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If you are setting up your own cleaning business, you are probably wondering how much liability coverage you are going to need. Well, the quick and dirty answer to that is a counter-question: how much are you planning on getting sued for? Buying insurance for a cleaning business depends on a number of variables and there is no one answer as to just how much you should be covered for.
It is important to first consider the things that might happen on the job: lost keys, employee theft, damaged equipment, broken items, chemical spills, and electrical disasters. The janitorial industry carries with it a number of problems that are unique; the industry consists exclusively of house calls and requires a very good amount of perambulation about the premises, as well as labor that is typically low-skilled.
You will want to look for an insurance company that is reliable and financially stable. You definitely want to be sure that you can expect timely payments in the event of an unfortunate disaster. The best way to compare quotes immediately is through netquote.com, which is an online market for a wide variety of insurances, ranging from personal to business. Read the fine print of each policy and speak with their representatives. If you have friends in the industry, find out what they have to say; they will probably have strong preferences, or will be able to tell you which companies to avoid based on horror stories they have heard. Another excellent way to gauge the quality of your insurer is to check out their profile on JD Power and associates. JD Power conducts surveys of various industries and provides ratings of reliability, timeliness, and customer satisfaction.
Once you have your insurance policy, you want to be careful to stay on top of it. Keep you agent up to date with any changes in your practice, such a change in location, business vehicles, or new services that you are implementing. This may be annoying, but it is far less annoying than finding out that, in a time of crisis, you have no insurance. For cleaning businesses, there is little more to be wanted than simply running smoothly with as little unpredictability as possible.
