Who asks for what
| Who | What they usually want to see |
|---|---|
| Office building or property manager | GL naming owner and manager, janitorial bond or crime, workers' compensation with waiver, lost key coverage, auto |
| Enterprise vendor program | GL, auto, workers' compensation, crime, umbrella, sometimes cyber for badge and access systems |
| Residential client | Proof of GL and bonding; workers' compensation if asked |
| Medical or lab client | Everything above plus pollution or environmental coverage for biohazard handling |
How to check what you already have
- General liability dec page and forms. Each occurrence and aggregate, plus a care, custody and control provision that does not wipe out coverage for what you clean.
- Crime or bond. Look for "third-party" or "client property" language. Employee theft coverage that protects only your own money does not satisfy a client.
- Workers' compensation. The payroll estimate should include every part-timer and evening shift; the states listed should include everywhere you clean.
- Auto. Owned vans scheduled; hired and non-owned auto present for staff cars.
- Lost key. On the forms list or as a separate sublimit.
What usually goes wrong
- "Bonded" on the website, no bond in the wallet. Common, and a problem the day a client asks for the certificate.
- Care, custody and control. The marble counter you etched is excluded unless the policy says otherwise.
- Misclassified staff. Found at audit, charged retroactively.
- Keys and alarm codes. A lost master key or a false alarm charge with no coverage behind it.
Renewal timing
Cleaning contracts renew on the client's calendar, not yours. Keep the live certificate current for each property so renewals do not generate a round of certificate requests, and compare sixty days before the earliest policy expiration.