$2,000,000 |
| Products and completed operations aggregate limit | $2,000,000 | $1,000,000 | $1,000,000 | $1,000,000 |
| Advertising injury coverage aggregate limit | $1,000,000 | $1,000,000 | $1,000,000 | $1,000,000 |
| Tenant’s legal liability coverage limit | $1000,000 | $100,000 | $5,000 | $100,000 |
| Waiver of subrogation included? | Yes | No | Included | Excluded |
| Hired/non-owned auto liability coverage included? | Yes | No | Excluded | Excluded |
| Equipment breakdown floater included? | No | Yes | Yes | Excluded |
| Can you get a certificate of insurance online? | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Name additional insureds? | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Deductible | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
The first carpet cleaner liability insurance policy that's worth investing in is general liability insurance. This safeguards your carpet cleaning business from claims of property damage, bodily harm, and any other damages reported by aggrieved third parties.
Use the table above to compare the best companies’ carpet cleaning insurance quotes for a general liability policy.
Consider this. Suppose a delivery person, who is bringing a customer's carpet to your facility, trips over some cleaning equipment left unattended. There's quite the likelihood that you would be found liable for the injury. If the said delivery guy were to file a lawsuit, you'd have to pay for the legal bills, including those of hiring a lawyer. In this case, the general liability policy covers the following:
Third-party medical bills
Settlements
Attorney's fees
Court-ordered judgments
Now, suppose as you are cleaning the carpets, you accidentally break the industrial floor cleaner that you'd leased out from another player in the niche. There's a likelihood that this partner would sue you for the property damage. If you are armed with general liability insurance, you don't have to fret, as the policy will pay for the cost of repair or replacement. What's more, if they were to sue you, the policy would cater for all legal expenses arising from said claims.
Further, suppose in an effort to rally customers for your business, you end up using another company's logo or slogan. This competitor could sue you for advertising injuries. Fortunately, your general liability policy also covers this exposure.
Further, most carriers give room to add endorsements to your general liability policy to help you navigate through the unique challenges that your carpet cleaning business faces. Some of the add-ons you should consider include:
Care, Custody or Control (CCC)
Suppose while cleaning the carpet, you open a door too wide, and it knocks the wall causing a hole in the drywall. Typically, the general liability policy won't cover such damage. Fortunately, with the care, custody, or control endorsement, accidental damage to a third party's property is catered to.
Lost Key Liability Coverage
To ease operations, most clients will surrender their keys to you for you to easily gain access to their property and clean their carpets while they are away. Unfortunately, these keys could get lost. With the lost keys coverage, you are assured that the cost of repair or replacement of said keys is catered for.
Public liability coverage is a type of carpet cleaners liability insurance policy that protects your carpet cleaning business from claims filed by clients, contractors, or members of the public because of bodily injuries or property damage caused by your business activities.
In a way, public liability insurance for carpet cleaners is similar to general liability insurance. However, there’s one key difference. Public liability insurance isn’t very common in the USA. And even if you manage to get it, you’ll find that public liability insurance only provides the minimum level of coverage as it doesn’t have the optional policies we discussed above.
| CoverWallet | NEXT | Thimble (Best) | Hiscox | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Per occurrence limit | $1,000,000 | $20,000/$25,000 | $1,000,000/$2,000,000 | $1,000,000 |
| Aggregate limit | $2,000,000 | $50,000 | $1,000,000/$2,000,000 | $1,000,000 |
| Name additional insureds? | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Waiver of subrogation included? | Yes | No | Yes | Can be included |
| Deductible | $500 | $500 | $500 | $50/$10,000 |
Other than general liability or public liability insurance, you want to include a professional liability policy as part of your carpet cleaner liability insurance package.
This business insurance for carpet cleaners kicks in if you caused economic or financial loss for the client by committing:
Negligence - A new employee of your cleaning business washed an expensive carpet with bleach. The employee in question should’ve remembered not to do so as there’s a manual. The client had to spend money to replace the damaged carpet. To get reimbursement, she sued your business for property damage caused by grave negligence
Misrepresentation - An employee handed the wrong quote to a customer. Upon asking for payment, it turned out that the service provided was more expensive. The customer then sued for misrepresentation and accused your business of making the price look cheap on paper to attract leads
Violation of good faith - A hotel asked you to clean the carpets in their storehouse. In the contract, it was stated that cleaning should be done by Friday. However, delays happened and your business failed to follow the end of the deal. As a result, the hotel incurred losses since the carpets were supposed to be used for a grand event. To recover, the hotel filed a lawsuit
With professional liability insurance, also sold as professional indemnity insurance, you are assured that the legal fees and settlement costs will be paid out.
