Why Your Strata Cleaning Contract Needs More Than Just Public Liability
If you’ve been cleaning for body corporates or strata management companies for any length of time, you already know the drill. Every contract comes with a list of insurance requirements that can feel like they were written by a lawyer who’s never held a mop. But here’s the thing – those requirements aren’t just red tape. They’re there to protect you, your team, and the property owners who are trusting you with their investment.
I’ve been in this industry for over a decade, and I’ve seen too many cleaners sign strata contracts without fully understanding what they’re agreeing to. Then something goes wrong – a cleaner slips on a wet floor, a window cleaning accident damages common property, or a theft occurs in a storage area – and suddenly that “standard” insurance policy you bought online isn’t covering what you thought it would.
Let me walk you through what body corporate and strata managers are actually looking for when they ask for your insurance certificates, and more importantly, why you should care about every single line item.
The Minimum Insurance Requirements Most Strata Contracts Demand
Every strata contract I’ve seen in 2026 has a standard set of insurance requirements. Some managers are more thorough than others, but here’s what you’ll typically need to show before they let you near their properties.
Public Liability Insurance – The Non-Negotiable
This is the baseline. No strata manager will even look at your quote without proof of public liability insurance. In 2026, the standard minimum across Australian strata contracts is $20 million, though I’m seeing more and more contracts pushing for $30 million, particularly for high-rise residential buildings and commercial strata properties.
Why so high? Think about what could happen in a strata environment. You’re working in common areas where dozens, sometimes hundreds, of residents and visitors move through daily. A wet floor sign that gets knocked over, a cleaning chemical that causes a reaction in someone with respiratory issues, or equipment left in a hallway that causes a fall – these scenarios can generate claims that eat through a $10 million policy surprisingly fast.
Your public liability needs to cover not just your direct cleaning activities, but also any damage you cause to the building itself. If your floor buffer scratches marble tiles in a lobby, that’s a property damage claim. If you accidentally break a window while cleaning, same thing. Make sure your policy wording includes coverage for damage to premises in your care, custody, or control – many standard policies exclude this.
Workers Compensation – The Legal Requirement
This one isn’t optional anywhere in Australia. If you have employees, you must have workers compensation insurance. But here’s where it gets tricky for sole traders and small operators.
Some strata managers will ask for workers compensation even if you’re a sole trader with no employees. They’re often just following a standard checklist without understanding the difference. You need to be clear about your employment structure. If you genuinely have no employees, explain that workers comp doesn’t apply to you, but be prepared to show evidence of your personal accident and illness insurance instead.
For 2026, workers compensation premiums vary significantly by state. In New South Wales, the average premium rate is around 2.5% of wages for cleaning businesses, but this can go higher depending on your claims history. In Queensland, it’s similar. Victoria tends to be slightly more expensive. The point is, factor this into your pricing – it’s not just an insurance cost, it’s a real business expense that needs to be built into your contract rates.
Professional Indemnity – More Important Than You Think
This is the one that catches most cleaners off guard. Professional indemnity insurance isn’t just for accountants and architects. In the cleaning industry, it covers you for claims arising from advice you give or professional services you provide.
How does this apply to strata cleaning? Consider this scenario: a body corporate asks your opinion on the best cleaning method for their sandstone entrance. You recommend a particular product and process. Three months later, the sandstone starts deteriorating. The body corporate comes after you for the cost of restoration. Without professional indemnity, you’re paying that out of pocket.
I’m seeing more strata contracts in 2026 specifically requiring professional indemnity coverage of at least $5 million, particularly for contracts that involve specialised cleaning services like stone restoration, carpet cleaning, or window cleaning at height. If your contract includes any advisory component – recommending cleaning schedules, products, or methods – you need this coverage.
Understanding Your Obligations Under the Strata Scheme
When you sign a strata cleaning contract, you’re not just agreeing to clean. You’re entering into a legal relationship with the owners corporation (the body corporate). This comes with specific obligations that directly affect your insurance needs.
The Duty of Care to Residents and Visitors
As a cleaner working in common property areas, you owe a duty of care to everyone who uses those spaces. This is the legal foundation for most public liability claims. If someone is injured because of your actions or negligence, they can sue you directly. Your public liability insurance is what protects you in this situation.
But here’s the practical reality – in a strata environment, the body corporate can also be held vicariously liable for your actions. If a resident sues the body corporate because of something you did, the body corporate will likely come after you for indemnity. This is why strata managers are so strict about your insurance. They’re protecting themselves as much as you.
Access and Security Considerations
Strata buildings have unique access requirements. You might need keys, fobs, or codes to enter different areas. This creates a specific insurance risk around loss or theft of access devices. Most strata contracts will require you to have coverage for this, and your policy should include theft of keys or security devices.
