# Insurance for commercial cleaning companies in Germany

> Your staff hold the keys to offices, surgeries and entire office towers. A lost master key means a new locking system, and that can easily cost more than a year's turnover with that client. Add scratched floors, etched surfaces and wet stairs. This page shows what you need to cover and what it costs.

Quelle/Source: https://www.nammert.com/en/business-insurance-cleaning-company.php  
Updated: 2026-09-18

## What happens if one of my cleaners loses a client's master key?

The client will ask you to replace the locking system, which in office buildings often costs 20,000 to 80,000 euros. Public liability only pays if the loss of third party keys is expressly included, and only up to the agreed limit. Some insurers exclude stolen keys. Get the limit for keys and access cards confirmed in writing.

## At a glance

- **Compulsory:** No insurance is required by law, but almost every client asks for proof of public liability cover including loss of keys
- **Biggest risk:** Loss of clients' keys and damage to the surfaces you clean
- **Basic cover from:** about 150 euros a year for public liability for a self employed cleaner working alone
- **Statutory accident insurer:** BG BAU, the Berufsgenossenschaft for construction and cleaning; membership is compulsory from your first employee, including mini jobbers
- **Often forgotten:** Damage to the surfaces you work on: scratched natural stone or dulled parquet is often excluded in basic tariffs
- **WZ 2025 / NACE:** 81.21 Allgemeine Gebäudereinigung, 81.22 Spezielle Reinigung von Gebäuden und Reinigung von Maschinen, 81.23 Sonstige Reinigung

## What goes wrong in this trade

- **The lost master key:** A bunch of keys that opens 200 doors goes missing. The property manager replaces the entire locking system and sends you the bill.
- **Wrong product, wrong floor:** Acidic cleaner on marble, a scouring pad on stainless steel, too much water on parquet. Damage to surfaces you work on causes more disputes in this trade than anything else.
- **Wet stairs, broken leg:** A tenant slips on freshly mopped stairs. If there was no warning sign, you are liable for treatment and compensation.
- **Water in the office below:** A knocked over bucket or an overflowing scrubber dryer, and the water comes through the ceiling into the law firm downstairs.
- **Suspicion after the shift:** A laptop is missing from the office and the client suspects your staff. Employees who enter other people's premises alone are a risk of their own.
- **Ladders, chemicals and backs:** Window cleaning on ladders, skin irritation from cleaning agents, heavy machines: accident rates in commercial cleaning are high.

**Risk radar** (Compared with other trades, 1 low to 5 high.): Liability 5, Fire and water 2, Theft 3, Cyber 2, Downtime 2, Health 4

## The insurance you need

- **Business liability** (Essential): Covers injury and property damage at the client's premises, including loss of keys and damage to the surfaces you clean. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-business-liability.php
- **Business contents** (Strongly advised): Replaces scrubber dryers, pressure washers and your stock of materials after burglary, fire or water damage. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-business-contents.php
- **Fleet insurance** (Strongly advised): From three vehicles, a fleet policy is usually cheaper, and equipment carried in the vans can be included. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-fleet-insurance.php
- **Business legal expenses** (Strongly advised): Disputes over complaints, reduced invoices and dismissals are everyday business in cleaning. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-business-legal-expenses.php
- **Group accident insurance** (Depends on the business): Pays out for your staff's accidents in their free time too, and helps when you are trying to recruit. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-group-accident.php
- **Cyber insurance** (Depends on the business): For shift planning, time recording and site data, which can be hacked or encrypted. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-cyber-insurance.php
- **Company pension (bAV)** (Depends on the business): A company pension helps you keep reliable site managers and supervisors. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-company-pension.php

## What it costs: example prices

The premium depends mainly on turnover or payroll, on the type of site (offices, clinics, industry) and on the limit for loss of keys. High level window cleaning and industrial cleaning cost more.

| Insurance | Example | Typical range |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Business liability | Self employed cleaner, about 25,000 euros turnover, with loss of keys | about 150 to 350 euros a year |
| Business liability | Cleaning company with about 100,000 euros turnover, 1,000 euros excess | about 450 to 900 euros a year |
| Business liability | Business with 15 employees, loss of keys up to 100,000 euros | about 1,200 to 3,000 euros a year |
| Business contents | Machines and materials worth 30,000 euros | about 120 to 300 euros a year |
| Business legal expenses | Employment and contract legal cover, up to ten employees | about 400 to 900 euros a year |

For comparison: Public liability for a small cleaning company costs roughly as much per year as two months of regular cleaning for a small office.

