What to Do If a House Cleaner Breaks Something
What to do if a house cleaner breaks something: report it the same day, photos, who pays and what liability insurance covers. Text for a written price.
By Yuri and Tatiana, owners of Shining Cleanse LLC, a family cleaning company based in Everett, WA and licensed in 10 cities across Snohomish and King County.
If a house cleaner breaks something, tell the cleaner or the company the same day, in writing, with photos of the item and where it stood. A licensed company with general liability insurance is responsible for damage it causes; an uninsured individual pays personally or not at all. Old wear and stains are not damage.
Accidents happen in every trade that handles other people’s things. We dust around picture frames and lamps for a living, so we think about this more than most people would like to. Here is how it works, from the side of the person whose vase is on the floor.
Who pays when a cleaner breaks something?
The person or business responsible for the accident. In practice that depends on who you hired:
| Who cleaned | Who usually pays |
|---|---|
| A company with general liability insurance | The company, directly or through its insurer |
| An independent cleaner with insurance | The cleaner, through their policy |
| An independent cleaner without insurance | The cleaner personally, if they agree to |
| A cleaner booked through an app or platform | Depends on the platform’s terms; read them before booking |
Your own homeowner’s or renter’s policy may also cover the loss, depending on the policy and the deductible. If your insurer pays, it may then seek the money from the business at fault; that is between the insurers.
Not everything that breaks during a cleaning is the cleaner’s fault, and an honest conversation starts from that. A shelf bracket that was already loose, a lamp with a cracked base, a blind cord that was brittle with age: these can give way under normal handling. That is why it helps when both sides look at the item together, the same day, before anything is thrown out.
Does a cleaning company’s insurance cover broken items?
Usually, yes. General liability insurance covers damage a business causes to other people’s property. Washington’s Office of the Insurance Commissioner explains this in its guide to how business insurance works. A cleaner knocking a lamp off a dresser is the textbook case.
How a company handles a small item varies. Some pay for it directly rather than open a claim, because a policy has a deductible and a claim takes time. Larger losses go through the insurer. Either way, the company should tell you which it is and how long it will take. Ask before you book, not after.
Our policy is $1,000,000 per occurrence and $2,000,000 aggregate, and we send the certificate of insurance on request. Our guide on how to check a cleaning company’s license and insurance in Washington shows how to read one.
Before
AfterHow should you report damage after a cleaning?
Fast and in writing. A problem reported the same hour is far easier to sort out than one reported a week later, when nobody remembers where the frame stood.
- Do not throw the pieces away. Keep them in a bag or box.
- Take photos: the item, the pieces, and the spot where it stood.
- Send a short message to the cleaner or company: what broke, where, when you noticed, and what it is worth if you know. A receipt or a link to the same item helps.
- Ask what happens next and by when.
- Keep the replies.
If the cleaner is still there, point it out during the walk-through. With us, either tell us before we leave or text (425) 539-5492. And if we break something, we tell you; you should not have to discover it.
Resist the urge to deduct the cost from the cleaning payment on your own. Agree on the fix in writing first. It keeps the conversation about the vase, not about an unpaid invoice.
How do you protect valuables before a cleaning?
A few minutes before the first visit prevents most of the awkward conversations:
- Put away jewelry, cash, watches and medication. Small things on a dresser get moved during dusting, and a moved ring looks like a missing ring.
- Move heirlooms and irreplaceable pieces into a closed room, or leave a note: “please do not touch the shelf by the window”.
- Tell us about delicate surfaces when you book: marble or other natural stone, unsealed wood, antique finishes, a TV screen. Products that are fine on one surface can etch or streak another, and we test in a hidden spot first when unsure.
- Mention anything already broken or wobbly, so it is not blamed on anyone later.
We do not throw anything away except obvious trash. Anything that might matter stays where it is or is set aside in one spot, and we tell you about it.
What does general liability insurance not cover?
More than people expect. It covers accidents that damage your property or injure someone. It is not a warranty on the cleaning.
| Situation | Covered by general liability? |
|---|---|
| A cleaner breaks a lamp | Usually yes |
| A product damages a surface it should not have touched | Usually yes |
| An old stain that will not come out | No, it is a limit of cleaning, not damage |
| Scratches, wear or fading that were already there | No |
| Theft | Usually not; that is what a bond or crime policy is for |
| A cleaner hurt on the job | No; that is workers’ compensation |
We carry general liability insurance; we are not bonded. We would rather say that plainly than let “insured” sound like it covers everything. Every policy has its own wording and exclusions, so this is general information, not legal advice.
Does it matter who comes to clean?
It matters more than the policy. Insurance answers “what happens if something goes wrong”. It does not answer “how likely is that”. With us, the two owners clean every home in Woodinville and our other licensed cities, with no crews and no subcontractors. You can read who we are and how we work. If you are comparing companies on price as well, our guide to house cleaning cost in Snohomish and King County and our pricing page have the numbers, and our standard house cleaning page lists what a visit includes.
Our jobFAQ
Should I tell the cleaner or the company?
Both, if they are different people. Tell the cleaner so they know, and send the message to the company, because the company holds the insurance and makes the decision. Keep it factual and include photos.
What if I find the damage a week later?
Report it anyway, with photos and the date of the cleaning. It is harder to establish what happened, so be ready to explain why you think it happened during the visit. That is why the same-day walk-through or photos at the end are worth the five minutes.
Does my homeowner’s insurance cover things a cleaner breaks?
It may. Check your policy and your deductible. For a small item, the deductible often makes a claim pointless, which is another reason to hire a cleaner who carries their own insurance.
Can a cleaner refuse to clean around fragile items?
Yes, and it is a reasonable answer. Some pieces should only be handled by their owner. Tell us when you book and we leave those spots alone.
Get a written price
Text 2–4 photos to (425) 539-5492 or request a written quote, and ask for our certificate of insurance in the same message if you like. We reply with a written price the same business day (Mon–Fri 9am–7pm, Sat 9am–5pm).
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