What Insurance Do Real Estate Agents, Strata Managers and Franchisors Actually Require From Brisbane Cleaners?
Updated: Jul 29
If you're a cleaner in Brisbane, you've probably noticed that getting insured isn't just about protecting yourself, it's often a condition of getting the work in the first place. Real estate agencies, strata managers, commercial property managers and cleaning franchises all tend to set their own minimum insurance requirements before they'll engage you, and those requirements aren't always obvious until you're partway through onboarding and someone asks for a certificate of currency you don't have.
This guide walks through what different types of clients typically ask for, why they ask for it, and how to make sure your policy actually meets the requirement rather than falling short on a technicality.
Why clients set their own insurance requirements
A property manager, strata committee or franchisor isn't just being cautious for the sake of it. If a cleaner damages a tenant's belongings, injures someone on site, or triggers a claim under a body corporate's own policy, the client wants to know there's a genuine, currently active policy standing behind that cleaner, not just a verbal assurance. Setting a minimum requirement, and asking for proof of it, is how they manage that risk before it becomes their problem.
This means the specific number they ask for is rarely arbitrary. It usually reflects the value of what's being protected and the size of the site.
What real estate agencies typically require
Real estate agencies managing rental properties are usually the strictest about paperwork, largely because they're accountable to landlords and to their own professional indemnity insurers.
Most agencies will ask for:
A current Certificate of Currency naming your business (not just a policy number)
Public Liability cover, commonly starting at $10 million for residential and rental property work
The certificate renewed and resupplied annually, agencies will often chase this automatically and can suspend your engagement if it lapses
In some cases, evidence that the policy covers subcontractors if you use them
Bond cleans in particular can trigger a closer look at your paperwork, since the exposure (existing tenant's bond, damage disputes, landlord expectations) tends to be higher than a routine clean.
What strata and body corporate managers typically require
Strata work introduces a different kind of exposure: common property, shared building infrastructure, and multiple unit owners who could all be affected by a single incident. Strata managers tend to ask for:
Higher Public Liability limits than residential work, commonly $10 million to $20 million depending on the size of the complex
A certificate that explicitly lists the strata plan or body corporate as an interested party in some cases
Confirmation that the policy responds to damage to common property, not just individual units
Proof of currency before you're added to the approved contractor list, and again at each renewal
If you're only insured for standard residential cleaning and you pick up a strata contract without updating your cover, there's a real risk your limit doesn't match what the manager actually asked for on file, even if your policy is technically current.
What cleaning franchises typically require
If you operate under a cleaning franchise agreement, the franchise agreement itself is usually where the insurance requirement is set out, not just general industry practice. Franchisors commonly specify:
A minimum Public Liability limit as a condition of the franchise agreement, sometimes higher than what an independent operator in the same work would carry
That the franchisor be listed as an interested party or noted on the certificate
Combined liability arrangements in some franchise models, where the franchisor holds a master policy and franchisees are required to either join it or hold their own equivalent cover
Regular proof of currency as part of ongoing compliance, not just at sign-up
It's worth reading your franchise agreement's insurance clause directly rather than assuming a standard policy will automatically satisfy it, franchisors can and do audit this.
Commercial and government contracts
Office buildings, schools, medical facilities, retail chains and government-linked contracts tend to sit at the top end of what's required, commonly $20 million in Public Liability cover, and sometimes conditions around Professional Indemnity or specific exclusions being removed from the policy (for example, exclusions around care, custody and control of client property). Tender documents for larger commercial cleaning contracts will usually spell this out explicitly, it's worth checking before you quote, not after you've won the work.
A quick way to check you're covered for what's being asked
Before taking on a new contract, it's worth confirming:
Does your current Public Liability limit meet or exceed what this specific client has asked for?
Does the client need to be named as an interested party on your certificate?
If you use subcontractors, does your policy extend to cover them, or do they need their own?
Is your certificate of currency current, and do you have a system for renewing it before it lapses?
Mismatches on any of these are one of the more common reasons a cleaner's insurance looks fine on paper but doesn't actually satisfy the contract they've signed.
Getting your cover matched to what your contracts require
Every client type above sets its own bar, and it's common for a cleaner's insurance to have been set up for one type of work (say, residential) and never updated as the business picked up strata, commercial or franchise contracts along the way. If you want a broker to check your current Public Liability limit and certificate wording against what your contracts actually require, Monarch Insurance Brokers can review your cleaning business insurance and confirm you're covered for the work you're actually contracted to do.
This article is general information only and does not take into account your personal circumstances.
