The short answer: get registered first, then buy general liability and a janitorial bond together, then add workers’ comp when your headcount requires it. “Insured” is your general liability policy. “Bonded” is a janitorial bond that answers theft claims against your staff. Clients check that the business name matches across your registration, your certificate of insurance, and your bond, so set all three up under the same name at the same time.

What does “bonded and insured” actually mean?

It is two separate things that clients bundle into one phrase.

Insured means general liability. It pays when your work damages a client’s property or someone is hurt because of it: a mop bucket tips onto a hardwood floor, a cleaner knocks a monitor off a desk, a client slips on a floor you just finished. This is the policy a property manager wants to see on a certificate of insurance before you start.

Bonded means a janitorial bond, sometimes called a business service bond. It responds when a client says one of your people took something from them. Liability policies generally do not cover theft by your own staff, so the bond fills that hole.

Most commercial accounts want both. A lot of residential clients ask for both too, mostly because they have heard the phrase and want to hear you say yes.

What order should I set things up in?

  1. Register the business. Form your LLC or corporation with the Secretary of State, or register your trade name, and get any city or county business license where you operate. None of our three states licenses cleaning work itself, so this registration is what “licensed” means for you.
  2. Buy general liability and the bond together. Same business name, same address, same day if you can. A bond issued under a slightly different name than the policy is the kind of detail a vendor coordinator sends back.
  3. Add workers’ comp when the law requires it. South Carolina generally requires it at four employees. North Carolina and Georgia require it at three. Part-timers count in all three states, which is how cleaning companies cross the line faster than they expect.
  4. Cover the driving. If you or your crew drive to jobs for the business, a personal auto policy may not respond. Commercial auto, or hired and non-owned auto if staff use their own cars, closes that gap.
  5. Ask for your certificate. Once the policy is bound, we issue the certificate of insurance with whatever wording the client asks for, usually the same day.

Why does a janitorial bond not protect you the way insurance does?

This is the part most cleaners never hear. Many janitorial bonds are written as surety. If the bonding company pays a theft claim to your client, you can be asked to repay it. The bond protects your client, and it proves to them that a third party vetted you. It is not a policy that absorbs the loss for you.

Some bonds also only pay once the employee is convicted, or once there is solid proof the theft happened. Read that condition before you buy.

If you want protection that pays the client and stays paid, ask about third-party crime coverage (sometimes called client property or employee dishonesty coverage). Many commercial cleaners carry the bond because the contract asks for it and the crime coverage because it actually protects the business. We quote both so you can see the difference in price, which is often smaller than people expect.

What else do clients check before they hire you?

Commercial accounts send a vendor packet, and three items in it catch cleaners off guard:

  • Additional insured wording. Being named on your certificate as an additional insured is a change to the policy, not a line typed onto the certificate. Send us the packet before you sign.
  • Care, custody, and control. Standard liability policies limit coverage for property you are working on. For a cleaner, that is the client’s floors, carpets, and fixtures, which is exactly where your claims come from. Ask how your policy handles it.
  • Lost keys. If you hold keys or access cards, a lost master key can mean rekeying a whole building at your cost. Lost key coverage is an inexpensive endorsement, and some accounts ask for it by name.

Where do I start in my state?

The rules above are the same in all three states. What differs is the comp threshold and the licensing details:

We are an independent agency in Sumter, licensed in all three states, and we place the bond and the liability policy in the same office so the names and dates match the first time. For other bonds your contracts might ask for, see the surety bonds we place.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between bonded and insured for a cleaning business? Insured means you carry general liability, which pays when your work damages a client’s property or someone gets hurt. Bonded means you carry a janitorial bond, which responds when a client claims one of your people stole from them. They answer different problems, and most commercial accounts ask for both.

Do I need a license to be bonded and insured? South Carolina, North Carolina, and Georgia do not issue a state license for ordinary residential or commercial cleaning. Licensed means your business is registered: the entity with the Secretary of State, plus a city or county business license where one is required. Georgia calls its local version an Occupation Tax Certificate. You do not need a license to buy the bond or the liability policy, but clients will check that the business name matches on all three.

How much bond do I need? Whatever your contracts ask for. Small residential operations often carry a modest bond, and commercial accounts commonly set their own minimum in the vendor packet. Read the insurance requirements before you buy, because buying a bond amount and then raising it for the first big account is extra paperwork you can skip.

Does a janitorial bond protect my business? Not the way insurance does. Many janitorial bonds are written as surety, which means if the bonding company pays a client, it can come back to you for repayment. If you want coverage that pays the client and stays paid, ask about third-party crime coverage, sometimes called client property or employee dishonesty coverage.

I am a one-person cleaner. Do I still need a bond? If you want commercial accounts or property managers, usually yes, because it is on their checklist whether you have employees or not. Homeowners ask less often, but being able to show it wins jobs. A solo bond is usually one of the least expensive pieces of the package.

Ready to get bonded and insured? Call or text us at 803-848-0089, tell us what you clean and what your accounts require, and we will quote the bond and the liability policy together.