Other than professional liability and general liability or public liability insurance, there are additional policies you want to be included in your carpet cleaner insurance package such as tools and equipment, commercial property, etc.
There's a chance that a claim could surpass the limits that exist within your current policies, including general liability insurance. A cost-effective approach to cushion yourself from such an eventuality would be to invest in a commercial umbrella policy. This supplements the limits of your existing insurance so that they can cover a claim even if policy limits have been reached.
Get all the best quotes from leading providers in a click of a button!
| NEXT (Best) | Thimble | Hiscox | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aggregate limit | $5,000/$10,000 | $2,500/$5,000 | $5,000/$25,000 |
| Covers hired and borrowed equipment? | $5,000/$10,000 | $2,500/$5,000 | No |
| Miscellaneous equipment also covered? | $5,000/$10,000 | No | No |
| Offered as an endorsement to general liability insurance? | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Deductible | $500 | $500 | $0 |
Carpet cleaning machines aren’t cheap. Those made for commercial purposes cost $1,000-$2,000.
You don’t want to spend a lot of money in case something happens to your carpet cleaning equipment. That said, it’s smart to get tools and equipment insurance.
Tools and equipment insurance takes care of repair or replacement expenses in case your carpet cleaning machines get damaged or lost because of fire, theft, vandalism, and other covered perils.
Use the table above to compare the tools and equipment insurance of companies we recommend.
| CoverWallet | NEXT (Best) | Hiscox | Thimble | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Building coverage limit (minimum) | $50,000 | $25,000 | $25,000 | $25,000/$500,000 |
| Contents coverage limit (minimum) | $50,000 | $25,000 | $25,000 | $25,000/$500,000 |
| Outdoor signs | Excluded | $2,500 | Excluded | Excluded |
| Accounts receivable | Excluded | Excluded | Included | $5,000/$10,000 |
| Money and securities | Excluded | $2,500 | Included | $1,000 |
| Lock and keys | Excluded | $2,500 | Excluded | Excluded |
| Business interruption floater | Excluded | Included | Included | Included |
| Equipment breakdown floater | Excluded | Included | Excluded | Excluded |
| Inland marine insurance floater | Excluded | Excluded | Excluded | $10,000 |
| Employee dishonesty floater | Excluded | $5,000 | Included | $2,500 |
Chances are that as a business, you've accrued some assets that you'd want protected. This might include building space and supplies. The best way to protect said assets is with a commercial property insurance policy.
Carriers offer you the option of either insuring the assets at either replacement cost or actual cash value. Use the table above to compare the commercial property insurance of companies we recommend.
With the replacement cost option, you'll end up paying a tad bit more upfront, but you are assured that the reimbursement for losses will be equal to the original market price of the building or equipment covered by commercial property insurance.
The actual cash value is less pricey but the reimbursement you’ll get might not be enough to totally cover the loss. It’s because the amount of money you’ll receive will be equal to the depreciated value of the item or equipment that commercial property insurance covers.
| CoverWallet | Thimble | NEXT (Best) | Hiscox | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| General liability aggregate limit | $2,000,000 | $1,000,000/$2,000,000 | $1,000,000 | $300,000/$2,000,000 |
| Commercial property coverage limit | $50,000 | $500,000 | $25,000 | $25,000 |
| Optional policies can be added? | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Name additional insureds for free? | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Some carpet cleaner insurance programs allow you to bundle general liability insurance and commercial property insurance into a business owner's policy (BOP).
Use the table above to compare the business owner’s policy of insurance companies we recommend.
A business owner’s policy grants a quick and comprehensive shield against the financial losses that result from lawsuits and damage or destruction of your own business property.
Note, however, that for you to qualify for a BOP, there are a few prerequisites that you must meet. These include the following:
Have fewer than 100 employees
Make less than $1 million in annual revenue
Operate from a small commercial space
With the BOP, you are assured of getting the same coverage you would have if you would have purchased individual policies at a fraction of the price. An insider tip would be to have your insurer include a business interruption clause within the BOP. This business interruption policy covers part of the operating costs in the event that you are forced to close down your business because of renovation, relocation, or economic crisis.
