Cleaning Insurance in Romford: Our Cover, Vetting and Damage Policy

Cleaning Romford is insured for the work we carry out, and our cleaners are vetted before they’re sent to anyone’s home or workplace. This page covers our cleaning insurance in Romford and the RM area: what public liability cover is for, how to get proof of insurance, how we vet staff, and what happens if something gets damaged during a clean.

Need documents for a contract, a managing agent or your own records? Call 01708 204 312 or email info@cleaning-romford.co.uk and tell us what you need.

What public liability cover means for your clean

Public liability insurance covers claims for accidental damage to property or injury to other people caused by a business while it’s working. For a cleaning company, that means the everyday risks of the job: a bucket knocked over on a laminate floor, a cleaning product reacting badly with a surface, a fitting dislodged while wiping down a high shelf.

It doesn’t cover everything, and no honest cleaner will tell you it does. Insurance has terms, exclusions and an excess, like any policy. It also won’t cover:

• Existing wear and tear, such as worn carpet, cracked tiles or a tired worktop.
• Faults that were already there, like a loose tap or a cupboard hinge hanging by one screw.
• Items that fail through normal use, such as an old extractor fan that stops working when it’s switched on.

The cover is there for genuine accidents. Our main job is to avoid them by checking surfaces, asking questions and not rushing.

Can I see proof of insurance before I book?

Yes. Ask for proof of insurance when you request a quote and we’ll send details of our current cover. We’re happy to do this for a one-off kitchen clean in Collier Row as well as for a commercial contract in central Romford.

Who usually asks:

• Businesses and offices, whose own insurers or facilities managers need to see contractor cover before work starts.
• Letting agents and landlords booking cleans between tenancies.
• Managing agents and residents’ associations arranging communal area cleaning in blocks of flats.
• Homeowners who simply want to check before giving someone a key.

If your organisation needs a particular level of cover or a specific named document, tell us at the start. We’ll confirm what we hold so you can check it against your requirements before anything is agreed.

Employee vetting: who comes into your home or premises

Our cleaners are vetted before they work for us. Vetting includes identity and right-to-work checks and references, and we look at their cleaning experience and how they approach a job. If your contract or building has particular screening requirements, raise them when you enquire and we’ll tell you plainly whether we can meet them.

Vetting is only half of it. Trust also comes from how a team behaves once they’re through your door, so our cleaners:

• Work to the agreed task list and don’t go into rooms or cupboards that are off limits.
• Leave personal paperwork, post and valuables where they are, and clean around them.
• Handle keys and alarm codes exactly as agreed in advance.
• Tell you about anything they notice, such as a dripping trap under the sink or a damp patch behind the washing machine, rather than ignoring it.

Keys, access and alarm codes

We agree access before the first visit. That might mean you’re home to let us in, you leave a key with a neighbour in Gidea Park, a key safe at a rental in Harold Wood, or a fob and alarm code for an office on South Street. We note how keys are collected and returned, and we don’t label keys with your address.

For commercial premises we can work around opening hours where possible and follow your lock-up procedure at the end of the shift.

Safe handling of products and surfaces

A lot of cleaning damage comes from using the wrong product, not from carelessness. Bleach on a natural stone worktop, an abrasive pad on a stainless steel hob or a descaler left too long on a chrome fitting can all leave permanent marks. Insurance helps after the event, but we’d rather it never happened.

Here’s how we reduce the risk:

• We check surfaces before we start. Marble, granite, oak flooring, brushed brass taps and high-gloss kitchen doors each need different treatment.
• We test in an inconspicuous spot when a material or finish is unfamiliar.
• We store and use products safely, following manufacturer instructions and keeping them away from children and pets during the visit.
• We don’t mix chemicals, and we ventilate rooms when cleaning bathrooms and ovens.
• Eco-friendly products are available on request, and we still check each one suits the surface.

Tell us about delicate materials, antiques, pets, allergies or products you’d prefer we avoid before the visit. A two-minute conversation beforehand avoids most problems.

Our damage and breakage policy

Accidents are rare, but here’s exactly what happens if one occurs.