I’ve seen situations where a cleaner lost a master key fob for an entire apartment block. The body corporate had to rekey all common area locks. That cost ran into thousands of dollars. The cleaner’s public liability policy covered it, but only because they had the right wording in their policy. Without it, they would have been personally liable.
Compliance with By-Laws and Building Rules
Every strata scheme has its own by-laws. These can include specific requirements about when cleaning can occur, what products can be used, how waste must be handled, and what areas you can access. Breaching these by-laws can result in fines or termination of your contract, but more importantly, it can create liability issues.
If you use a prohibited chemical that damages building surfaces or causes health issues for residents, your insurance might not cover you because you were acting outside the scope of your contract or in breach of by-laws. Always read the by-laws before you start work, and make sure your cleaning methods comply.
Common Policy Gaps That Leave Cleaners Exposed
After years of reviewing insurance policies for cleaning businesses, I’ve identified several common gaps that strata cleaners need to watch for.
Care, Custody, or Control Exclusions
This is the biggest trap in the industry. Many public liability policies exclude damage to property that is in your care, custody, or control. For a strata cleaner, this means damage to the building itself – the floors, walls, fixtures, and fittings you’re cleaning – might not be covered.
Imagine you’re cleaning a common area bathroom and accidentally knock over a vanity unit, causing it to crack. If your policy has a care, custody, or control exclusion, you’re paying for that replacement yourself. Strata managers are increasingly aware of this exclusion and will specifically ask whether your policy covers damage to property in your care.
How do you fix this? You need to either find a policy that doesn’t have this exclusion (rare and expensive) or add an extension to your policy that covers damage to premises in your care, custody, or control. Most specialist cleaning insurance policies offer this as an option.
Employee Tools and Equipment
If your employees use their own equipment, who covers it if it’s damaged or stolen while on site? Many strata contracts require you to have coverage for all equipment used on their premises. If an employee’s personal vacuum cleaner is stolen from a common area storage closet, and you don’t have equipment insurance, you’re replacing it yourself.
This becomes more complex with high-value equipment like commercial floor scrubbers, carpet extractors, or window cleaning rigs. Make sure your policy covers all equipment you use on strata sites, whether owned by you or your employees.
Theft and Vandalism in Common Areas
Strata buildings have high traffic and often limited security. Theft of cleaning supplies and equipment from common areas is surprisingly common. Some policies exclude theft from unsecured areas or require specific security measures like locked storage.
Check your policy wording carefully. If it requires equipment to be stored in a locked area, and you’re leaving it in a common area cupboard that doesn’t have a proper lock, you might not be covered. Some strata buildings will provide secure storage, but many won’t. You need to know where you stand.
Contractual Liability
Many strata contracts include indemnity clauses that require you to accept liability for things that might not normally be your responsibility. For example, a contract might require you to indemnify the body corporate for any claim arising from your work, even if you weren’t negligent.
Standard public liability policies often exclude contractual liability – liability you’ve accepted through a contract that goes beyond your common law obligations. If your strata contract has broad indemnity clauses, you need to make sure your insurer knows about them and that your policy covers contractual liability.
How to Present Your Insurance to Strata Managers
Getting the right insurance is only half the battle. You also need to present it properly to strata managers. Here’s what I’ve learned works.
The Certificate of Currency – Get It Right
Your certificate of currency (COC) is the document strata managers will ask for. It needs to show:
- Your business name exactly as it appears on your contract
- The policy type (public liability, professional indemnity, workers comp)
- The coverage amount
- The policy period (start and end dates)
- The insurer’s name
- Any relevant endorsements or extensions
Make sure your COC is current. I’ve seen contracts delayed because a cleaner submitted a COC that expired in two weeks. Strata managers want to see that you have coverage for the full contract period.
Additional Insured Status – When and Why
Some strata contracts will ask you to name the body corporate as an additional insured on your policy. This means they’re covered by your insurance for claims arising from your work. It’s a common request, and most insurers can accommodate it, but it might cost extra.
Before you agree to this, understand what it means. Adding the body corporate as an additional insured gives them rights under your policy. They can make claims directly against your insurer. It also means your insurer might have obligations to defend them in a claim, which could complicate matters if there’s a dispute about who was at fault.
My advice? Only agree to additional insured status if the contract specifically requires it, and make sure your insurer knows and has agreed to it. Don’t just add it yourself – it might void your coverage.
Evidence of Renewal
If your policy is up for renewal during the contract period, strata managers will want to see evidence of renewal before the old policy expires. Set up a system to send updated COCs to all your strata clients at least two weeks before your policy renews. This shows professionalism and keeps your contracts in good standing.
