Commercial Crime for Cleaning & Janitorial

Cleaning and janitorial companies send employees into client facilities with keys, access codes, and unsupervised time — making employee theft the single largest crime exposure in this trade. Commercial crime insurance (also called a fidelity/crime policy) covers your business when an employee steals from a client, forges a check, or transfers funds fraudulently. Limits typically run $10,000–$250,000 for small-to-midsize cleaning operations, at annual premiums of roughly $400–$1,500.

Who this is for: Residential and commercial cleaning companies, janitorial contractors, building maintenance firms, and specialty cleaning operations (carpet, restoration, post-construction) that employ W-2 or leased workers who enter client premises.

TL;DR — Key Takeaways

Employee theft from client premises is the primary crime loss for cleaning contractors — commercial crime insurance pays the client and protects your contract.
A janitorial service bond and a commercial crime policy are not the same thing; the bond is narrower and most commercial contracts now require the broader crime form.
Small janitorial firms (1–10 employees) typically pay $400–$800/year for $25,000–$100,000 in crime coverage; larger fleets can pay $1,000–$2,500+ for $250,000+ limits.
Discovery-form policies cover losses you find during the policy period — even if the theft happened years earlier — making them preferable for cleaning businesses with high employee turnover.
Many commercial building owners, property managers, and school district contracts mandate minimum crime limits in the certificate of insurance (COI).

Why Cleaning & Janitorial Businesses Face Outsized Crime Risk

Cleaning crews operate in environments where the opportunity for theft is structurally baked in: late-night or early-morning access to empty offices, residences, and retail stores; physical keys and alarm codes; access to petty cash drawers, personal items, electronics, and jewelry. Supervisors are often off-site or covering multiple accounts.

Industry loss data consistently shows that employee dishonesty (also called employee theft or fidelity loss) accounts for the majority of crime claims filed by cleaning and janitorial businesses. Additional exposures include:

Crime Exposure	What Happens	Who Gets Hurt
Employee theft — client property	Cleaner takes jewelry, electronics, or cash from client premises	Client loses property; your business loses the contract and faces a lawsuit
Employee theft — company property	Worker steals cleaning chemicals, equipment, or vehicles	Your company absorbs the loss
Forgery or check alteration	Employee alters a client check or forges company checks	Your business account is drained
Computer fraud / funds transfer	Fraudulent ACH or wire initiated through your banking platform	Direct financial loss to the company
Social engineering (impersonation fraud)	Vendor or "owner" impersonation triggers unauthorized payment	Money wired to a fraudster
Theft of client keys or access devices	Keys copied; future theft is enabled	Client and your business both liable

What Commercial Crime Insurance Covers (and What It Doesn't)

Covered

A standard ISO commercial crime policy (CR 00 22 — Discovery Form or CR 00 23 — Loss Sustained Form) typically includes these insuring agreements, each with its own sub-limit:

Employee theft (Insuring Agreement A): Covers theft by any employee, including temporary and leased workers if properly scheduled.
Forgery or alteration (Insuring Agreement B): Checks, drafts, or promissory notes forged or materially altered by an employee or third party.
Theft of money and securities on premises (Insuring Agreement C): Cash in a register, safe, or deposit bag stolen during a break-in or robbery.
Robbery or safe burglary of other property (Insuring Agreement D): Equipment, supplies, or other business property taken by force.
Computer fraud (Insuring Agreement F): Theft of money or securities caused by unauthorized computer instructions.
Funds transfer fraud (Insuring Agreement G): Loss from fraudulent transfer instructions directed to your financial institution.

Not Covered (Standard Exclusions)

Inventory shortage without independent proof of theft (audit shortage alone does not trigger coverage).
Acts by owners, partners, or LLC members who are defined as employees under the policy — review carefully if the owner handles cash.
Indirect losses such as lost profits or reputational damage resulting from a covered theft.
Voluntary parting — if you willingly hand over property based on a trick (some policies add social engineering coverage as an endorsement; confirm with your broker).
Prior acts beyond the discovery period or retroactive date on a loss-sustained form.

Discovery Form vs. Loss Sustained Form — Which One Should Cleaning Companies Choose?

Feature	Discovery Form (CR 00 22)	Loss Sustained Form (CR 00 23)
Trigger	Loss discovered during the policy period	Loss sustained (occurred) during the policy period
Prior-acts coverage	Yes — covers old losses first discovered now	Only with a prior-acts endorsement and retroactive date
Best for high-turnover employers	Yes — employee stealing for months; caught after the fact	Riskier gap if theft pre-dates policy
Industry preference for janitorial	Generally preferred	Common but requires careful retroactive date negotiation

Cleaning and janitorial businesses often experience theft that goes undetected for months — especially thefts of small valuables from client homes or slow-burn check fraud. The discovery form is generally more protective for this industry.

