"Insured" means the company carries liability coverage that can pay for accidental damage to your home during a visit. "Bonded" is a specific type of insurance that protects against theft by an employee. "Background-checked" means the company has actually run a criminal history check on the people it sends into your home, rather than just claiming to. All three are worth confirming before booking — and a company should be able to tell you clearly what each one actually covers, not just list the words on a website.
What "Insured" Actually Means
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General liability insurance covers accidental damage that happens during a cleaning visit — a knocked-over vase, a scratched floor, water damage from an accident with a cleaning product. Without it, you'd be relying entirely on the individual cleaner's ability (and willingness) to pay out of pocket for anything that goes wrong, which isn't a realistic expectation for most repair costs.
What "Bonded" Actually Means
Bonding is a specific type of coverage — a fidelity bond — that protects against theft or dishonest acts by an employee, separate from general liability. It's less commonly needed than liability coverage, but it exists specifically for the scenario where something goes missing after a visit and matters when you're deciding who to trust with access to your home while you're not there.
What "Background-Checked" Actually Means
This is the most important term to get a real answer on, and the easiest one for a company to say without actually doing. A legitimate background check means a criminal history check was run on the specific person coming to your home — not just that the company "trusts its team" or requires references. If a company can't describe what kind of background check they run or when, that's worth pressing on before you book.
Questions worth asking directly
Do you carry general liability insurance, and can you provide proof if asked? Is your team bonded? What does your background check process actually involve, and does it happen before or after someone starts working unsupervised in a client's home? A company confident in its answers won't be evasive about any of these.
Why This Matters More Than It Seems
None of this is about assuming the worst of every cleaner — it's about the fact that you're giving someone access to your home, often while you're not there, and these protections exist for the rare situation where something does go wrong. A company that takes them seriously tends to take the rest of its operations seriously too.
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