Cleaning Business Insurance in California: What You Need
Whether you run a solo house-cleaning service or a commercial janitorial crew, you work inside other people’s property every day. Here’s the coverage that protects your business when something goes wrong on the job.
Cleaning businesses have a deceptively broad risk profile. You’re in clients’ homes and offices, handling their valuables, using chemicals, operating equipment, and employing crews who do physical work. A dropped vase, a slip on a wet floor, a damaged hardwood, or an injured employee can all become claims — and a personal policy or a bare liability plan won’t cover them.
What a cleaning business needs
- General liability — third-party injury and property damage (you damage a client’s floor or furniture)
- Janitorial bond — protects clients against theft by your employees
- Workers’ compensation — required in California from your first employee
- Commercial property / equipment — your vehicles, machines, and supplies
- Business owner’s policy (BOP) — bundles liability and property
How Blackstone quotes this: We hold direct appointments with biBerk and Three — both Berkshire Hathaway (A++ rated) business insurers — plus 180+ other carriers. That means fast workers’ comp and business-owner quotes for California businesses, often same-day. One call or form and we shop it for you.
Janitorial bond vs. insurance — they’re different
This trips up a lot of cleaning businesses. A janitorial bond (also called a janitorial service bond) protects your clients if one of your employees steals from them — many commercial contracts require it. General liability insurance protects your business if you damage property or injure someone. You generally need both: the bond to win contracts, the insurance to cover accidents.
Blackstone writes both — general liability and the janitorial bond — so you can meet a commercial client’s requirements with one call. We also handle the certificate of insurance (COI) clients ask for before you start.
Workers’ comp for cleaners
California requires workers’ comp from your first employee, and cleaning crews use it: slips, chemical exposure, repetitive-motion strains, and lifting injuries are common. If you use subcontractors, be careful — California often reclassifies them as employees, which means you may owe comp anyway. We’ll help you classify correctly and quote it fast through our Berkshire Hathaway markets.
Run a cleaning or janitorial business in California?
We’ll bundle general liability, your janitorial bond, and workers’ comp — and get you the COI your clients need.
The “care, custody & control” gap
Here’s a subtle but important point: standard general liability may exclude damage to property in your care, custody, and control — which is exactly the situation when you’re cleaning a client’s belongings. If you handle valuables or clean expensive items, we make sure your policy addresses this gap so a dropped antique doesn’t come out of your pocket.
Cost factors
Premiums depend on your number of employees and payroll, residential vs. commercial work, annual revenue, the types of cleaning you do (standard vs. specialized like post-construction), and your claims history. A solo house cleaner pays far less than a 20-person commercial crew. We price your actual operation across multiple carriers.
Get a quote
Blackstone is an independent agency in Glendale serving California cleaning and janitorial businesses. Through our direct biBerk and Three appointments plus 180+ carriers, we’ll package your liability, bond, and workers’ comp — often same-day.