You need to invest in employee welfare - and we don’t mean life insurance. Aside from this, you also need to buy an insurance policy that covers employees immediately in case they become injured or sick while working.
Workers compensation insurance kicks in if an employee gets injured or sick because of work. It helps to pay for the employee’s emergency treatment, hospitalization, after-hospital visits, and medical expenses. If the employee needs to stay at home to continue healing, workers compensation replaces a portion of the income lost. Furthermore, this policy provides benefits to the family if the employee dies.
You can add an employer’s liability coverage to workers compensation insurance. So what is this carpet cleaners insurance policy anyway? An employer’s liability coverage takes care of settlements, legal expenses, and court judgments if an employee holds you liable for his or her work-related injury or disease.
Your carpet cleaning business certainly owns one or two vehicles. Vehicles are useful for taking employees to different projects. Moreover, they’re handy for transporting different kinds of work equipment.
Consider covering your business’s vehicle with commercial auto insurance. Commercial auto insurance offers auto liability coverage, physical damage coverage, and emergency roadside assistance. Let’s discuss how these help.
Auto liability coverage in commercial auto insurance covers costs if your carpet cleaning business’s vehicle caused an accident and injured third parties or caused property damage. You can use the insurance money from auto liability coverage to pay for defense costs and settlements to aggrieved parties. Remember one thing though, auto liability insurance might not help if the vehicle’s driver is driving under influence.
Auto liability insurance only covers the injuries of third parties. It won’t provide money to take care of the injuries of your business vehicle’s passengers.
Commercial auto insurance’s physical damage coverage can be classified into two types - collision and comprehensive. Collision physical damage coverage shoulders repair or replacement costs if your business’s vehicle collided with an object or another vehicle.
On the other hand, comprehensive physical damage coverage takes care of repair or replacement costs if fire, theft, vandalism, and extreme weather damages your commercial vehicle. But understand that there are exclusions too, which vary from carrier to carrier.
Think about scenarios where your carpet cleaning business’s vehicle suddenly stalls during the trip because of issues. Of course, you’ll have to spend to get it running once again or haul it back to the office.
Emergency roadside assistance sees to it that you can recover losses if such things happen. In a nutshell, this optional coverage in commercial auto insurance reimburses what you spent for battery jump start service, tire repair or replacement service, towing service, and more.
Crimes can happen to any business. That’s why carriers underwrite special protection called crime insurance.
Basic crime insurance helps you recover financial losses if third-parties manage to do the following successfully against your carpet cleaning business:
Fraud
Theft of equipment or money
Destruction of equipment or money
Social engineering
Unauthorized credit card transaction
Unauthorized use of cheques
Misrepresentation
Document manipulation
Purchasing crime insurance isn’t common as most businesses decide to self insure. However, this can be very helpful if losses are worth millions of dollars.
Not only third parties but employees can commit a crime against your carpet cleaning business. Employees might do bad things because they’re not paid well enough, feel that the organization lacks opportunities, or are simply dishonest. No matter what the reason might be, understand that basic crime insurance doesn’t cover losses resulting from an employee’s crimes. And so, decide to add employee dishonesty insurance.
Employee dishonesty insurance covers financial losses and PR costs if an employee commits any of the following:
Siphoning customer refunds to his or her own personal bank account or any other platform that stores money
Stages a scene with someone to steal money, valuable equipment, or materials from your carpet cleaning business
Inputs the wrong figures on financial documents to cover theft
Destroys your business’s money, cheques, bonds, or securities
Other kinds of activities constituting fraud or dishonesty
Suppose, due to an unprecedented event, you are unable to finish a contract. This leaves your client exposed, which is where a surety bond comes in. The latter is a three-party agreement between your business, the client, and your carrier of choice. The insurer agrees to compensate the client in the event that you fail to complete the job as per the agreement on the contract.
Note that while you are bailed out in the short term, you'd still be expected to pay the bond company the exact amount that was paid out to the client.
