RESIDENTIAL CLEANING · AUTHORITY BRANDS
THE CLEANING AUTHORITY
FRANCHISE
INSURANCE
Your policy renewed last month. Same carrier, similar premium, a certificate that looks like last year's. Then you actually read what your franchise agreement requires — lost-key coverage, third-party dishonesty coverage built into your general liability, an employee dishonesty policy with a client's property endorsement — and you are not sure your policy has any of it.
That is the trap. The Cleaning Authority's agreement is unusually specific about the risks of people working inside customers' homes. It names the right coverages. What it does not do is set the limits — so a franchisee can be technically "compliant" with coverage that is far too small for the claim when it comes.
The Cleaning Authority, Inc. sets the minimum in the franchise agreement. Meeting it satisfies the franchisor. Setting the limits that actually protect what you built is the part left to you.
RESIDENTIAL CLEANING · AUTHORITY BRANDS
JUMP TO SECTION
COMPLIANCE REQUIREMENTS
EMPLOYEE THEFT (AND THE MISSING LIMIT)
REACTIONS TO CLEANING PRODUCTS
LIGHT COMMERCIAL ACCOUNTS
WHAT IT COSTS
BEYOND THE MINIMUM
REQUIRED BY FDD
FAQs
$1,000,000 per occurrence / $2,000,000 aggregate
GL MINIMUM
Lost-key + third-party dishonesty coverage
BUILT INTO GL
Required — Client's Property Endorsement (no limit set)
CRIME / EMPLOYEE DISHONESTY
LOST KEY / LOCK (PROPERTY)
$10,000 sublimit
PRIMARY NCCI CODE
9014 (Janitorial / cleaning)
ON THIS PAGE
COMPLIANCE REQUIREMENTS
EMPLOYEE THEFT (AND THE MISSING LIMIT)
REACTIONS TO CLEANING PRODUCTS
LIGHT COMMERCIAL ACCOUNTS
WHAT IT COSTS
BEYOND THE MINIMUM
REQUIRED BY FDD
FAQs
THE CLEANING AUTHORITY FRANCHISE INSURANCE PROGRAM LOOKS LIKE
SUBCONTRACTOR CERTIFICATE COMPLIANCE FOR YOUR FRANCHISE
Most home service franchisees use independent contractors or 1099 workers at some point. The coverage gap that creates is invisible until a claim surfaces — and by then the conversation is about who pays, not what was preventable.
A lapsed subcontractor certificate stays invisible until your carrier finds it. When they do, they invoke the subcontractor exclusion in your general liability policy, or add the worker's pay to your audit. The work was done. The exposure is real. The coverage is not there.
Rikor's subcontractor compliance monitoring tool tracks subcontractor certificates in real time. When one lapses, you know before the next job starts — not after the claim comes in.
FRANCHISEE QUESTIONS
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
WHAT INSURANCE DOES A RESIDENTIAL CLEANING FRANCHISE LIKE THE CLEANING AUTHORITY REQUIRE?
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The 2025 agreement requires Commercial General Liability at $1,000,000 each occurrence / $2,000,000 aggregate on an occurrence form, primary and non-contributory, and it must include lost-key coverage and third-party dishonesty coverage; an Employee Dishonesty policy with a Client's Property Endorsement (no limit specified); Automobile Liability on owned vehicles (limits per state law); Workers' Compensation with Employers Liability at $1,000,000; and Property Insurance including a $10,000 lost-key/replacement-lock sublimit. The franchisor and related parties must be named as additional insured with a waiver of subrogation. EPLI ($1M), cyber ($25K), and a $1M umbrella are recommended but not required.
MY FRANCHISE AGREEMENT REQUIRES EMPLOYEE DISHONESTY COVERAGE BUT NO LIMIT — WHAT SHOULD I SET?
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Set it deliberately. Because the FDD leaves the limit blank, a franchisee can be compliant with a token amount that won't cover a real theft-from-a-home claim. Rikor's benchmark is $250,000 on a Loss Discovered form, keeping the Client's Property Endorsement the agreement requires.
