Cleaning insurance
Join nearly 1 million customers (including over 20,000 cleaners) – we offer public liability cover from £4.74*
Get tailored quotes in 7 minutes
- UK-based expert support, online and on the phone
- Get covered and all your documents the same day
- Get tailored cleaning insurance quotes in less than 7 minutes
![](https://www.simplybusiness.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/08/cleaner_hero.webp?w=1024)
Compare quotes from leading brands
![](https://www.simplybusiness.co.uk//wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/05/3-zurich_logo.webp)
![](https://www.simplybusiness.co.uk//wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/05/6-rsa_insurance_logo.webp)
![](https://www.simplybusiness.co.uk//wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/05/1-hiscox_logo.webp)
![](https://www.simplybusiness.co.uk//wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/05/5-churchill_logo.webp)
![](https://www.simplybusiness.co.uk//wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/05/2-axa_logo.webp)
![](https://www.simplybusiness.co.uk//wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/05/4-aig_logo.webp)
Rated 4.8/5
Based on 39,800 reviews
Claims paid in 24 hours
For 80% of settled claims
Why do you need cleaners insurance?
In a whirlwind of dusting, sweeping, vacuuming, mopping – and sometimes a strong chemical or two – mistakes and accidents can be an unpleasant surprise. The good news? They don’t have to derail your entire business. Whether you work alone or with a team, cleaning insurance protects you against the costs of the unexpected.
- cover against big claims such as accidental injury or damage to somebody else’s property
- reassurance for you, your business, your employees, and your cleaning clients
- personalised protection, from cleaning tools to business equipment to legal expenses
What does cleaning insurance cover?
We help you piece together your policy so your insurance covers exactly what you need it to. For most cleaners, this means a minimum of public liability insurance (and perhaps also employers’ liability insurance) in case you face unplanned medical or legal expenses. Beyond that? You choose what you include and what to leave out.
This content has been created for general information purposes. Make sure you have the right level of business insurance by checking your policy documentation for details. Read our full Terms and Conditions
How much does cleaners insurance cost?
Find out how much you’ll pay by comparing prices from a range of trusted insurers. You choose what goes into your policy, so you only pay for what you need.
Prices start from £4.74 per month
Get your quotes in 7 minutes – prices are guaranteed for 30 days.
Get your tailored quotes in 7 minutes
The price is for up to £2 million of public liability insurance – 10% of customers paid £56.82 or less annually between 1st Jan – 31st May 2024. Equivalent to £4.74 a month (and excludes the extra costs for paying monthly). 76% of customers have a £1 million limit and 24% £2 million. If you complete a quote, more types of cover will be available. These all have additional costs.
Example cleaners insurance quotes, real prices
![churchill insurance](https://www.simplybusiness.co.uk//wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/05/churchill.webp?w=129)
£5.93 /month
£39.30 /year
A domestic cleaner working in residential homes
- 3-4 years’ experience
- Sole trader
- No employees
- Based in Wolverhampton
Public liability
£1,000,000
Employers’ liability
Not included
Tools
Not included
![](https://www.simplybusiness.co.uk//wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/05/lexicon.webp?w=262)
£30.02 /month
£266.83 /year
A small domestic cleaning business that works residentially
- 5+ years’ experience
- Limited company
- 3 employees
- Based in Bradford
Public liability
£1,000,000
Employers’ liability
£10,000,000
Tools
£4,000
How we work out example quotes These examples are real quotes from our online system (created 06/03/2023). They’re based on a range of factors, like employees and location. Your own quote will be based on what you tell us about your business. Prices may go up or down from day to day, so the prices you’re quoted may differ to the ones you see here.
What kind of excess should I expect?
An excess is an amount you pay towards any claim you make on your insurance. For example, if your excess is £250 and you make a claim worth £1000, your payout will be a maximum of £750.
Insurance cover | Lowest excess | Highest excess |
---|---|---|
Public liability | £100 | £2500 |
Employers’ liability | No excess | No excess |
Tools | £60 | £500 |
Business and office equipment | £50 | £750 |
The figures above are for guidance only and any excess applying to your quote may differ. You’ll get a breakdown of the excesses for each quote when you compare with us.
How it works
Pick what goes into your policy
Only pay for what you need
Get prices from a range of insurers
Choose the best fit for you
Buy online in minutes
Get your documents the same day
Direct to
insurer
Highstreet
broker
Compare policies from a range of trusted insurers
Buy online or over the phone in minutes
How do I choose cleaning business insurance?
Making sure you have the right type and level of business insurance can be the difference between getting a claim paid and having to cover the cost of an expensive accident yourself. Read our tips for guidance on what to consider when buying a policy.
Talk to an expert
Our team of UK-based insurance experts are here to help, Mon 09.00am – 05.30pm, Tues 09.00am – 05.30pm, Weds 09.00am – 05.30pm, Thurs 09.30am – 05.30pm, Fri 09.00am – 05.30pm, Sat 09.00am – 02.00pm
![](https://www.simplybusiness.co.uk//wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/05/customer-support.png)
Call our team
How do cleaning insurance claims work?
