Janitorial bonds for cleaning businesses

Your employees likely have access to private homes and offices – often unsupervised. However much you trust them, that leaves ample opportunity for theft.

A janitorial bond is a type of surety bond that reimburses your clients for employee theft. Unlike insurance, your bond carrier (or surety company) will expect reimbursement when it pays for a claim. Your clients might request that your residential cleaning or janitorial company secure this coverage.

This cleaning service bond provides coverage related to:

• Employee theft of money or property
• Client contracts

Janitorial surety bonds provide financial coverage when your employees engage in dishonest acts that could otherwise bankrupt your commercial cleaning business.

Specifically, this bond protects your business against:

A janitorial bond is a business service bond that protects customers from theft by a dishonest employee. It covers losses if a pool cleaner, janitor, or house cleaner steals items or money from a client while cleaning a home or business.

This type of commercial crime insurance doesn’t cover damage to a client’s property, only theft. It directly reimburses a client for the loss.

You are not required to carry cleaning business bonding insurance. However, many homeowners and business owners, such as Airbnb hosts, will only hire janitorial service companies that are bonded and insured.

A janitorial bond assures your customers that if an employee steals from them, the bond will cover the loss. It helps establish credibility and gives you an edge over companies that are not bonded.

A janitorial service bond, sometimes called a fidelity bond, provides financial protection against employee theft, but your cleaning company faces many other risks.

Cleaning professionals should also consider:

General liability insurance: This policy helps pay for expenses related to third-party accidents, like a client slipping on a wet floor after you mop. Your clients may require this type of insurance in their contracts or your landlord might require it to sign a lease.

Workers’ compensation insurance: This policy is required in most states for businesses that have employees. It can cover medical expenses if an employee is injured on the job. For example, if a window cleaner falls off a ladder and has a concussion, workers’ comp can pay for medical bills as well as partial lost wages.

Commercial auto insurance: Required in almost every state, this policy can pay for property damage and medical bills resulting from an accident involving your company vehicle.

Business owner's policy: A business owner's policy, or BOP, combines general liability insurance with commercial property insurance at a discount. Small, low-risk cleaning businesses are usually eligible. Small businesses can often add inland marine insurance to their BOP to protect cleaning equipment they bring to different job sites.

Commercial umbrella insurance: This policy boosts the coverage limits on your general liability insurance, commercial auto insurance, and employer's liability insurance. Cleaning businesses might need it to fulfill requirements for higher policy limits.

Janitorial bonds and surety bonds for cleaning services businesses are generally very affordable. Bond cost depends primarily on the amount of coverage you decide to purchase from a bond company.

Are you ready to safeguard your pressure washing, carpet cleaning, window cleaning, or other cleaning business with small business insurance? Complete Insureon’s easy online application to get insurance quotes from top U.S. insurance companies. Then, chat with an agent if you'd like to add a janitorial bond to your coverage.

Once you find the bonds and cleaning business insurance policies that fit your needs, you can begin coverage and get a certificate of insurance in less than 24 hours.