Reviewed by licensed advisers at Smiths Insurance & KiwiSaver (FSP712931) · Updated 10 November 2026

Cleaning Business Insurance NZ: Domestic, Commercial and Window Cleaners

A cleaning business usually starts with public liability insurance, which pays when your work damages a client's property or injures a member of the public. No cleaning-specific law sets a limit. Clients, property managers and body corporates do, often by asking for a certificate of currency. Equipment, vehicle and staff questions come next.

In short

No law we found requires public liability for domestic cleaners, but clients who let you into their homes and commercial clients who hire you usually expect it.
Window cleaners add the height question: ask any insurer how work on ladders, poles and roofs is treated before you rely on the policy.
Public liability does not cover your equipment, your van or injuries to your own workers. Each has its own answer.

Who asks cleaners for a certificate

Agencies and larger cleaning companies
Landlords' agents and property managers
Body corporates and commercial clients
A limit, often $1m to $2m for small service businesses

Wrong product, wrong surface

An acidic cleaner etches a stone benchtop.

Keys and alarm codes

A lost key means changing locks, and policies differ on it.

Window work at height

A ladder slides onto a car, or a pole cracks a pane.

Work out what to raise

Tick what applies to you

We clean homes
Water damage and breakages are the usual claims.
Covers to raise: Public liability, Tools and equipment
We clean offices and commercial sites
Covers to raise: Public liability, Statutory liability
We hold client keys or alarm codes
Policies differ on the cost of changing locks after a lost key.
Covers to raise: Public liability
We clean windows or work at height
WorkSafe says ladders are mainly a means of access for light, short tasks.
Covers to raise: Public liability, Tools and equipment
We use strong cleaning chemicals
Covers to raise: Public liability, Statutory liability
We employ cleaners
Employers carry duties under the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015.
Covers to raise: Statutory liability
We use subcontract cleaners
Ask how subcontractors are treated on the policy.
Covers to raise: Statutory liability, Public liability
We own scrubber-dryers, steam cleaners or a van
Covers to raise: Tools and equipment, Business vehicles

What these covers do not pay

Re-cleaning a job that was done poorly.
Machines, poles and ladders under public liability.
Wear and tear on equipment.
Some policies exclude or limit the cost of lost keys and lock changes.
Health and safety fines, which can never be insured (Health and Safety at Work Act 2015, s 29).

General information only. Whether a cover responds depends on the policy wording.

Which clause is in your contract?

Interested party noted
The client, head contractor or financier asks to be named on your policy so they are told about changes such as cancellation. Wording varies, and in some contracts it means something different from being an extra insured.
Covers to raise: Public liability, Contract works
What it does not decide: Being noted does not by itself give that party cover under your policy or a right to claim. That depends on how the insurer words it.
Subcontractor cover
The contract asks that anyone you sub the work to carries their own insurance, or that your policy responds to their work. Insurers often ask how much work you sub out and whether you check your subbies.
Covers to raise: Public liability, Contract works, Statutory liability
What it does not decide: It does not decide whether your policy covers a subcontractor, or whether theirs is enough. Both depend on the wordings and on what you declared.
Own tools and plant
The contract says you bring and look after your own tools, equipment or machinery, so damage or theft of them sits with you rather than the client.
Covers to raise: Tools and equipment, Business vehicles
What it does not decide: It does not decide whether those items are insured, on site or in a vehicle, or hired in. Contract works and public liability policies usually do not pick up your own tools.

General information, not legal advice. The full clause and the policy wording decide how it applies.

Check your certificate of currency against the contract

Check the insured name, limit and dates match the contract. The policy wording, not the certificate, decides what is covered. How a certificate of currency works

What each cover may pay, and what it usually does not

Public liability
May respond to
Water damage, breakages and slip claims on clients' premises.
Common trigger
A cleaning product, ladder or spill damages property.
Usually not covered
Re-cleaning the job, and sometimes lock changes.
Tools and equipment
May respond to
Scrubber-dryers, steam cleaners, poles and ladders.
Common trigger
Theft from the van or a storage room.
Usually not covered
Wear and tear, and gear left unsecured.
Business vehicles
May respond to
The van carrying your gear between sites.
Common trigger
A crash or theft of the van.
Usually not covered
Contents, unless the policy lists them.
Statutory liability
May respond to
Defence costs if a regulator investigates or prosecutes, depending on the wording.
Common trigger
A regulator investigates an incident or chemical exposure.
Usually not covered
Health and safety fines, which can never be insured.

If something goes wrong

The wrong product on a stone benchtop
An acidic cleaner etches a stone benchtop in a client's kitchen.
May respond: Public liability
Have ready
- Photos of the surface
- The product used and its label
- A repair or replacement quote
A lost client key
A key to a client's home goes missing and the locks need changing.
May respond: Public liability
Have ready
- Your key register
- A locksmith's quote
- Your policy wording on keys
A ladder slides onto a car
A ladder slips during window cleaning and dents a parked car.
May respond: Public liability
Have ready
- Photos of the car and site
- A repair quote
- Notes on how the ladder was set up
A scrubber-dryer is stolen from the van
A break-in takes a scrubber-dryer and steam cleaner overnight.
May respond: Tools and equipment, Business vehicles
Have ready
- The police report number
- Purchase invoices and serial numbers
- Photos of the van

Typical examples, not real claims. ACC deals with most injuries, so an injury claim is mostly about property and legal costs. Whether a claim is paid depends on the policy wording and the facts.