Moreover, surety bonds come in particularly handy if you were to win a big commercial contract. In this case, the client could mandate that you present proof of your commitment to the task at hand, which is where the surety bond would come in.
| Cost per Month | Cost per Year | Deductible | |
|---|---|---|---|
| General liability insurance | $35 | $420 | $0-$500 |
| Professional liability insurance | $39 | $468 | $500-$1,000 |
| Commercial property insurance | $45 | $540 | $1,000-$2,500 |
| Business owner’s policy | $72 | $864 | $500-$1,000 |
| Commercial auto insurance | $50 | $600 | $1,000-$1,500 |
| Workers compensation insurance | $83 | $996 | $2,000-$5,000 |
| Employee crime and dishonesty insurance | $53 | $636 | $1,000-$2,000 |
| Tools and equipment insurance | Cost usually added to general liability insurance | Cost usually added to general liability insurance | $500 |
The average carpet cleaning business insurance cost is $35 per month or $420 per year for a $1 million general liability policy. To arrive at the premium you'd pay for a specific the carpet cleaning business insurance, carriers consider the following:
The size of your carpet cleaning business
The carpet cleaning services offered
Types of cleaners used
Number of employees
Value of business property and equipment
Deductibles and policy limits you choose
If you were to work with the best carpet cleaning insurance companies in the market, here's how much you'd ideally pay for their $1 million general liability policy:
| Cost per Month | Cost per Year | Best for | |
|---|---|---|---|
| NEXT | $22.38 | $268.56 | Best overall; Fastest general liability insurance for carpet cleaners |
| CoverWallet | $25 | $300 | Carpet cleaning insurance online quotes comparison |
| Tivly | $26 | $312 | Comparing carpet cleaning insurance quotes over the phone |
| Hiscox | $27.78 | $333.36 | Number of discounts offered |
| Thimble | $30 | $360 | Short-term carpet cleaning insurance |
Get all the best quotes from leading providers in a click of a button!
You've worked hard to build your carpet cleaning business. The best way to protect all your hard work and financial investment is to work with the best carpet cleaning insurance companies. Here's a list of carriers you should consider. Read the reviews below to know their pros, cons, and cost of a $1 million general liability insurance.
Best overall
Get an online proof of insurance and send as a text message, email, or social media post
Fastest general liability insurance for carpet cleaners
Great customer service and reputation
Issues an online proof of insurance instantly
Outstanding value for money
Bundle two or more insurance policies and get a 10% discount
Couldn't’ find any
NEXT Insurance was launched in 2014 with the aim of delivering cheap insurance to small businesses. The carrier eliminates middlemen from the policy purchase process by leveraging technology. As a carpet cleaner, you can purchase general liability insurance for $22.38 per month or $268.56 annually. Spend more on premiums and get the deluxe coverage that offers general liability insurance, workers' compensation insurance, and commercial property insurance. You have the option of adding on tools and equipment coverage.
Best for: Best overall; Fastest general liability insurance for carpet cleaners
Average cost: $22.38 per month
Our rating: 10/10
Find carpet cleaning business insurance quotes and compare the pricing of different carriers
Get insured online
Live customer support
Stable and cheap rates
Not an insurance company but an insurance broker
CoverWallet doesn’t have a tailored insurance product for carpet cleaning businesses. However, you might get covered by the company’s cleaning business insurance, which offers four insurance options. General liability only, general liability and commercial property, business owner’s policy with workers compensation insurance, and a custom plan.
With CoverWallet, you can get a free certificate of insurance, get insured, and pay premiums online. You can also file claims via the MyCoverWallet App or website. Additionally, tracking your claims is easy. All you need is to contact a CoverWallet live agent or call customer service by phone.
Best for: Finding cheap carpet cleaning business insurance carriers online
Average cost: $25 per month
Our rating: 10/10
Call and compare carpet cleaning insurance quotes over the phone
Responsive customer service
A partner of many reputable insurance companies
Tivly’s coverage can be bought from other insurance companies
You need to call to get a quote
Get in touch with Tivly if your carpet cleaning business is involved with highly specialized projects. This insurance company provides a highly tailored coverage that addresses the risks unique to you. Call Tivly now to talk with a representative and compare carpet cleaning insurance quotes over the phone.
Best for: Comparing carpet cleaning insurance quotes over the phone
Average cost: $26 per month
Our rating: 10/10
No added fees on monthly payment options
A wide array of coverage options
Policyholders can get a quote and purchase policies online
Discounts of up to 5% are available if policyholders purchase two or more Hiscox products
14-day money-back guarantee
Hiscox is not a BBB-accredited business
Headquartered in Bermuda and listed on the London Stock Exchange, Hiscox is a long-standing business insurance provider that offers carpet cleaners general liability, professional liability, BOP, and cyber insurance. Policyholders working with Hiscox can expect to leverage the almost 120 years of experience that the insurer has accrued.
