As a window cleaning company, there are a variety of liabilities that could arise in the course of your work, including the possibility that your employees may unintentionally cause someone else to be injured, damage property, or suffer injury themselves. If your company must cope with a costly accident or lawsuit, it could consume a large portion of your resources. It’s important to obtain a broad range of insurance policies to financially protect you from these risks. 

What insurance coverage do I need for my window cleaning business?

There are many types of insurance coverage to consider, but these policies are particularly relevant to window cleaning companies:

General Liability Insurance

General liability insurance provides coverage if your company is held liable for unintentional third-party bodily injury, personal injury, or property damage. If your company accidentally breaks a window while working on a client’s property, or if a client visits you in your offices and suffers a slip-and-fall accident, your business could be sued for damages. General liability insurance can cover the legal fees, judgements, settlements, and even medical payments for any third-party injuries that you’re held responsible for. General liability also include a personal and advertising injury component, which provides coverage for a number of non-physical injuries, including libel, slander, and copyright infringement.

Examples:

• Property damage: Your employee accidentally shatters a window while at a client’s property. Your general liability policy would cover the cost of replacing the window.
• Bodily injury: A vendor is at your offices, dropping off a monthly delivery of cleaning supplies. While bringing in a few heavy boxes, the vendor trips on a loose power cord in your office lobby. The vendor injures his hip and must receive medical treatment. Your general liability policy would cover any medical expenses, as well as any legal fees if the vendor sues. 
• Personal and advertising injury: A competitor feels that statements on your company’s website make disparaging and libelous claims about their company. They sue you for libel. Your general liability policy would cover the lawsuit and any settlement.

Workers’ Compensation Insurance

Workers’ compensation insurance provides financial and medical benefits for your employees or their survivors in the case of a work-related injury, illness, or death. Workers’ comp is regulated on the state level, but almost every state requires businesses to secure coverage if they regularly employ others. This coverage is especially important for window cleaning companies since this occupation can be physically dangerous, even if you enforce plenty of precautions.

Depending on the state, workers’ comp can provide funds for injured employees’ medical expenses, lost income, and even vocational training. Workers’ comp can also provide financial benefits for an employee’s dependents in the case of an employee death. Benefit levels and requirements vary by state, so it’s best to ensure that your business is abiding by your state guidelines, as failure to comply may result in civil fines or criminal charges.

Example:

• While cleaning a client’s windows, your employee trips and falls off a deck, suffering broken ribs and a broken collarbone. Your workers’ comp insurance would cover the employee’s medical bills and a portion of lost income while he is recovering and unable to work.

Commercial Auto Insurance

Insuring your company vehicles is an important part of a complete risk management strategy, as auto accidents can be a large source of liability. If your company owns vehicles titled under the business’s name, commercial auto insurance is both a key coverage and a legal requirement. If the driver of a company car is at fault in an accident, your commercial auto insurance will pay for any resulting third-party bodily injury, property damage, or pollution cleanup. Commercial auto insurance also covers the value of the vehicle itself if it’s damaged by a collision or another peril. 

Example:

• While at a client’s office complex, an employee of your window cleaning company accidentally drives a company truck into a support pillar in a parking garage, damaging both the pillar and the truck. Your insurer would pay for repairs on the truck and pillar.

Commercial Property Insurance

Commercial property insurance will protect the value of your business property if it is destroyed or damaged. If an unexpected disaster strikes your office building or damages your office equipment, it can be time-consuming and costly to recover from the loss without insurance coverage. Commercial property insurance can help provide funds to replace or repair damaged business property. Commonly covered perils include windstorms, hail, fire, vandalism, and water damage. 

Commercial property insurance covers the following:

• Buildings belonging to or leased by your company
• Contents of the building, including furniture, equipment, and tools
• Property of others while it is under your care, custody, or control

Example:

• Someone breaks into your office over the weekend and steals your work computers. Your commercial property insurance policy would reimburse you for the loss. 

Business Owner’s Policy

For qualifying small and midsize businesses, a business owner’s policy may be a smart way to purchase a wide range of coverage in one convenient bundle. A business owner’s policy combines the major property and liability risks that small businesses face, including general liability, commercial property, business income, and extra expense coverage. This type of package can help you save on costs, as purchasing these coverages separately would likely result in higher total premiums. Business owner’s policies are typically only available for small and midsize businesses that meet certain requirements, including a cap on revenue and number of employees.

Additional Coverage

• Inland marine insurance is a type of coverage that provides financial protection for property that does not remain at a fixed location and is not covered by a standard commercial property policy. This type of coverage is mainly used for highly specialized or high-value equipment that businesses may use on different job sites.
• Fidelity bonds will protect your company from losses if your employees commit theft, fraud, or other dishonest acts. This can be important for businesses that conduct their work on client property. If an employee steals from your customer, a fidelity bond could provide the funds needed to reimburse your customer’s losses.
• Business income coverage will reimburse you for lost income and operating expenses if your business is forced to close due to a covered peril, such as fire, storm damage, or other property damage.

Pricing and Quotes

Pricing for business insurance will vary based on the type of insurance coverage and the risk profile of your business. Insurers consider factors such as:

• Business size
• Industry
• Location
• Number of employees
• Claims history

Businesses with higher risks will have higher premiums than those deemed lower risk. For example, a window cleaning business with a history of frequent claims will face higher premiums. Premiums also rise as you increase the limits of insurance. Different insurance companies have different models for rating risks, so it is worth comparing pricing across different insurers.

In order to get an accurate estimate on pricing, it’s best to get a quote from a reputable insurance company. Below we’ve highlighted a few of our trusted partners who offer coverage for a variety of cleaning businesses:

Provider	General Liability	Professional Liability	Business Owner's Policy
Embroker	??	??	??
CoverageSmith	??	??	??
CoverWallet	??	??	??
Hiscox	??	??	??
Thimble	??	??	??

Final Word

As you plan your insurance coverage, it’s important to be aware of the risks that your window cleaning company could face. Business insurance can help your company cope with unexpected disasters, whether it’s a costly auto accident, an unexpected disaster that damages your office building, or a client injury that happens on your property. Ensuring that your company has a wide range of insurance coverage can give you, your employees, and your clients peace of mind, knowing that if a catastrophe occurs, your company will be financially protected.