STANLEY STEEMER

The 2025 Stanley Steemer franchise disclosure document (Note 7 and Item 8) requires Commercial General Liability at $1,000,000 per occurrence on an occurrence form; Commercial Auto at $1,000,000 combined single limit for all owned, hired, and non-owned vehicles; Workers' Compensation at statutory limits; Employers Liability at $500,000 each accident and disease limits; Employment Practices Liability at $500,000 including wage and hour defense; and a $2,000,000 umbrella follow-form over GL and auto. If you offer Reconstruction Services, Construction Services Liability at $3,000,000 per occurrence and $4,000,000 aggregate is also required. All through an admitted carrier rated A- VII or better.

Only if your policy has the care-custody-and-control exclusion removed or carries a CCC endorsement. A standard GL policy excludes damage to property in your control and to "your work." Both exclusions apply to the item you were cleaning. The umbrella is follow-form — it tracks whatever the base GL covers and excludes. Add the CCC endorsement to the GL itself, not just the umbrella layer.

It is a standard provision in most general liability policies that removes coverage for property you were working on or that was in your control when it was damaged. For a carpet, tile, or upholstery cleaner, it applies to almost every job. The fix is a care-custody-and-control endorsement that removes the exclusion, usually for a specific limit. Ask for it by name when you buy or renew your GL.

The water damage portion may be covered under your occurrence-form GL if you carried coverage when the work was done. Mold that grows afterward is a separate problem — the standard policy contains a mold and fungus exclusion. Add a mold endorsement to the base GL so mold claims tracing to an over-wet job are also covered.

Not if the base GL excludes it. The umbrella is follow-form — it applies the same terms and exclusions as the underlying general liability policy. If the base GL excludes damage under the CCC and your-work exclusions, the umbrella excludes the same damage. The umbrella adds limit for losses the base GL already covers; it does not remove the base GL's exclusions.

The FDD does not require either. The better protection is a third-party commercial crime policy — not a bond. A janitorial bond typically pays only after the employee is criminally convicted of the theft and then seeks reimbursement from your business. A crime policy pays without a conviction and does not claw the money back. Rikor's benchmark is $250,000 on a Loss Discovered form.

A Loss Discovered form covers a theft discovered during the policy period even if it occurred earlier — including before the current policy started. A Loss Sustained form covers only theft that both occurred and was found within the same policy period. For service businesses where theft is often noticed days or weeks after the visit, the Loss Discovered form closes the timing gap.

Usually not — a correctly written GL policy with a CCC endorsement can cover all of Stanley Steemer's surface types under one policy. What matters is that the endorsement limit is high enough for the most valuable surfaces you clean. A $25,000 CCC limit may be adequate for standard residential carpet; it is not adequate for a commercial tile installation or a hardwood floor worth $40,000.

NCCI code 9014 — Janitorial Services by Contractor — covers carpet and upholstery cleaning operations. The rate for this code is set by your state's rating bureau, not the carrier. Air duct cleaning may be classified under a different code depending on how the carrier applies it — confirm the codes on your policy match the work your crew actually performs.

Commercial accounts typically require higher certificate limits — often $2,000,000 per occurrence and $4,000,000 aggregate. Your $1,000,000 GL plus $2,000,000 umbrella may satisfy that with the right documentation. Commercial work also increases your revenue and payroll, both of which are audit bases for GL and WC. Confirm the CCC endorsement applies to commercial surfaces as well as residential ones, and verify that commercial clients' certificates can be satisfied by your umbrella layer.