What stands out about Hiscox is the number of discounts offered. Policyholders can take advantage of small business discounts, new customer discounts, bundling discounts, or refer-a-friend discount.
Best for: Number of discounts offered
Average cost: $27.78 per month
Our rating: 9/10
Policyholders can get a quote and purchase insurance online in minutes
Monthly, daily, and even hourly coverage is available
Quick to issue an estimate of your rates
Customer support is only available online
Thimble is a relatively new player in the commercial insurance field, having only been started in 2015. While its flagship product was general liability policies, the carrier has since expanded its policy offering to include other policy options and a wide array of industries, including carpet cleaning insurance.
You can get general liability coverage, commercial property insurance, and business interruption insurance. Optional coverages are available for a customized policy to ensure you get the coverage that meets your unique business risks.
Best for: Short-term carpet cleaning insurance
Average cost: $30 per month
Our rating: 8/10
Use anyone except Employers. Period. They are non-transparent and shameful. After I complained long enough to warrant a call from a supervisor, the supervisor called back from a PRIVATE NUMBER (no caller ID), left a message that they are not reversing their decision (without any communication with me), and failed to leave a phone number for me to call back. She was hiding! They also fact find via email and phone calls, which is terrific for speed and communication. However, after setting a precedence of email or phone calls, they send time sensitive information via email, without any heads up... they are hoping you miss it and forfeit via expiration. Evil policies. Go elsewhere.
This place is an absolute joke of a company and should be ashamed of the way they conduct business. I was hurt on the job at the end of July and it took them just shy of 7 weeks to issue out a paycheck to me. Yes the amount was back dated but still. Not many have the luxury of not receiving a paycheck for almost 2 months. To top it all off, the original adjuster marked me down for the wrong state which caused a problem from the get go, I've had 3 different adjusters now since each one can't seem to figure out the simplicity of my claim. All my paperwork which includes, my job, house, and drs visits all are from the same state and city but yet some how I have been filed under a completely different state 1500 miles away. They do not answer your phone calls or emails no matter how many you leave. I've had to escalate my frustrations to the supervisors of each of these individuals in order to even get some kind of response. I've had more communication and information given to me about my claim from the customer service representatives then the actual adjusters.......... please tell me how that works?! A serious overhaul needs to happen here in order to serve your clients the way they deserve to be taken care of. 10/10 do not recommend this company to a single soul on earth
I have never had the displeasure of working with a more incompetent and disrespectful person in my life. I’m an injured worker and the adjuster that was assigned to my case was named Carrie Furgeson. In the past 6 weeks that I’ve been injured and out of work I have only been able to get ahold of her twice, not for lack of trying. I have left countless voicemails, countless emails, and she ignores them all. When I am finally able to get ahold of her I’m greeted with terrible customer service. She is rude, she talks over me and I’m hardly able to get a word in edgewise. She spelled my name wrong on my documents even after I spelled it for her properly countless times, this caused a whole new issue with my bank. I have bill collectors from the hospital calling me demanding payment and Carrie Furgeson won’t do a single thing to help, or to get them paid. All of my documentation is in Colorado, my job is in Colorado, my address is in Colorado, all my Dr offices and appointments have been in Colorado and Carrie still managed to hold my claim because she wasn’t sure what state she needed to file it under. It’s been 6 weeks since my Injury and my company still hasn’t received the wage paperwork to fill out so they can get me my correct wages. When she’s not ignoring me she’s answering my questions with “I don’t know” well I don’t know how she got this job, because apparently she doesn’t know anything about it. She is a disgusting morose individual inside and out and I genuinely wish her the worst in all of her future endeavors. I highly recommend you don’t use this company. Please if you are a business owner and your looking into this company please don’t use them. I’m sure they have the cheapest payment and that’s why companies use them in the first place, but you will be doing your employees a grave disservice by forcing them to venture into this absolute dumpster fire of a company. I would rate 0/5 if possible but 1 was the lowest I was allowed.
Their general liability insurance purchase process is simply the best online experience I've ever had in my life!
As long as they cover your line of business, you're literally covered! best rates, best coverage, best online experience, best professionals, can't be happier that I chose them!
Not all those who wander are lost.
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