What insurance does a window cleaner need?
There's no one-size answer. The right mix depends on how you work, who you work for, and what your contracts ask for. These are the coverages a window cleaner typically looks at first:
General liability
The core policy for window cleaning: third-party injuries from falling equipment and property damage to siding, glass, or what's below the window, with the $1,000,000 per-occurrence limit property managers typically request.
Business property
Extension poles, water-fed systems, ladders, and backpacks are what get you up to the glass, and this helps protect that equipment against theft and damage.
Commercial auto
Hauling ladders and water-fed pole systems between properties is business use of your vehicle, which personal auto policies often exclude.
Coverage always depends on your specific situation. The fastest way to see what fits is to get a quote and review your options.
What does it protect against?
The risks that matter aren't abstract. They're the everyday accidents of the work. A few scenarios that turn into real claims:
Equipment falls and hits someone below
A bucket, squeegee, or extension pole slips off a second-story ledge and strikes someone walking underneath. Falling-object injuries are a real exposure any time you work above ground level near foot traffic.
A ladder scratches the siding
Positioning an extension ladder against a house, the feet skid and gouge fresh siding, or the top rail dents a gutter on the way up. Property damage from the equipment you use to reach the glass is as common a claim as damage to the glass itself.
A pane cracks during cleaning
An older or already-stressed window cracks while you're working it with a squeegee, and the client says you broke it. Distinguishing a pre-existing flaw from damage you caused is exactly the kind of dispute a policy is meant to help you navigate.
Runoff damages what's below the window
Cleaning solution drips off a sill onto a client's patio furniture, landscaping, or a parked car below. What looks like a routine job from the ladder can leave a mess at ground level that becomes someone else's claim.
Certificates of insurance
Window cleaners get certificate requests most often from property managers and HOAs, who typically want general liability on file before a crew works building exteriors, and from commercial clients booking recurring storefront service. Some buildings also ask to be named as certificate holder. Olli's general liability policies include instant certificates, so a new property account doesn't stall on paperwork.
New to certificates? Start with our guide to the certificate of insurance: what's on one, who asks for it, and how to provide yours.
Related trades
Other trades & home services professions face many of the same risks. See how the coverage compares: