Window Cleaning Insurance in BC: What Every Homeowner Should Know Before Hiring
Hiring a window cleaner seems straightforward until something goes wrong. A ladder slips, a pane cracks, a worker is injured on your property — and suddenly a $200 cleaning job becomes a $20,000 liability question. In British Columbia, the rules around contractor insurance and worker compensation create specific obligations for both service providers and homeowners. Here's what you need to know before you hand anyone a ladder.
Why Uninsured Window Cleaners Are a Financial Risk to Homeowners
Window cleaning involves ladders, heights, and glass — three of the more accident-prone elements in residential service work. Ladder falls are the leading cause of serious injury in the trades in BC, and even experienced cleaners on familiar terrain can slip on wet surfaces, encounter unstable ground under an extension ladder, or have equipment fail. When an uninsured worker is injured on your property, you can face liability under British Columbia's Occupiers' Liability Act. The Act places a duty of care on property owners to ensure the premises are reasonably safe for anyone lawfully on the property — including contractors you've hired. If an uninsured worker is injured and cannot recover compensation from their employer (because no coverage exists), your homeowner's liability coverage becomes the target. Beyond physical injury, uninsured operators offer no financial recourse for property damage. A cracked pane, a gutter torn from fascia, a pressure washer burn on painted siding — without liability insurance, you're collecting on a promise, not a policy. In the absence of coverage, recovery means small claims court and often an uncollectable judgment against a sole operator with no assets.
- Ladder falls are the leading cause of serious contractor injuries in BC
- BC Occupiers' Liability Act can expose homeowners when uninsured workers are hurt on their property
- No liability insurance = property damage claims are promises, not policies
- Small claims recovery against uninsured sole operators is often uncollectable
What Liability Insurance Covers — and What It Doesn't
A commercial general liability (CGL) policy carried by a window cleaning company covers third-party property damage and third-party bodily injury arising from their operations. In practice, this means: if a cleaner breaks a pane while working, the CGL policy pays for the glass replacement. If a ladder falls and damages your roof, the CGL policy covers the repair. If a customer slips on a wet walkway the cleaner created, the CGL pays the injury claim. What CGL does not cover is the cleaner's own bodily injury. For that, WorkSafe BC (workers' compensation) coverage is required. In BC, most businesses with workers are required to register with WorkSafe BC and maintain premium payments. For a sole operator, WorkSafe registration is optional — but a sole operator who chooses not to carry it and is seriously injured on your property can potentially pursue compensation through the tort system instead, which circles back to your homeowner's liability. The combination to look for is CGL liability insurance plus WorkSafe BC coverage. These two together close both the property damage and the personal injury exposure. A company that carries both has made a deliberate choice to operate professionally and protect its customers.
Coverage limits matter as much as coverage existence. A CGL policy with a $1M per occurrence limit is standard for residential service work in BC. Ask for the limit when you request the certificate — a $200,000 limit on a company working on high-value lakefront properties is materially inadequate.
How to Verify a Window Cleaner Is Insured
The only reliable verification method is a current Certificate of Insurance (COI) — a standardized document issued directly by the insurer that confirms the policy number, coverage type, coverage limits, policy period, and the named insured. A legitimate company will provide a COI on request without hesitation. If a company resists, asks you to trust them verbally, or offers to email you something that doesn't look like a COI, those are disqualifying red flags. For WorkSafe BC verification, you can check a company's registration status directly at the WorkSafeBC website (worksafebc.com) using their business name or registration number. This is a public database, and the check takes 30 seconds. Practically speaking: ask before booking, not after. A quick 'can you send me a current certificate of insurance?' in your first message tells you everything. A professional company will respond with a PDF. A company that takes three days to answer or says 'we'll bring it when we come' is telling you something important about how they operate. Wagon Windows carries commercial general liability insurance and operates in compliance with WorkSafe BC requirements. We provide certificates of insurance on request.
- Request a Certificate of Insurance (COI) — issued by the insurer, not a self-declaration
- Verify WorkSafe BC status at worksafebc.com using the company name
- Ask for CGL coverage limits — $1M per occurrence is standard minimum
- Ask before booking — a professional company answers this without friction
What Your Homeowner's Insurance Does and Doesn't Cover
Most standard BC homeowner's insurance policies include personal liability coverage — typically $1M or $2M — that covers third-party bodily injury and property damage on your property. This coverage can respond to contractor injury claims where your own negligence contributed (for example, if you failed to warn the cleaner about a known hazard), but it is not a substitute for requiring the contractor to carry their own coverage. Homeowner's insurance does not cover: damage caused by the contractor to your property (that's the contractor's CGL), theft by a contractor, or injury to a contractor that was entirely the result of their own negligence or lack of proper equipment. It also typically excludes business activities conducted on the premises, so if you're running a commercial operation from your property, the personal lines policy has additional gaps. The key point: your homeowner's policy is a backstop, not a primary shield. Requiring insured contractors is what keeps your policy from being the first line of defense in a claim — which matters for your premiums and your claim history.
- Homeowner's liability may respond where your negligence contributed to contractor injury
- Does not cover contractor damage to your property — that's their CGL
- Does not cover contractor theft
- Using homeowner's policy as primary coverage for contractor incidents affects your premiums
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Wagon Windows carry insurance?
Yes. Wagon Windows carries commercial general liability insurance covering third-party property damage and bodily injury arising from our operations. We operate in compliance with WorkSafe BC requirements and can provide a Certificate of Insurance on request. Call (403) 837-5092 or ask when booking.
What should I do if a window cleaner cracks my glass?
Document the damage immediately with photos, note the time and the technician present, and contact the company the same day. If they carry CGL insurance, the repair claim goes through their insurer — get the policy number from them and contact the insurer directly if the company is unresponsive. If they are uninsured, your recourse is BC Small Claims Court (claims up to $35,000). This is exactly why pre-verifying insurance matters.
Is it my responsibility if a cleaner is hurt on my property?
Potentially, depending on the circumstances. BC's Occupiers' Liability Act requires property owners to maintain reasonably safe conditions for contractors. If you have a known hazard — a loose deck board near the work area, an unlocked dog, a compromised walkway — you may bear partial responsibility. Hiring a WorkSafe BC-registered company limits your exposure significantly, as WorkSafe coverage resolves claims without tort litigation.
How much does liability insurance typically cost window cleaners in BC?
A standard CGL policy for a window cleaning sole proprietor in BC typically runs $800–$1,500 annually. For a company with employees, premiums scale with payroll. This cost is reflected in professional pricing — operators undercutting market rates by a large margin are often doing so by eliminating insurance costs, not efficiency gains.