Insurance verification is one of the steps facility managers most commonly skip when selecting a commercial cleaning contractor. The reasoning is usually that cleaning feels low-risk — the crews are familiar faces in a known building, not contractors operating heavy equipment. That reasoning holds right up until a crew member is injured in your facility or a piece of equipment damages a floor that costs $8,000 to restore.
This guide covers what coverage a commercial cleaning contractor should carry, what it protects, and how to verify it before the first crew member enters your building.
General Liability Insurance
General liability insurance for a commercial cleaning contractor covers property damage and bodily injury caused by the contractor's operations. If a crew member knocks over a monitor, breaks a fixture, or causes water damage from an improperly used mop machine, general liability is what pays the claim — not your building owner's policy.
The standard general liability requirement for commercial cleaning contracts in Minnesota ranges from $1,000,000 per occurrence to $2,000,000 aggregate for larger properties. Building management companies and commercial landlords typically specify the minimum they require in their vendor contracts.
How to verify: request a certificate of insurance (COI) naming your business or property management company as an additional insured. The COI will show the policy period, coverage limits, and the insurer. Do not accept a COI with an expired policy period — this is more common than it should be.
Workers' Compensation
Minnesota requires employers with employees to carry workers' compensation insurance. If a cleaning crew member is injured in your facility and the contractor does not carry workers' compensation, your property may be exposed to a premises liability claim.
Some cleaning contractors in the Saint Paul market classify crew members as independent contractors to avoid the workers' compensation requirement. Under Minnesota law, the independent contractor classification for cleaning workers is narrow, and misclassification is common. If a contractor tells you their crews are independent contractors and therefore don't require workers' comp, that is a risk flag — not a reassurance.
How to verify: request a workers' compensation certificate of insurance, separate from the general liability certificate. The COI will show the policy number, insurer, and coverage period.
Janitorial Service Bond
A janitorial or commercial cleaning bond is a surety bond that provides coverage in the event of theft by a crew member. It is not the same as insurance — a bond is a guarantee that if a bonded crew member steals from your facility, you can make a claim against the bond for the value of what was taken.
The bond amount matters. A $10,000 bond provides modest protection for a small office building; a larger facility or one with high-value equipment may want to confirm a higher bond amount is in place.
Background Checks
Insurance and bonding are financial backstops for things that have already gone wrong. Background checks are the prevention side. A responsible commercial cleaning contractor runs background checks on all crew members before they enter a client facility. Ask whether your prospective contractor does this, and what the scope of the check covers — criminal history, identity verification, and reference checks are the minimum.
What to Request Before Signing
Before signing a commercial cleaning contract with any contractor in the Saint Paul metro, request and review:
- Certificate of general liability insurance (current policy period, limits matching your requirements, your company as additional insured)
- Certificate of workers' compensation insurance (current, all employees covered)
- Proof of janitorial bond (bond amount stated)
- Background check policy in writing
A contractor who can't produce these documents quickly has a gap in their coverage — either current or historical. Both are worth understanding before the first crew enters your building.