_Guide figures excluding German insurance premium tax, as of September 2026, based on publicly quoted tariff examples and our own quoting experience. Larger businesses are rated on payroll; we obtain the exact quote for you._

- [berufshaftpflichtversicherung-experten.de: Betriebshaftpflicht Gebäudereinigung](https://berufshaftpflichtversicherung-experten.de/betriebshaftpflicht-gebaeudereinigung/)
- [betriebshaftpflicht24.de: Betriebshaftpflicht Gebäudereinigung](https://www.betriebshaftpflicht24.de/betriebshaftpflicht-gebaeudereinigung.html)

## Our suggestions: three packages

- **Start** (solo cleaner or micro business with a handful of sites): Business liability. Together: about 150 to 350 euros a year
- **Business** (cleaning company with up to ten employees and its own machines): Business liability, Business contents, Business legal expenses. Together: about 1,000 to 2,200 euros a year
- **All round** (building services company with vehicles, many sites and staff planning software): Business liability, Business contents, Business legal expenses, Fleet insurance, Group accident insurance, Cyber insurance. Together: about 4,000 to 9,000 euros a year

## The worst day in commercial cleaning

Six things that really happen to cleaning companies, all on one single Wednesday. Tap through the day and see who pays.

- 05:40: On the way to a site, a cleaner's bunch of keys falls out of her bag. It belongs to the locking system of an office building with 180 doors. (€42,000, Paid by: Business liability)
- 08:10: The wrong cleaner has dulled the marble in a bank's foyer. The floor has to be ground and polished. (€14,000, Paid by: Business liability)
- 10:30: A tenant slips on freshly mopped stairs; there was no warning sign. Broken ankle. (€9,500, Paid by: Business liability)
- 13:15: The scrubber dryer overflows and water seeps into the doctor's surgery on the floor below. (€11,000, Paid by: Business liability)
- 16:00: A client cuts three monthly invoices over alleged defects. You sue for the amount. (€4,800, Paid by: Business legal expenses)
- 23:20: Break-in at the store: two scrubber dryers and a pressure washer are gone. (€13,000, Paid by: Business contents)

**Damage so far:** €94,300

## Practical tips from your broker

- Agree at least 100,000 euros for keys, access cards and transponders. Office buildings and hospitals have large locking systems.
- Check whether stolen keys are covered as well, not only lost ones.
- Include damage to floors, glass and surfaces you work on, with a limit that suits your sites.
- Name special services such as window cleaning from a cherry picker, post construction cleaning or disinfection in the policy.
- Ask for cover for damage caused by subcontractors if you pass on jobs.
- Keep a key log with a signature at every handover. It helps with claims and with accusations against your staff.

## Why NAMMERT for your business

- **We look at the key limit:** Many policies look the same until you compare the limits for lost keys and damage to worked surfaces. As a broker we get quotes from several insurers and set exactly that side by side.
- **Claims experience from our own handling:** In boat insurance we settle claims ourselves. If your insurer calls a scratched marble floor wear and tear, we know how to push back.
- **Vehicles, business and staff in one place:** Liability, vans, accident cover and your staff's pensions are handled together, with a fixed contact person.
- **A family business since 1989:** Our advice costs you nothing; the insurer pays our commission. You speak to people who know your sites.

## FAQ

### Is public liability compulsory for cleaning companies in Germany?

Not by law. In practice you will hardly win a commercial contract without proof, because property managers and companies require it in their tenders.

### Does insurance pay if a key is stolen?

It depends on the policy. Some insurers only cover loss, others theft as well. Check the exact wording and the limit.

### What does insurance for a cleaning company cost?

For solo self employed cleaners, public liability starts at about 150 euros a year; with around 100,000 euros turnover you are usually between 450 and 900 euros.

### Are mini jobbers covered by the statutory accident insurer?

Yes. Mini jobbers (marginal part time staff) must also be registered with BG BAU. They then have statutory accident cover at work and on the way there.

### Who pays if a cleaner breaks something at a client's premises?

Your public liability policy, if she acted negligently. Your employees are covered under your policy.

### Does liability cover theft by my own staff?

No, deliberate acts are never covered by liability insurance. That needs fidelity insurance (Vertrauensschadenversicherung), which we can request separately if needed.

## Request quotes

We obtain quotes and come back with a comparison. Free of charge and without obligation: the insurer pays our commission. You can write in English. https://www.nammert.com/en/business-insurance-cleaning-company.php#anfrage

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NAMMERT Assekuradeur GmbH, insurance broker licensed under section 34d(1) of the German Trade Regulation Act, broker register no. D-C08Q-TOSD4-37. For boat and yacht insurance we act as underwriting agency, not as broker.

NAMMERT Assekuradeur GmbH, Karl-Marx-Straße 4, 15711 Königs Wusterhausen, +49 3375 29 12 77, info@nammert.com. Wikidata: Q141141479.