Do domestic cleaners need public liability?

Public liability is a contract question, not a legal one, as our public liability guide explains. A private householder may never ask, but an agency or a landlord's agent often will.

The risk is real even if nobody asks. You work among someone's ornaments, benchtops, flooring and appliances. One claim for a ruined floor or flooded bathroom can be larger than a year of takings, and without cover the money comes from you personally if you trade as a sole trader.

What claims cleaners face

These illustrate how the cover responds, not real claims:

Wrong product, wrong surface. An acidic cleaner etches a stone benchtop.
Water damage. A sink left running, or a steam cleaner used near a failing fitting.
Breakage. A framed photograph or glass panel knocked during dusting.
Visitors. A wet floor left unsigned in a commercial foyer.
Window work. A pane cracked by a pole, or a ladder that slides onto a parked car.

Because of the Accident Compensation Act 2001, s 317, most personal injury compensation claims cannot be brought in court, so claims are more likely about property damage and legal costs.

Window cleaners and height

WorkSafe's fact sheet says ladders are primarily a means of access for light, short tasks and do not protect you from a fall. Its working at height pages cover scaffolding, platforms and roof work. Questions for an adviser:

Is there a limit on height, or on roof work?
Are water-fed poles, abseiling or platforms treated differently from ladders?
Does the policy cover damage to the glass and frames you are cleaning?
Does it cover a ladder or pole that falls onto a vehicle or person below?

Answers differ between insurers. We do not quote a price, because that comes only after underwriting.

Commercial cleaning contracts

Commercial and body-corporate clients tend to write insurance into the contract. As our public liability guide notes, typical requests run at $1m to $2m for small service businesses, with higher limits on larger sites. Treat these as typical asks, not minimums. Look for:

the limit asked for, and whether it is per claim
whether the client wants to be named on the certificate
whether they want products liability or other extensions
who is liable for lost keys, alarm codes and swipe cards

A certificate of currency is one-page proof the policy is in force. Subcontracting to a larger cleaning company? Ask which limit it wants before you buy, and see insurance for contractors.

Keys, alarm codes and theft allegations

Cleaners are trusted with keys and access. Public liability responds to accidental damage you are legally liable for, not dishonesty, and policies differ on lost keys. Ask whether yours responds if a key is lost and locks need changing, or if a client alleges something is missing. If not, ask whether a lost keys extension exists and whether employee theft needs separate cover.

What public liability leaves out

Your equipment. Vacuums, scrubber-dryers, steam cleaners, poles and ladders need their own cover. See tool insurance.
Your vehicle. See business vehicle insurance.
Injuries to your own workers. These go to ACC.
Fines. Section 29 of the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 makes any insurance for a fine under that Act of no effect.

Staff and subcontractors

Once you employ cleaners, section 36 requires the business to look after the health and safety of workers and others put at risk, so far as is reasonably practicable. Cleaning chemicals are a regular topic, and WorkSafe publishes guidance on hazardous substances. Statutory liability may respond to defence costs for some investigations. See our statutory liability guide, and ask how subcontractors are treated on the policy.

If the business relies on you or a partner, see business protection. For all the covers, see the business insurance hub.

How we help

A licensed Smiths adviser has the first conversation with you about what your cleaning business does, who your clients are and what any contract asks for. Some business covers are referred to another licensed Financial Advice Provider. If that applies, we tell you who, and how they are paid, before your details go to that firm. Smiths Insurance & KiwiSaver may receive a commission or referral payment if you buy. Cover and price depend on insurer underwriting and the policy wording. Financial advice is provided by Craig Smith Business Services Limited, trading as Smiths Insurance & KiwiSaver, a licensed Financial Advice Provider (FSP712931).

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need public liability insurance for window cleaning?

No law we have found requires it, but commercial clients and property managers often ask for a certificate. Window work at height raises the stakes, so ask how the policy treats ladders and poles.

Do domestic cleaners need public liability insurance?

It depends on who you work for. Agencies, landlords' agents and some clients ask for it. Even if nobody does, a damage claim can fall on you personally if you have no cover.

Does public liability cover broken items in a client's home?

Generally it responds to accidental damage you cause to other people's property, subject to the policy wording and excess. Check exclusions for fragile or high-value items.

Does it cover my cleaning equipment or my cleaners?

No. Equipment needs separate cover, such as tool insurance. Work injuries go to ACC.

References

Related industries

Protect the people behind the business

Liability cover protects the business from claims. If you or a business partner could not work, or died, key person and shareholder cover can help keep the business, and your family, going.

Key person cover, if the business relies on you
Shareholder cover, so partners can buy each other out
Income protection for owners and the self-employed

Tell us what you clean and who asks for cover

Tell us whether you clean homes, offices or windows, and paste any insurance clause from a client contract. A licensed Smiths adviser phones you. If we refer you to another licensed firm, we tell you who first. Smiths Insurance & KiwiSaver may receive a commission or referral payment if you buy.

A licensed Smiths adviser phones you. If we refer you to another licensed firm we tell you who first and how they are paid.

Read the full insurance guides

Tell us how the business trades and a Smiths adviser will phone you to talk through which covers to look at. Check what cover you need. No cost to talk it through.