Before the clean: pointing out what’s already there

If something is already damaged, loose or fragile, tell us when you book or show the cleaner when they arrive. On end-of-tenancy and after-builders jobs we often note existing damage too, such as a chipped bath enamel or a scorched worktop, so nobody mistakes it for something that happened during the clean.

Move anything irreplaceable out of the way if you can: a grandparent’s vase, a framed print propped on a shelf, a delicate lampshade. We’ll clean carefully around what’s left.

If something breaks during the visit

Our cleaners are told to report any breakage or damage straight away, not to hide it or try a quick fix. They’ll tell you on the day or leave a clear note if you’re out, and we’ll follow it up with you.

If you spot damage after we’ve gone

Contact us promptly with:

1. The address and date of the clean.
2. A description of what’s damaged and where.
3. Photos, ideally one close-up and one showing the wider area.
4. Anything you know about the item, such as its age or the material.

We’ll look into it fairly and talk it through with you. Where it’s appropriate, we’ll handle a claim through our insurance in line with the policy terms. Reporting quickly matters, because it’s much harder to establish what happened weeks later.

Method statements and risk assessments for commercial cleaning contracts

Commercial clients in Romford often need more than a certificate of cover. Facilities teams, schools and businesses with health and safety obligations may ask for job-specific paperwork before a contractor starts.

For commercial work we can discuss:

• Risk assessments covering the tasks, the building and any hazards, such as wet floors in a busy entrance, working near stock in a retail unit, or cleaning a staff kitchen during opening hours.
• Method statements setting out how we’ll carry out the work, in what order and with what equipment.
• Product information, including safety data sheets for the chemicals we’ll bring onto site.
• Site rules and inductions, such as signing in, lone working, fire procedures and areas we mustn’t enter.

Tell us what your compliance documents checklist includes and we’ll confirm what we can supply for that job. Insurance for commercial cleaning contracts is usually reviewed alongside the walkthrough and quote, so it’s best to raise it early. You’ll find more about how we schedule around workplaces on our office cleaning page.

Landlords, letting agents and property managers

If you manage several properties across Hornchurch, Upminster, Harold Hill or Chadwell Heath, you’ll want the same standard each time and clear records. We agree a checklist for each property, record key handling, and report anything we notice, such as a broken extractor fan or mould starting around a window seal, so you can deal with it before the next tenant moves in.

For end-of-tenancy cleaning, we work from the inventory or the agent’s cleaning requirements. Cleaning can’t fix damage or wear, and we can’t guarantee a deposit outcome, but a properly documented clean gives everyone a fair starting point. Our partnerships page explains how we set up ongoing arrangements with agents and managing agents.

Questions about insurance and vetting

Do I need my own insurance to have a cleaner? Your home insurance is your own matter, but our cover applies to our work. If you’re unsure how a claim might interact with your policy, it’s worth checking with your insurer.

Will you send insurance details to my letting agent or managing agent directly? Yes, with your permission. Give us their email address and we’ll send what they need.

Are you covered for cleaning communal areas in blocks of flats? We clean communal areas such as entrance halls, stairwells and bin stores across the RM postcodes. Ask for cover details when you request a quote and we’ll confirm how they apply to your building.

What if a cleaner breaks something and doesn’t mention it? Our team are told to report all breakages straight away. If you find damage you weren’t told about, contact us promptly with photos and we’ll look into it.

Does your insurance cover specialist work like carpet cleaning or high-level cleaning? Specialist tasks are quoted and agreed separately. Tell us exactly what you need and we’ll confirm the scope and how our cover applies before booking.

Do you clean outside Romford town centre? Yes. We cover Romford and the wider RM area, including Gidea Park, Rush Green, Elm Park, Collier Row, Harold Wood and Hornchurch. Send us your postcode and we’ll confirm.

Ask for our cover details or a quote

Tell us about the property, the job and any documents you need, whether that’s proof of insurance, a risk assessment or a method statement, and we’ll come back with clear answers and a no-obligation quote. Scope, price and extras are agreed before work starts.

• Phone: 01708 204 312
• Email: info@cleaning-romford.co.uk
• Online: request a free quote