Hiring Uninsured House Cleaners Can Cost You Big if There’s an Accident
The joys of having a clean house cannot be overstated, especially when you don’t have to clean it yourself. Professional house cleaners can do a thorough job from room to room by disinfecting all surfaces, dusting, sweeping, mopping, and more. Some housekeeping services will even take the time to clear the grime from the bottom of your oven, and wipe down the interior of your fridge.
Whether you use these services on a regular basis or simply like to treat yourself from time to time, making a commitment to only hiring house cleaners who carry cleaning insurance is essential. Hiring parties that lack the proper coverage could cost you big.
When the Unexpected Occurs and Your Property Suffers
There are countless things that can go wrong when you hire an uninsured house cleaner. One thing to note is that professional house cleaners who take their business seriously always bind and maintain the necessary coverage for protecting both their interests and those of their clients. Thus, lacking insurance says a lot about how much a person values the work they do.
With this in mind, even small mistakes can wind up causing serious property damage, especially if you have a number of high-end features in your home. For instance, using abrasive or acidic cleaners on your new, natural stone tiles can lead to etching, discoloration, and other lasting harm.
Putting the wrong soap in the dishwasher could lead to water-soaked floors and baseboards. Even the personal cleaning equipment of an unlicensed house cleaner can malfunction. No matter what damages are caused and how severe they happen to be, you’ll invariably wind up paying for them out of pocket.
Your Uninsured House Cleaners Could Harm Themselves
In addition to worrying about potential property damages, you also have to consider that uninsured cleaners can also harm themselves. Even something as simple as a slip-and-fall accident can result in significant medical expenses, and even compensation for pain and suffering.
Uninsured house cleaners can sue you for any injury event that occurs from the moment they step foot on your property. From falling down the stairs to tripping on the corner of the rug, countless accidents can happen. You should also consider that:
- The more people that are on a cleaning crew, the greater the likelihood that an accident event will take place
- Some unethical parties take action to pursue frivolous lawsuits when working on residential properties
- Certain house cleaning tasks increase the likelihood of physical injury
Although cleaning houses can seem like a low-risk job, hiring an unlicensed cleaner is very high-risk for you.
Lamenting the Loss of Your Home Insurance Policy
When people physically harm themselves on your property their injuries are known as premises liability injuries. When they submit their claims, these claims will be covered by the premises liability portion of your home insurance policy. While this all seems well and good, it can get complicated when the injured person is someone whom you’ve hired without first verifying that they have coverage in place.
Just as insurance companies agree to provide coverage for unexpected events, policyholders agree to do all that they can to mitigate and prevent them. Insurance companies both require and expect homeowners to only hire licensed professionals with general liability insurance of their own. This way, when these providers get hurt, their injuries will be covered by their own policies.
Your failure to check for this coverage ultimately makes you responsible for the resulting bill. Moreover, once your insurer knows that you’re guilty of hiring unlicensed parties, your coverage could be voided entirely.
Verifying insurance is always the most important part of the hiring process when choosing a house cleaner. Although unlicensed cleaners often have lower rates than their licensed competitors, the risks of working with them are simply far too high. If the unexpected occurs, you’re out-of-pocket spending will far exceed any savings that you’ve gained.
