TL;DR
Verifying insurance takes one document and one phone call. Ask the company for a current certificate of insurance, then call the carrier or agent listed on it to confirm the policy is active. A logo on a website and the phrase "fully insured" are marketing, not verification.
Why "Licensed, Bonded, and Insured" Is Not Proof
That phrase appears on nearly every home service website in the country. It is easy to type and nobody checks it. It is also frequently outdated, because policies lapse quietly when a payment is missed and the website copy does not update itself.
Insurance is one of the few things in this industry you can actually verify from your kitchen table. It takes about ten minutes. Most people skip it, then discover the gap after something breaks.
Source: small business insurance industry guidance
Verification also pairs naturally with the other diligence steps in questions to ask before booking a house cleaner.
What Does a Certificate of Insurance Actually Show?
A certificate of insurance is a standardized one-page summary issued by the insurer or its agent. It lists the insured business name, the carrier, policy numbers, coverage types, dollar limits, and the effective and expiration dates. It is evidence a policy existed on the date it was issued.
Read four fields carefully.
The named insured should match the business name you are hiring, not a similar name, not an owner's personal name, and not a parent company you have never heard of. A mismatch is the most common problem and the easiest to miss.
The effective and expiration dates should bracket today. A certificate issued last year proves last year.
The coverage types tell you what is actually covered. General liability commonly responds to property damage and third-party injury. Workers compensation commonly responds to injuries to the company's own workers. They are separate policies and a business can carry one and not the other.
The limits are the maximum the policy pays. Small home service policies commonly carry general liability limits in the range of $300,000 to $1,000,000 per occurrence, though this varies widely by state and carrier.
How Do You Confirm the Policy Is Really Active?
Call the insurance agency or carrier listed on the certificate using a number you look up independently, not one printed on a document the company handed you. Give them the policy number and ask whether the policy is currently in force. Agents field this call constantly.
This step is the difference between checking a document and verifying a fact. Certificates can be edited. A carrier confirmation cannot.
Some buyers go one step further and ask to be listed as a certificate holder. When you are a listed certificate holder, the insurer typically notifies you if the policy is canceled. Practices differ between carriers, so ask what notification actually happens rather than assuming.
Red Flags During Verification
- The company will not send a certificate, or keeps promising to send one.
- The certificate arrives as a photo of a photo, or as a screenshot with fields cropped out.
- The named insured does not match the business you contacted.
- The dates have expired, or expire next week.
- The carrier name does not resolve to a real insurance company when you search it.
- The company says its workers "carry their own insurance" but cannot produce any of it.
That last one deserves attention. When a company uses subcontractors, the company policy may not extend to them. Ask directly whether everyone entering your home is covered under the certificate you were sent, and if not, what covers them.
What Insurance Does and Does Not Do for You
This is a description of how coverage generally works, not legal advice, and policy terms differ. For anything specific to your situation, ask the carrier or your own insurance agent.
Broadly, general liability is designed to respond when the business damages a client's property or injures a third party during work. Workers compensation is designed to respond when a worker is injured on the job, which matters to homeowners because an uninsured injury on your property can become your problem.
What insurance does not do is guarantee quality. A well-insured company can still do a mediocre job. Insurance is a floor under the worst outcomes, not a promise about the ordinary ones. If something does go wrong, what happens if a cleaner breaks something covers the practical sequence.
Source: state insurance department consumer guidance
Verify the Business Too, Not Just the Policy
A certificate proves a policy. It does not prove the business is registered, in good standing, or operating under the name it advertises. Run both checks together: confirm the insurance, then confirm the registration through your state's business registry. The steps are in how to check a cleaning business license.
While you are at it, understand the third word in that marketing phrase. Bonding is not insurance and does something different, as what bonded actually means explains.
A Starting-Point Verification Sequence
Use this as a reader checklist and adapt it to your situation.
- Ask for a current certificate of insurance by email.
- Confirm the named insured matches the business name.
- Confirm today falls inside the effective dates.
- Note the coverage types and limits.
- Look up the carrier or agency number independently.
- Call and confirm the policy is in force.
- Ask whether everyone who will be in your home is covered.
- Save the certificate with your booking confirmation.
Doing this once per provider is enough. Repeat it annually for a recurring service, since policies renew and lapse on their own schedule. Broader vetting steps are collected in what to know before hiring a cleaning service.
FAQ
Can a cleaning company refuse to send a certificate of insurance?
It can, but the refusal is informative. Certificates are free, routine, and issued by the insurer on request. An established provider produces one within a day or two. A refusal usually means there is nothing to send.
Does a homeowner policy cover a cleaner who gets hurt in my house?
That depends entirely on your policy, your state, and the circumstances, so ask your own insurance agent rather than guessing. It is one reason buyers ask whether a cleaning company carries workers compensation for the people it sends.
How much insurance should a house cleaning company carry?
There is no universal standard for residential work. Small home service policies commonly carry general liability limits in the range of $300,000 to $1,000,000 per occurrence. What matters more is that the policy is active, matches the business name, and covers everyone entering your home.
Is an individual cleaner usually insured?
Often not, or not at the same level as a company. Independent cleaners sometimes carry a small liability policy and sometimes carry nothing. Ask directly and verify the same way, rather than assuming the answer either direction.
How often should I re-check?
Once a year for a recurring service is reasonable, because policies renew annually and can lapse between renewals. Re-checking also takes about two minutes once you have the agent's number saved.
Does insurance mean I will automatically be paid if something breaks?
No. A claim has to be reported, documented, and reviewed, and many small incidents are handled directly by the company rather than through a carrier. Insurance sets a backstop; it does not make payment automatic.
When the whole house is the problem rather than one task, recurring house cleaning services are the wider option.
Otesse is a local service with upfront pricing, no hidden fees, background-checked crews, and online booking. Every home is different, so the real number depends on size, condition, and what you want covered. Get a quote and we will walk you through it.