How To Get Insurance for Pool Cleaning Services

Insurance for pool cleaning companies is available from most commercial insurance providers. At a minimum, pool cleaners should get commercial auto insurance, general liability insurance and, if the company has employees, workers’ compensation insurance.

Keep reading to learn about the different types of pool cleaning insurance coverage and how much you can expect to pay.

On This Page

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  Do Pool Cleaning Businesses Need Insurance?

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  What Is Pool Cleaning Business Insurance?

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  What Type of Insurance Does a Pool Cleaning Business Need?

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  How Much Does Insurance Cost for Pool Cleaning Businesses?

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  FAQs

Do Pool Cleaning Businesses Need Insurance?

Since pool cleaning companies must travel to each client’s location, commercial auto insurance will usually be legally required.^[1] In addition, if your pool cleaning company employs workers, then you will likely need to buy workers’ compensation insurance as well.^[2]

Beyond that, other types of pool service insurance are largely optional but strongly recommended. General liability insurance, for instance, will cover pool cleaners against the most common types of liability risks. In addition, some clients will require you to show proof of insurance before agreeing to work with you, making insurance a useful marketing tool for securing business.

What Is Pool Cleaning Business Insurance?

Generally, pool cleaning business insurance is not a specific insurance product but instead refers broadly to several types of coverage that are required and useful to those who service pools and hot tubs. Since the nature of the work is similar, pool cleaner insurance may also be marketed as spa cleaning insurance.

Every business is unique and, as a result, necessary insurance coverages can vary by company. For example, workers’ compensation insurance is not necessary for a one-person company. Similarly, cyber liability insurance would be more useful for a contractor that accepts credit card payments than one that accepts only cash.

What Type of Insurance Does a Pool Cleaning Business Need?

Read below to learn more about the types of insurance that may be required by law for pool cleaning service companies, as well as optional types worth considering.

General Liability Insurance

General liability insurance is considered fundamental coverage for most businesses because it insures against liability risks involving property damage and injury. For example, a general liability insurance policy would cover your business if your client’s child or pet is burned by chemicals you left laying around or if you accidentally break your client’s window with a pool cleaning pole.

You should also be covered for claims involving defamation or copyright. If one of your competitors sues you because they believe you copied their branding materials, then general liability coverage would help cover your legal costs.

Professional Liability Insurance

Professional liability insurance would protect you if a client were to accuse you of negligence or doing your job improperly. For example, if you accidentally used the wrong cleaning solution and it corroded their pool wall, then this policy may help cover any resulting legal expenses.

Commercial Property Insurance

Commercial property insurance will insure your pool cleaning kits, vacuum, buckets and other related tools against theft, fire, vandalism and more. While some pool cleaning tools are generally inexpensive, motorized pool vacuums can cost hundreds of dollars and you will want coverage in case they are suddenly damaged or stolen.

Workers’ Compensation Insurance

In all states except for Texas, you will be required to carry workers’ compensation insurance if you employ your state’s minimum number of employees. If one of your employees were to suffer a workplace-related injury or illness — they slipped and fell while cleaning a client’s pool for instance — workers’ compensation insurance would cover their medical bills and a portion of their lost wages.^[2]

Commercial Car Insurance

Commercial auto insurance will insure your company vehicle for liability in case you or one of your employees is responsible for causing a car accident. It is generally necessary for pool cleaners since many pool cleaning companies have a van or truck in which they transport their equipment and drive to worksites. Similar to a personal auto policy, you can also buy coverage to insure the vehicle itself against physical damages.

Additional Policies To Consider

The below insurance policies are largely optional but may be worth considering adding to your your pool cleaning or spa cleaning insurance package:

• Business insurance policy: This convenient package bundles general liability insurance, commercial property insurance and business interruption insurance into a single policy. Business interruption insurance covers a portion of your lost income if your business is forced to temporarily close due to a covered loss.
• Commercial umbrella insurance: If you’re involved in a costly claim that has exceeded the coverage of your other liability policies, commercial umbrella insurance will provide excess liability coverage. Since there are several liability risks surrounding pools, this policy can be especially handy in a pinch.
• Inland marine insurance: Commercial auto insurance will not insure the equipment inside your vehicle while you are driving to worksites, so you will instead need inland marine insurance to get in-transit coverage against losses caused by fire, wind and even water damage.
• Equipment breakdown insurance: If you use expensive motorized equipment to clean pools, you may want this policy to cover internal sources of damage resulting from mechanical or electrical failures.
• Cyber liability insurance: In this day and age, any electronically transmitted data is at risk including your clients’ payment information and home addresses, which means you may need cyber liability insurance to help cover expenses that arise due to a data breach in your company.
• Pollution liability insurance: Cleaning pools and spa equipment can involve the use of chemicals and if these chemicals somehow leak and damage the environment, pollution liability insurance helps pay toward the financial fallout.

How Much Does Insurance Cost for Pool Cleaning Businesses?

Most Next Insurance customers can expect to pay around $325 per year for a commercial insurance package that includes general liability insurance, commercial property insurance, commercial auto insurance and workers’ compensation insurance.^[3][4][5][6]

Of course, the actual cost of insurance for pool cleaning businesses is heavily swayed by multiple factors like how many employees you have, the types of clients you serve, the value of all your equipment and company vehicles and more. Since each company uses a different underwriting methodology, shopping around is recommended for finding the best commercial insurance rate available.