The Cost of Getting It Wrong
Let me give you a real example from 2025 that I saw firsthand. A cleaner in Sydney had a $10 million public liability policy but didn’t have professional indemnity. They were cleaning a high-rise strata building and recommended a particular cleaning product for the lobby’s marble floors. The product reacted badly with the sealant, causing permanent etching across the entire lobby floor.
The body corporate claimed over $80,000 for restoration. The cleaner’s public liability insurer denied the claim because it wasn’t a sudden accidental event – it was a gradual deterioration caused by the cleaner’s advice. Without professional indemnity, the cleaner was personally liable. They ended up settling for $45,000, which wiped out their savings and forced them to sell their business.
That’s the reality of insurance gaps in strata cleaning. The premiums you save by cutting corners on coverage can cost you everything.
Practical Steps to Get Your Insurance Right
Here’s my practical checklist for strata cleaners in 2026.
First, review your current policy against the requirements of your strata contracts. Don’t assume your policy covers everything – read the exclusions carefully, particularly around care, custody, or control, contractual liability, and professional advice.
Second, talk to your insurer or broker about your specific strata work. Tell them what buildings you clean, what services you provide, and what your contracts require. Get them to confirm in writing that your policy covers those activities.
Third, consider whether you need higher coverage limits. The standard $20 million public liability might not be enough for large strata complexes. I’m seeing more contracts requiring $30 million, and some premium buildings are asking for $50 million. The cost difference between $20 million and $30 million is usually minimal – often less than $200 per year.
Fourth, don’t forget about cyber insurance if you handle any resident data. Many strata buildings now use online booking systems for common facilities, and if you have access to resident databases or payment systems, you could be exposed to cyber liability.
Fifth, if you’re using subcontractors, make sure they have their own insurance and that you have coverage for their actions. Most strata contracts require you to be responsible for anyone working under your direction.
Building Trust Through Proper Coverage
At the end of the day, your insurance is a trust signal for strata managers. When you present a comprehensive insurance package that meets or exceeds their requirements, you’re telling them you’re professional, you understand the risks, and you’re prepared to protect their property and their residents.
I’ve seen cleaners win contracts over cheaper competitors simply because their insurance was better presented and more comprehensive. Strata managers are risk-averse by nature – they’re managing other people’s money and property. When you make their risk assessment easier, you make their decision to hire you easier.
If you’re unsure about any aspect of your insurance coverage, get professional advice. A good insurance broker who understands the cleaning industry is worth their weight in gold. They can help you navigate the specific requirements of strata contracts and make sure you’re not exposed.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the minimum public liability insurance required for strata cleaning in Australia?
The standard minimum in 2026 is $20 million, but many strata contracts now require $30 million, particularly for high-rise residential buildings and commercial strata properties. Some premium buildings may ask for $50 million. Always check the specific requirements of each contract rather than assuming a standard amount.
Do I need professional indemnity insurance for strata cleaning?
Yes, if your contract involves any advisory component – recommending cleaning methods, products, or schedules. Even if you don’t think you give professional advice, many strata contracts include implied advisory responsibilities. If you damage a building surface through a recommended cleaning method, professional indemnity covers you where public liability might not.
What happens if my workers compensation insurance lapses while I have employees on site?
This is illegal in every Australian state and territory. If a worker is injured while your workers comp has lapsed, you face significant fines and personal liability for their medical costs and lost wages. Strata managers will terminate your contract immediately if they discover your workers comp has lapsed. Set up automatic renewals to prevent this.
Can I use a standard cleaning insurance policy for strata work or do I need specialised coverage?
Standard cleaning policies often have exclusions that leave strata cleaners exposed, particularly around care, custody, or control of the premises. You need a policy specifically designed for commercial cleaning that includes coverage for damage to property in your care. Specialist cleaning insurance policies are better suited to strata work than general business insurance.
How do I handle insurance requirements when using subcontractors on strata sites?
You need to ensure all subcontractors have their own public liability insurance (minimum $20 million), workers compensation if they have employees, and any other coverage required by your strata contract. You should also have your own coverage for their actions, as most contracts hold you responsible for anyone working under your direction. Get certificates of currency from all subcontractors before they start work.
What insurance do I need for window cleaning on high-rise strata buildings?
In addition to standard public liability and workers compensation, you need specific coverage for working at height. This includes coverage for rope access or scaffolding work, and insurance for any equipment used at height. Many standard policies exclude working at height above certain levels, so check your policy wording carefully. Some strata contracts require specific height work insurance of $20 million or more.
How often should I review my insurance coverage for strata cleaning work?
At least annually, or whenever you take on a new type of work or a significantly larger contract. Your insurance needs change as your business grows. If you move from cleaning small townhouse complexes to high-rise residential buildings, your risk profile changes dramatically. Review your coverage before signing any major new contract.