Janitorial Service Bond vs. Commercial Crime Policy

A janitorial service bond (a type of fidelity bond) is often marketed to new cleaning businesses as the only crime protection they need. It is not.

Feature	Janitorial Service Bond	Commercial Crime Policy
Who it protects	Primarily the client	Your business and optionally the client (third-party rider)
Coverage trigger	Employee theft of client property	Multiple insuring agreements (see above)
Covers employee forgery	No	Yes
Covers computer/funds transfer fraud	No	Yes (as endorsement or full insuring agreement)
Typical limit	$5,000–$25,000	$10,000–$500,000+
Required by commercial contracts	Sometimes (basic)	Increasingly required — higher limits, broader form
Annual cost (small firm)	$150–$400	$400–$1,500

Bottom line: A service bond satisfies the most basic client requirement but leaves your own company's money, equipment, and financial accounts unprotected. Commercial crime provides both first-party and optional third-party (client) coverage in a single, broader policy.

Typical Coverage Limits and Annual Premium Ranges

Premiums depend on number of employees (the primary rating base for crime coverage), policy limit, deductible, claims history, and carrier appetite for the class.

Firm Size (Employees)	Typical Limit	Typical Annual Premium	Typical Deductible
1–5 employees	$25,000–$50,000	$400–$650	$500–$1,000
6–15 employees	$50,000–$100,000	$650–$1,000	$1,000–$2,500
16–50 employees	$100,000–$250,000	$1,000–$1,800	$2,500–$5,000
51–150 employees	$250,000–$500,000	$1,800–$3,500	$5,000–$10,000
150+ employees	$500,000–$1M+	$3,500+ (audit-based)	$10,000+

These are illustrative ranges based on typical market conditions as of mid-2026. Actual premiums vary by carrier, state, loss history, and underwriting factors. Request a formal quote for your specific operation.

How to Get Commercial Crime Coverage in 5 Steps

Inventory your exposures. Count employees by classification (residential cleaners, commercial janitors, supervisors), identify which client types you serve (residential, office, healthcare, schools), and list any employees with access to company bank accounts or client keys.
Gather underwriting information. You will need: gross annual payroll, number of full-time/part-time employees, types of clients, any prior crime losses in the last 5 years, and any existing bond or fidelity coverage.
Choose your limit and form. Work with your broker to select a per-occurrence limit that satisfies your largest contract's COI requirement, and confirm whether a discovery or loss-sustained form better fits your history.
Request competing quotes. An independent agency (like Morrow) can submit your account to multiple admitted and E&S carriers that write janitorial crime — rates and coverage terms can vary meaningfully between carriers for this class.
Issue the certificate and schedule employees. Once bound, employees must be "scheduled" or covered as a blanket (blanket is preferred for high-turnover firms). Your broker issues COIs showing the crime limit to clients that require it.

Real-World Scenario: Employee Theft at a Commercial Office Client

This is an illustrative example only — not a guarantee of coverage or outcome.

Setup: A 22-employee commercial janitorial company based in Texas serves 18 office buildings and a small school district. Monthly contract revenue is approximately $85,000.

What happened: Over six months, a lead cleaner on a downtown high-rise account was taking laptops and peripherals from unlocked workstations — a total of $42,000 in equipment. The building manager discovered the losses during an asset audit and notified the cleaning company. The client demands reimbursement and cancels the contract (worth $4,200/month).

How crime insurance responded: - The company carried a commercial crime policy (discovery form) with a $100,000 employee theft limit and a $2,500 deductible. - The claim was submitted under Insuring Agreement A (employee theft) with a third-party extension covering theft from client premises. - The carrier paid the client $39,500 ($42,000 loss minus the $2,500 deductible) after a two-week investigation and employee interview. - The company retained the rest of the school district and other accounts because it had a documented response (filed police report, terminated employee, provided COI showing coverage).

Without crime insurance: The company would have paid $42,000 out of pocket, lost the contract, and potentially faced a civil lawsuit — a combination that routinely forces small janitorial firms into insolvency.

FAQ — Commercial Crime for Cleaning & Janitorial

Q: Is commercial crime insurance required by law for cleaning companies? A: No state requires it by statute for janitorial contractors specifically. However, many commercial building owners, property management companies, school districts, healthcare facilities, and government contracts contractually require a minimum crime or fidelity limit — often $25,000–$100,000 — as a condition of being awarded or retaining a contract. Check your service agreements.