Unlike price comparison websites, we take the hassle out of claims for you. We know how important it is to get your business back on track quickly – and with a minimum of fuss. That’s why you get access to your dedicated claims any time, day or night. Call them on 0333 207 0560 or claim online. They’ll do their best to be fair and supportive.
£51 million in claims paid out in 2023
83% of claims were settled in 2023.
The figure above is rounded across our range of products. “Settled” covers paid, declined or withdrawn. Our claims process may vary for different products and operates on a ‘claim by claim’ basis. Our specialist partner Sedgwick will pay the claims on behalf of the insurer. Reviewed on 24/04/2024.
Example cleaner insurance claim
Having cleaning insurance through Simply Business has saved cleaners thousands of pounds when the unexpected happened.
Eddie saved more than £11,600
After cleaning a customer’s second home, Eddie (not his real name) left the hot tap running in the bath by mistake. The customer returned some time later and found steam damage throughout the bedrooms, hall and landing, with mould on the walls, damp carpets, and fixtures that had to be replaced. It took a lot of work to restore the property to its previous condition, so Eddie was glad he had domestic cleaning insurance to pay for the repairs.
Insurance payout
£11,660.36
Covering the cost of accidental damage
Insurance payout
Covering the cost of accidental damage
Covering the cost of accidental damage
Chosen by nearly 1 million small businesses and landlords
We started out as a team of five back in 2005. We’ve grown since then, with nearly 1 million customers across 1,500 trades now trusting us to provide their business insurance.
Cleaning insurance FAQs
Whether you’re new to buying cleaning business insurance or you’ve been trading for a while, here are the answers to some commonly asked questions about cleaners insurance. You can also check out our business insurance FAQs.
There are two key types of cover for most cleaning companies.
Firstly – because your area of work involves coming into contact with other people’s property, many cleaners see public liability insurance as essential. It steps in to cover the cost of causing accidental damage to somebody else’s property or injuring them by accident. For this reason, some cleaning clients (especially offices and other high-value properties) may insist that you have public liability insurance before they’ll say yes to doing business with you.
And secondly – if you have people working for you, you’re legally required to have employers’ liability cover.
And you have several other options available too:
Do you rely on digital equipment such as a business laptop, or specialist cleaning equipment such as a steam mop? You might want to look into business and office equipment cover and tool cover.
Are you interested in going the extra mile to protect yourself and others against the financial difficulty that can follow on from injury and illness? That’s what personal accident insurance is for.
Finally, are you looking for an extra layer of protection against court costs and compensation bills, especially when it comes to disputes with clients or employees? You can take out legal protection insurance.
Still feeling uncertain about what insurance you need for your man and van business? You might find it helpful to read our guide on assessing the risks.
Thousands of independent house cleaners in the UK choose to take out self-employed cleaner insurance.
It’s not a legal requirement unless you have employees (in which case, employers’ liability insurance is a must). But it does demonstrate professionalism to potential cleaning clients, and more importantly, it protects your business against the unexpected. When things go wrong, either in the process of cleaning houses or in the overall running of your business, the costs can quickly add up.
Keep in mind, if you operate as a self-employed cleaner through an online marketplace, you may already be covered by the marketplace’s own insurance policy. If you’re not sure, you can always ask them.
Yes. You may start offering additional services that require you to use different skills or carry out different tasks. If you find yourself in this situation, it’s important to give us a call on 0333 043 8527 to update your policy before you take on this new work. If you don’t have the correct type of cover in place for the work you do, you may be unable to claim on your policy if something goes wrong.
You can choose the payment type that suits your business and cash flow best. Some customers prefer to pay in one go, while others prefer to pay a regular monthly amount, like you do with lots of other bills. Simply Business offer three ways to pay for your policy:
- one-off credit or debit card payment
- BACS payment
- Direct Debit
If you choose to pay by Direct Debit, our credit provider, Premium Credit, pays Simply Business the full amount for your policy up front. You then repay Premium Credit in 10 monthly installments.
If you change your business legal structure from sole trader to limited company mid-way through your policy, give us a call straight away on 0333 043 8527. It’ll only take us a few minutes to cancel your existing policy and replace it with one that correctly covers your new legal structure. It’s worth bearing in mind that your insurer and premium amount may need to change.
This will depend on whether you have employers’ liability insurance in place. Public liability insurance is designed to protect your business against the consequences of legal action brought by members of the public for injuries or damage to their belongings. But when it comes to your employees causing injury or damage, this protection only activates if you also have employers’ liability insurance.
If you employ people, you’re required by law to have employers’ liability insurance.
There’s one exception here. Family businesses that aren’t incorporated as a limited company are not legally required to have employers’ liability insurance. The government defines a “family business” as one where all your employees are closely related to you (as a spouse, civil partner, sibling, child, parent, grandparent, grandchild, step-parent, stepchild or half-sibling). So if you run an unincorporated family business and you choose not to get employers’ liability insurance, it’s important to know that your public liability insurance wouldn’t cover you against damage or injury caused by your team.
We create this content for general information purposes and it should not be taken as advice. Always check policy documentation for details and seek professional advice. Read our full Terms and Conditions