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A JANITORIAL BOND AND THE EMPLOYEE DISHONESTY COVERAGE MY FDD REQUIRES?
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A janitorial/business-service bond is a fidelity bond that often pays only after the employee is convicted and then seeks reimbursement from your business. The employee-dishonesty/crime policy your agreement requires pays without a conviction and does not claw the money back. The agreement points you at the better instrument — you just have to set a real limit on it.
WHAT IS A LOSS DISCOVERED FORM AND WHY DOES IT MATTER?
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A Loss Discovered crime form covers theft found during the policy period no matter when it occurred; a Loss Sustained form covers theft only if it both happened and was found during the term. Because cleaning theft is usually discovered long after it begins, Loss Discovered is the form to insist on.
IS THE $10,000 LOST-KEY LIMIT ENOUGH?
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Often not. Re-keying a single multi-unit building can exceed $10,000. If you hold master keys for condos, offices, or larger properties, raise the lost-key limit to match the buildings you service.
DO I NEED EPLI FOR THE CLEANING AUTHORITY FRANCHISE?
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The FDD recommends it but does not require it. You should carry it. A high-turnover in-home workforce produces wrongful-termination, discrimination, and harassment claims, and you are not automatically covered by anything the franchisor carries. Rikor recommends standalone EPLI starting at $250,000.
WHAT IF A CLEANING PRODUCT CAUSES A REACTION AND HARMS A CLIENT?
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A reaction to a product your cleaner applied is generally a bodily-injury claim covered by general liability — but confirm your policy's pollution exclusion does not sweep chemical-fume claims out. Where product exposure is heavy, contractors pollution liability backs up the gap.
HOW MUCH DOES THE CLEANING AUTHORITY FRANCHISE INSURANCE COST?
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A complete program for a cleaning franchise with ten to twenty employees commonly runs $8,000 to $14,000 per year, driven by the labor-heavy workers' compensation line. Both general liability and workers' compensation are trued up at a year-end payroll audit.
What a complete The Cleaning Authority franchise insurance program looks like
A properly built program starts with an agreement that names the right coverages — and then sets the limits the agreement left to you.
The compliance requirement gives you a strong frame: $1,000,000 per occurrence general liability with lost-key and third-party dishonesty coverage built in, an employee-dishonesty policy with a client's property endorsement, statutory workers' compensation with $1,000,000 employers liability, and property insurance. Meeting that satisfies the franchisor.
The protection lives in the numbers the FDD left blank or low. Set the crime/employee-dishonesty limit at $250,000 on a Loss Discovered form. Raise lost-key coverage above $10,000 if you hold master keys. Carry the EPLI the agreement only recommends, raise cyber from $25,000 to $250,000, add care-custody-control for accidental damage, set real auto limits, and add the umbrella before your first commercial account requires it.
The Cleaning Authority's agreement knows what the risks are. A complete program puts limits behind them.
SUBCONTRACTOR RISK
SUBCONTRACTOR CERTIFICATE COMPLIANCE ACROSS YOUR FRANCHISE
Most home service franchisees use independent contractors or 1099 workers at some point. The coverage gap this creates is not obvious until a claim surfaces — and by then, the conversation is about who pays rather than what was preventable.
A lapsed subcontractor certificate is invisible until your carrier finds it. When they do, they invoke the subcontractor exclusion in your general liability policy. The work was done. The damage is real. The coverage is not there.
Rikor's subcontractor compliance monitoring tool tracks subcontractor certificates in real time. When a certificate lapses, you know before the next job starts — not after the claim comes in.
WADE MILLWARD, CIC
Founder & CEO · Rikor Insurance
Wade Millward has spent 18 years specializing in franchise insurance. He holds the Certified Insurance Counselor (CIC) designation and has reviewed hundreds of franchise disclosure documents across home service, food service, and commercial franchise verticals. He has built coverage programs for Authority Brands franchisees across electrical, HVAC, plumbing, and restoration trades.