Q: Does my general liability policy cover employee theft? A: No. Standard commercial general liability (CGL) excludes theft by your own employees. Crime/fidelity coverage is a separate policy or endorsement. Occasionally, a business owner's policy (BOP) includes a small employee dishonesty sublimit ($10,000–$25,000), but it is usually inadequate for multi-employee janitorial operations.

Q: What is the difference between "per occurrence" and "per loss" limits in a crime policy? A: A per-occurrence limit applies separately to each distinct theft event. A per-loss limit (less common) may aggregate related thefts by the same employee. Most janitorial buyers prefer per-occurrence so that a single bad actor does not exhaust the full limit if the policy covers multiple incidents in the same policy year.

Q: Are my independent contractor (1099) cleaners covered under my crime policy? A: Generally no — most crime policies define "employee" as a W-2 worker or leased worker listed on your payroll. Theft by a 1099 subcontractor is typically excluded. If you use subcontractors, discuss with your broker whether an endorsement or separate coverage is available, or whether you should require them to carry their own fidelity coverage.

Q: How long does a crime claim investigation usually take? A: Simple employee theft claims with police reports and documented evidence typically resolve in 30–90 days. Complex cases involving multiple employees or significant disputed amounts can take 6–12 months. Carriers frequently require a signed proof of loss, sworn statements, and cooperation with their forensic investigation.

Q: Can I add my client as an additional insured on my crime policy? A: Crime policies work differently from liability policies — clients are not added as additional insureds. Instead, you use a third-party coverage endorsement (sometimes called "client coverage" or "coverage for loss of clients' property") that extends the employee theft insuring agreement to cover theft from client premises. Confirm this endorsement is included before issuing a COI that implies the client is covered.

Q: What deductible should I choose? A: Deductibles of $1,000–$2,500 are common for small janitorial firms and keep premiums manageable while protecting against medium and large losses. Avoid deductibles above $5,000 if you serve residential clients — individual losses (e.g., one piece of jewelry) may fall below a high deductible and leave the client uncompensated.

Q: Does crime insurance cover theft of my company's cleaning equipment from a job site? A: It depends on the insuring agreement. Robbery of other property on premises (Insuring Agreement D) covers equipment taken by force. Theft without force from a job site typically falls under your inland marine/equipment floater policy, not crime. Review both policies with your broker to avoid a gap.

Why Morrow for Cleaning & Janitorial Commercial Crime

Independent agency, multiple crime carriers. Morrow places commercial crime with admitted and specialty markets — not a single captive carrier. For janitorial accounts, that means getting quotes from several underwriters who actively compete for this class, not just the one carrier a captive agent can access.
Knows the janitorial contract COI game. School districts, property managers, and healthcare facilities each phrase their crime requirements differently. Morrow's team reads service contracts, confirms the correct insuring agreements and endorsements are bound, and issues COIs that satisfy — not just approximately satisfy — client requirements.
Discovery form expertise. High-turnover cleaning operations need the discovery form, period. Morrow brokers know to ask for it and will negotiate a prior-acts retroactive date when switching carriers so you don't lose historical coverage.
Claims advocacy, not claims abandonment. If an employee theft claim is disputed or delayed, Morrow advocates on your behalf with the carrier's claims team — documents are organized, timelines are constructed, and escalation happens early if the carrier stalls.
Package efficiency. Commercial crime placed alongside your general liability, workers' compensation, and commercial auto through Morrow often qualifies for package discounts and simplifies your renewal cycle to a single broker conversation.

Get a Commercial Crime Quote for Your Cleaning Business

Ready to protect your contracts and your company? Request a commercial crime quote from Morrow in minutes — provide your employee count, annual payroll, and the largest client contract requirement you need to satisfy.

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About This Page

Author: Morrow Editorial Team — reviewed by a licensed P&C insurance broker specializing in commercial lines for service contractors [Morrow to confirm named reviewer and credentials].

Published: June 2026 | Last updated: June 2026

Sources consulted: - Insurance Services Office (ISO) Commercial Crime Coverage Form CR 00 22 and CR 00 23 - National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) — commercial lines market data - Insurance Information Institute (III) — employee theft and fraud statistics - U.S. Chamber of Commerce Institute for Legal Reform — small business crime exposure studies - Texas Department of Insurance (TDI) — contractor licensing and bonding guidance [verify state for other jurisdictions] - Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE) — Report to the Nations (occupational fraud data) - Building Service Contractors Association International (BSCAI) — industry contract standards