Insured and Bonded: What Should You Actually Ask?

Insured and bonded appears on effectively every cleaning company's website, and most owners accept it without asking what it covers. The distinctions matter when something goes wrong. Scottsdale STR Cleaning carries coverage and will provide evidence at (928) 599-4446.

General liability is the main one

This covers damage the cleaner causes to your property and injury to third parties. A cracked stone counter, a stained rug, a flooded bathroom from a tap left running, a guest who slips on a wet floor.

It is the coverage that matters most and the one to ask about first. What you want to know is that it exists, what the limit is, and that it is current, since a policy that lapsed in March is not coverage.

Bonding is about theft, not accidents

A janitorial or fidelity bond covers loss from dishonest acts by employees, meaning theft. It does not cover accidental damage, and this is the most common misunderstanding of the phrase.

Bonds usually require a conviction or an admission before they pay, which makes claiming genuinely difficult in practice. Bonding is a reasonable signal that a company operates formally rather than a strong protection.

For a short-term rental, liability coverage is considerably more relevant than bonding, because accidental damage is far more likely than theft.

Workers compensation is the one owners forget

If a cleaner is injured working in your property, who pays. A company with employees should carry workers compensation, and that is what keeps an injury from becoming your problem.

Where you engage an individual directly rather than a company, this is a genuine exposure. An uninsured person injured on your property may have a claim against you, and your homeowners or landlord policy may or may not respond depending on how the property is classified and how the person was engaged.

Ask, and if the answer is that they carry none, understand what you are accepting.

Ask for a certificate from the insurer

A screenshot or a verbal assurance is not evidence. Request a certificate of insurance issued by the insurer or their agent, which lists the policy type, the limits and the expiry date.

Some owners ask to be named as an additional insured on the policy, which is a stronger position and is common in commercial arrangements. Whether a small cleaning business will do that varies.

Note the expiry and ask for a fresh certificate each renewal. Coverage lapsing quietly is a common and entirely avoidable gap.

Your own coverage is the other half

A property used as a short-term rental is a commercial activity, and a standard homeowners policy frequently excludes or limits it. Owners discover this at claim time rather than at purchase.

Confirm with your own insurer that the property is correctly classified for how you are using it, including how many nights a year and whether guests are paying. Platform-provided protection is a supplement rather than a policy and it has its own exclusions.

Employees or subcontractors

Ask whether the people who actually enter your property are employees of the company or subcontractors. It changes who is covered by what, and a company's liability policy may not extend to a subcontractor's actions.

It also changes consistency and accountability. A company sending a different subcontractor each visit is a different proposition from one sending its own staff, regardless of what the website says.

What to do when damage happens

Photograph it immediately, before anything is moved or cleaned. Note the date, the turnover it relates to and who was in the property.

Raise it with the cleaner directly and in writing rather than going straight to an insurer. Most damage is small and most reputable companies resolve it without a claim, which is faster for everybody and does not affect anybody's premium.

Where it is substantial, submit in writing with the photographs and your documentation. This is where the reference photo set earns its keep again, because it establishes the property's condition before the visit.

Do the check before the first turnover

Asking for a certificate after something has gone wrong is too late, and it tells you nothing you can act on. Make it part of onboarding alongside the scope and the rate, treat it as routine rather than suspicious, and any properly run company will provide it without hesitation.