Alberta · Cleaning Services

Cleaning Business Insurance in Alberta.

Coverage built for Alberta cleaning businesses, from the risks of the work to the exposures Alberta businesses face.

Licensed Alberta brokerage · IBAA member · most cleaning businesses bound in a few business days

Get your Alberta cleaning business insurance quote

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Do you currently have business insurance? *

This tells us whether to review an existing policy or start from scratch.

Cleaning insurance is built for residential and office cleaners. It brings together general liability for the slip-and-fall that is the trade’s most common claim, coverage for the client property and finishes you damage, crime coverage for theft by an employee inside a client’s home or office, and coverage for your supplies, equipment and vehicles. Cleaning happens inside other people’s spaces, often when no one is there, with your team holding keys and alarm codes around expensive floors and electronics. Velocity builds these programs for cleaning businesses across Alberta, with the paperwork an office client may ask to see.

Most cleaning programs are built around general liability for the slip-and-fall claim and care, custody and control coverage for the client property you damage. Crime coverage deals with employee theft, and the rest looks after your supplies, equipment and vehicles.

Risks Alberta cleaning businesses face.

These exposures come with the work, and in Alberta the local risks sit on top. A generic small-business policy rarely covers all of them.

01

Slip and fall claims from wet floors

Mopping a kitchen or an office corridor, a freshly washed tile floor, a missed wet-floor sign. Slip-and-fall liability is the single most common claim against cleaners, and an office client will expect to see proof of coverage before you start.

02

Damage to client property and finishes

The wrong product on a stone countertop. A vacuum that scratches a hardwood floor, or a cleaner that strips finish off a custom desk. The item you were hired to clean is exactly the kind of property a standard liability policy leaves out, so it needs specific coverage.

03

Theft by an employee in a client’s home or office

Your team has access to jewellery, cash, electronics and personal records. Even with careful hiring, employee theft happens, and the client expects to be made whole when it does.

04

Chemical spills and stored cleaning products

The cleaning chemicals you store and carry are pollutants. A spill, a mixed cleaner that releases a harmful gas, or a residue left behind can mean a cleanup bill and a claim. Both the storage of these products and the cost to clean up a spill are real exposures your program should address, so it is worth reviewing where your coverage sits.

05

Lost keys, codes, and security exposures

A misplaced house key or a shared alarm code can leave a client paying to rekey their home or building, and you on the hook for the bill.

06

Damage or theft on the way to and from jobs

The vehicles, vacuums and supplies that move between homes and offices are exposed to accidents, break-ins and weather, and replacing them mid-schedule comes straight off your margin.

07

Hail and severe summer storms

Alberta is the most hail-exposed province in Canada, and the corridor running from Calgary through Red Deer to Edmonton sees damaging storms most summers. Roofs, signage, siding, stock, and vehicles are the usual losses, which is why replacement-cost property and comprehensive auto coverage matter here.

08

Wildfire and smoke

Communities across northern and western Alberta live with a real wildfire season, and even businesses well away from the fire line lose income to evacuation orders, closures, and smoke. Property coverage pays for the damage, and business interruption covers the weeks you cannot open.

How Pricing Works

What drives your premium

  • Homes, offices, or bothRoutine house cleaning and light office cleaning price lower than higher-risk work like post-construction cleanup or anything involving harsh chemicals, so the mix of work you take on is the biggest driver of price.
  • Revenue & payrollHigher annual revenue and a larger payroll mean more jobs, more hours and more chances for something to go wrong, which raises the premium.
  • Staff & subcontractorsMore team members and any subcontractors you use add exposure. Subcontractors should carry their own coverage, or they get counted under yours.
  • Client access & keysHolding keys and alarm codes and cleaning empty homes and offices raises the theft, care-of-property and security exposure a policy has to account for.
  • Equipment & chemicalsVacuums, floor machines, vehicles and stored cleaning chemicals add value to insure and hazards to manage, both of which factor into the premium.
  • Claims historyA clean record lowers your price, while past slip-and-fall, property-damage or theft claims raise it.
  • Coverage limits & deductiblesThe limits your contracts require and the deductibles you choose move the price. Buying a higher limit costs more, and taking a higher deductible saves premium at the price of a bigger bill when you claim.
  • Your Alberta locationYour neighbourhood, the building you occupy, and the local exposures Alberta sees factor into the property side of your premium.

Common Questions

Questions ownersreally ask.

Do I need a business licence to run a cleaning company in Alberta?

In most Alberta cities, yes. Edmonton, for example, requires a municipal business licence and licenses cleaning under its Construction, Contracting, and Labour Service category. The exact category and rules vary by municipality, so check with the city or cities where you work.

What happens if one of my employees steals from a client?

Crime coverage exists for exactly this. It responds to theft committed by your own employees, including money and property taken from a client’s home or office while your team is working there. This is basic employee crime coverage, which is not the same as being bonded. We make sure it is in place before you take on work that puts your team inside a client’s space.

Aren’t cleaners supposed to be “bonded”? Do you offer that?

You will often hear “bonded and insured,” but a bond is a specific surety product that Velocity is not licensed to provide. What most cleaning clients are really worried about is theft by staff, and that is covered by employee crime coverage, which we do arrange. We will explain the difference so you can answer a client’s question honestly.

If my cleaner damages something they were cleaning, is that covered?

Only with care, custody and control coverage. A standard liability policy leaves out damage to property in your care, and the item you were hired to clean is by definition in your care. This coverage fills that gap, and for cleaners working around stone, hardwood and electronics it is essential.

I store and carry cleaning chemicals. Is a spill or the storage covered?

Chemical spill cleanup and the storage of pollutants are real exposures for a cleaning business, and they are not automatically part of a basic policy. WHMIS also requires you to store and handle these products safely. We review where your coverage sits and deal with the spill and storage exposure, so a chemical incident does not become an uninsured cleanup bill.

My office client’s contract lists insurance requirements I don’t recognise, additional insured, non-owned auto. What are these?

These are standard in office cleaning contracts. Adding the client as an “additional insured” extends your liability policy to protect them for claims arising from your work, and “non-owned auto” covers vehicles your business uses but does not own. We read the contract and issue coverage that matches it, so you are not guessing.

How much does cleaning business insurance cost in Alberta?

There is no flat rate. Your premium depends on the work you do, your revenue, your Alberta location, and your claims history, and higher-risk work costs more to insure. We price it around how you operate rather than a one-size quote, and most cleaning businesses go from first conversation to bound coverage within a few business days.

Do you write business insurance outside Edmonton and Calgary?

Yes. Velocity is an Alberta brokerage and we write commercial coverage anywhere in the province, including small towns, rural operations, and remote work sites. We work primarily by phone, email, and video, so where you are based does not change the service you get.

What coverage do most Alberta businesses need?

Most start with commercial property for the building, stock, and equipment, and commercial general liability for third-party injury and property damage. Vehicles add commercial auto, contractors add tools and equipment coverage, property owners add loss of rental income, and service and professional businesses add professional liability. We build the mix around your operation.

Is hail damage covered?

Hail is generally covered under a commercial property policy, and hail damage to vehicles falls under comprehensive auto coverage. What matters is whether your building is insured to replacement cost and what your deductible looks like, because in Alberta hail is a when, not an if. We confirm both before you need to claim.

Protect your Alberta cleaning business.

Tell us how your cleaning business operates and we'll build coverage around the work you do and the risks Alberta sees. Most cleaning businesses are bound within a few business days.

Not ready to switch? Book a 15-minute coverage review instead