What Is a COI and Why Every Cleaning Service Should Have One

When you hire a cleaning service, someone you’ve never met enters your home, handles your belongings, works near your furniture and fixtures, and sometimes does so when you’re not there. Most visits go exactly as planned. Occasionally something breaks, something spills, or someone gets hurt.

A Certificate of Insurance — COI — is the document that determines what happens when something goes wrong. Understanding what it is, what it covers, and why it matters is straightforward. This post explains all three.

What a COI Actually Is

A Certificate of Insurance is a summary document issued by an insurance company that confirms a business holds active coverage. It includes:

• The name of the insured business
• The name and contact information of the insurance carrier
• The policy number
• The coverage types and dollar amounts
• The effective and expiration dates of the policy

The COI is not the insurance policy itself — it’s a verification document that confirms the policy exists and is active. When you request a COI from a cleaning company, you’re asking for proof of coverage, not just a claim that coverage exists.

You can verify a COI by contacting the insurance carrier listed on the document and confirming the policy is active. Legitimate companies carry legitimate coverage and produce legitimate COIs. A company that hedges or delays on producing one is worth scrutinizing.

What a Cleaning Service’s Insurance Should Cover

A professional cleaning service should carry two types of coverage:

General Liability Insurance

General liability covers property damage and bodily injury caused by the cleaning company or its workers during a visit. If a cleaner accidentally breaks a window, cracks a marble countertop, or spills a cleaning product that damages a hardwood floor, the company’s general liability policy covers the cost of repair or replacement.

Without general liability on the cleaning company’s policy, you’re left pursuing the individual cleaner personally — or filing a claim with your own homeowner’s or renter’s insurance, which may raise your rates even though the damage wasn’t your fault.

The coverage amount matters. A $100,000 general liability policy covers a broken ceramic vase. It may not fully cover damage to a luxury surface in a high-value home. Professional cleaning companies serving premium markets should carry $1 million or more in general liability coverage. The COI shows the coverage amount — you can verify it’s appropriate for your property.

Workers’ Compensation

Workers’ compensation covers the cleaning staff in the event of an injury on your property — a slip on a wet floor, a back injury from moving furniture, a cut from a broken surface. Without workers’ compensation, an injured cleaner may have a claim against your homeowner’s insurance or pursue personal injury litigation involving your property.

Not every cleaning company carries workers’ compensation — it’s often omitted by small operators and independent cleaners. Confirming it’s on the COI is part of responsible vetting.

The Difference Between “We Have Insurance” and a COI

These are not equivalent.

“We have insurance” is a claim. It’s unverified until you see the document. Policies lapse. Businesses let coverage slide when finances are tight. A company that was insured when it launched two years ago may or may not be insured today.

A COI is a document. It shows current coverage, carrier, amounts, and dates. It can be verified. It provides something to reference if a claim situation arises.

The difference matters most in two scenarios:

When something goes wrong: If a cleaner damages your property and the company can’t produce a current COI, you may have no recourse beyond small claims court. With a COI, the insurance carrier is documented and contactable.

When coverage has lapsed: Some companies that were once insured stop maintaining coverage as the business evolves. Requesting a current COI before or at the start of service identifies a lapse before it becomes your problem.

Who Needs to Request a COI

For most residential clients, requesting a COI before the first appointment is the right practice. After that, requesting an updated COI when a policy renewal period approaches (typically annually) is reasonable.

For some clients, COI verification is more than due diligence — it’s a requirement:

Property managers and HOA boards: Professional cleaning for common areas, managed units, or community facilities typically requires COI verification naming the property management entity.

Commercial property owners: Any commercial cleaning — offices, medical spaces, retail — should involve COI verification that names the property owner or management company as an additional insured.

High-value homes: Luxury residences where cleaning involves handling antiques, specialty stone, or premium surfaces benefit from confirming coverage limits are adequate for the property’s value.

Short-term rental owners: Airbnb and VRBO hosts who use professional cleaning for guest turnovers should verify coverage — a damage claim from a guest can quickly involve property and liability questions that require clear documentation.

How to Request a COI

The request is simple:

1. Before booking, contact the cleaning company and ask: “Can you provide a certificate of insurance?”
2. Ask specifically that the COI show general liability coverage and workers’ compensation.
3. Request that the COI list your property address or your name as the certificate holder.
4. Verify the policy dates are current — not expired, not set to expire in the next 30 days.

A company with active, maintained insurance will complete this request in minutes. A company that delays, hedges, or can’t produce the document is telling you something important about their operations.

How Salt & Slate Handles COI

Salt & Slate provides a COI on every booking. This isn’t a special request item or something reserved for commercial clients — it’s the standard. Every client who books receives documentation of coverage.

For clients who need a COI naming a specific property address, management entity, or additional insured party — as property managers, HOA clients, and commercial clients often do — we provide that specific documentation on request, typically within 24 hours.

This is one of the dimensions covered in our comparison of cleaning service options and reflected in the way we describe coverage on our about page. If you have questions about coverage before booking, our satisfaction guarantee page also covers the related question of what happens when something goes wrong.

Book a cleaning with documented coverage, or review our recurring cleaning service if you’re looking for ongoing professional cleaning with consistent, insured coverage.